Charlie Smith (died October 5, 1979)
[McCarthy, Kevin M. (1995). ''The Hippocrene U.S.A. Guide to Black Florida''. Hippocrene Books. pp. 29-30. ] was an American
longevity claimant noted for claiming to be the oldest person in the United States at the time of his death on October 5, 1979, at age 137.
Bone age
Bone age is the degree of a person's skeletal development. In children, bone age serves as a measure of physiological maturity and aids in the diagnosis of growth abnormalities, endocrine disorders, and other medical conditions. As a person grows ...
tests after his death in 1979 revealed that Smith was between 99–105 years old when he died.
[McWhirter, Norris. (1981). ''Guinness Book of World Records''. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 25. ]
History
Smith stated that he had been born in
Liberia
Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
in 1842, kidnapped to the United States at age 12 and sold into
slavery
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
in Louisiana to a Texas rancher. Later research indicated that he had been born
circa
Circa is a Latin word meaning "around, approximately". Circa or CIRCA may also refer to:
* CIRCA (art platform), in London
* Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup
* Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear company
* Circa (contempora ...
1874 or even later. In particular, his marriage certificate, issued January 8, 1910, listed him as being 35 years old at the time.
He was invited to view the launch of
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the eleventh and final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the sixth and most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, ...
in 1972 from the
VIP
A very important person (VIP or V.I.P.) or personage is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social rank, status, influence, or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War II when it was populari ...
area at the
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...
. He amused reporters with his skeptical comments, asserting that "th' ain't nobody goin' t' no moon. Me, you, or anybody else" and, after the launch, "I see they goin' somewhere, but that don't mean nothin'."
Smith died in
Bartow, Florida
Bartow ( ) is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Florida, Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first brigade commander of the Confederate Army to di ...
, on October 5, 1979.
nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023. He was buried at Wildwood Cemetery.
In popular media
The first film, "Charlie Smith at 131" (30 minutes) was made in 1973 and directed by Michael Rabiger for the BBC "Yesterday's Witness" series.
Smith's "life story" (which he took great delight in relating to interviewers and visitors) was dramatized on film in 1978 in a 90-minute episode of the PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television series '' Visions'' titled "Charlie Smith and the Fritter Tree." In the story, Smith comes to America in 1854 on the promise that there are "fritter
A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...
trees" there. Tricked into slavery, he later escapes, joins the Union army and, after the war, heads out west where he chases Billy the Kid
Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
and rides with Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...
.
See also
* List of the last surviving American enslaved people
References
External links
* http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/vfssp.html#CharlieSmith.html
"Secret of Long Life"
''Time'', July 14, 1967
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Charlie
19th-century births
1979 deaths
Longevity myths