Susannah Mushatt Jones

Susannah Jones (née Mushatt; born 6 July 1899) is an American verified supercentenarian. She is currently the oldest verified living person in the world since the death of 116-year-old Jeralean Talley on 17 June 2015. She is the 11th oldest verified person ever. She is also one of the last two living people verified to have born in the 1800's along with Emma Morano of Italy. She is also the last surviving American person born in the 19th century.

Biography
She was born in Lowndes County in Alabama on 6 July 1899, the 9th child out of 11 children. Her parents were sharecroppers who farmed the same land as her grandparents (one had been a slave). As a young woman, she worked in the fields but she was determined to escape that hard existence. On 4 March 1922, she graduated from the Calhoun Boarding High School and the graduation roster recognized her for studying "Negro Music in France". After graduation she wanted to become a teacher and was accepted to Tuskegee Institute's Teacher's Program. However, her parents did not have enough money to pay for her college, so in 1923, she moved to New York during the early stages of the Harlem Renaissance.

In 1928 she married Henry Jones but the marriage only lasted for five years. She divorced him in 1933 saying that she "didn't know what became of him". She had no children. She worked for wealthy families taking care of their children for $7 a week. During this time, she supported many of her relatives as they moved to New York.She also used some of her salary to establish The Calhoun Club, which was a college scholarship fund for African American students at her high school.She was also active in her neighborhood for almost 30 years, participating in the "tenant patrol team".

In 1965 she retired and lived with her niece Lavilla Watson and helped care for Watson's baby son.

She resides at the Vandalia Senior Center in East New York, Brooklyn and has more than 100 nieces and nephews.

Health, Diet and Lifestyle
She is blind, partially deaf, cannot say much, and uses a wheelchair. She only takes high blood pressure medication and a multivitamin. She became blind from glaucoma when she was 100. She has refused cataract surgery and a recommended pacemaker. She has never had a mammogram or a colonoscopy, but she does see a primary care physician three to four times a year.

Jones has never smoked, drunk alcohol, partied, worn makeup, or dyed her hair, and sleeps about 10 hours a day. She also attributes not being married long for her longevity.