Geert Adriaans Boomgaard

Geert Adriaans Boomgaard
Birth:	21 September 1788 Groningen, The Netherlands
Death:	3 February 1899 Groningen, The Netherlands
Age:	110 years, 135 days
Country:	NED
Validated

Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (21 September 1788—3 February 1899) is accepted by most demographic scholars as the first verified supercentenarian case on record, however some people view him as the 2nd supercentenarian after his fellow-country man, Thomas Pieters (1745-1857) who allegedly lived to 111 years, 356 days though his age is disputed because his birth certificate was lost and there are doubts if it even existed: this happened when Pieters's claim was moved from the footnotes to the main table in Guinness World Records. Since there is evidence that Boomgaard served as a soldier in Napoleon's Grande Armée, he may have in fact been the oldest military veteran ever for several decades (the oldest military veteran ever is the Puerto Rican man Emiliano Mercado Del Toro who lived to 115 years, 156 days).

Life

Boomgaard was born in Groningen, The Netherlands, where he also died. His father was a boat captain, and civil records show he did the same career, however some evidences show he was a soldier in the 33rd Light Infantry Regiment in Napoleon's Grande Armée. On 4 March 1818, at age 29 he married Stijntje Bus, who died on 24 March 1830 at age 33 a month after their 7th child was born. Almost a year later, on 21 March 1831 he married Grietje Abels Jonker and had 4 more children. Grietje died on 18 May 1964 at the age of 71. He outlived all of his 11 children, his last surviving child, Jansje Hinderika, died at the age of 57 in May 1885.

He died at the age of 110 years, 135 days on 3 February 1899. His record was surpassed by Margaret Ann Neve on 30 September 1902, his record as the oldest verified man ever was surpassed 64 years later on 28 October 1966 by John Mosely Turner of The United Kingdom who lived to be 111 years 280 days, a year and 145 days more then his record, however pending case Robert Alexander Early of the United State, who lived to the age of 111 years, 1 day, surpassed his record on 21 February 1960.