Kittie Harvey

Kittie Mary Harvey (née Bonham; 12 January 1860 – 10 July 1972) was an American supercentenarian who is currently unverified.

Childhood years
She was born in a village in Ohio called Elizabethtown. Her parents were Aaron Elijah Bonham & Nerissa Portia (née Olmstead). They married in 1854. The couple had 3 children in total; 2 sons and 1 daughter. Their father died around 1861 and 6 years later, Nerissa married a minister named Horace Bushnell. His occupation led to the family moving to Indiana, where Kittie’s stepsiblings Carrie, Alice & Herbert were born in 1867, 1869 & 1872 respectively.

Having developed a strong musical interest like her father Aaron, Kittie took private music lessons (vocals, reading music sheets, etc.) at the tender age of 11. In 1876, she moved to Oxford, Ohio, where she attended the Western Female Seminary to study music. In her senior year, in 1878, Kittie was forced to leave college because of health problems. Her boyfriend at the time was Will Harvey, a triplet.

Adult life
They moved to Minneapolis, Kansas, where they eventually married on 6 May 1879. The couple had 2 children in total, of whom one (a daughter) died as an infant. Their eldest child, Fred Harvey, was born on 2 November 1881. Kittie’s stepfather Horace died around 1908.

In the early 1890s, the Harvey family moved to Oklahoma City due to Will’s brother having to leave his farm for Washington D.C. and not wanting it to remain empty. Oklahoma Territory wouldn’t become an official U.S. state until 1913, and was still largely inhabited by Native Americans towards the late 19th century. When the family decided to move to a newly opened area called Chandler, Lincoln County, the subsequent year, they encountered various tribes such as the Kickapoo & the Cherokee people.

Will, an attorney and postmaster in the county, eventually became Probate Judge in Chandler. Kittie herself used to help out at the post office as well as giving music lessons.

In Julys 1894, Kittie witnessed a bank robbery attempt by the ’Cook gang’. In 30 March 1897, she and her son survived a tornado that took 25 lives and injured 150 people in Chandler. In August 1900, Will became ill with malaria and died on 5 September 1900. The now widowed Kittie chose to return to Kansas, where she lived with Fred and Nerissa. Nerissa died in 1930, a few years away from her centennial birthday.

Senior years
Kittie wrote a non-commercial autobiography that was published in 1956. At the time, she lived with her son Fred (who became a doctor) in Manitou, Colorado.

On 22 June 1961, she was featured in a brief newspaper article about Kansas centenarians. 4 centenarians were asked what the secret to their longevity was. Kittie was the only one admitting not having an answer. As a centenarian, her hobbies included reading and sewing (crotcheting and embroidering).

On 21 November 1969, at age 109, she received an honorary bachelor of arts degree from the college she had to leave 91 years ago. A scholarship fund named after her was opened for music students at Western College in Oxford, Ohio. She was wheelchaired during this time, but was still capable of writing letters and read. She didn’t desire becoming getting much older.

At age 111, she stated that her eyesight and hearing were detoriating. It was also revealed that Kittie ”thought every birthday anniversary since her 80th would be her last.” By the time Kittie approached her 112th birthday, she was bedridden and somewhat disoriented.

Death
Kittie Harvey passed away in Minneapolis, Kansas, on 10 July, 1972, at the claimed age of 112 years, 180 days. At the time of her death, she may have been the oldest living American. Depending on whether or not her childhood memories were intact during her final days, she may have been the last surviving person to have recollections of the Civil War.