| Sarah Knauss | |
 Sarah Knauss at the age of 115. | |
| Birth: | 24 September 1880 Hollywood, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Death: | 30 December 1999 Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Age: | 119 years, 97 days |
| Country: |  USA
|
| Validated | |
Biography
Sarah DeRemer Clark was born in Hollywood, Pennsylvania, USA, a "mining patch" community that no longer exists, at a time when the now-famous Hollywood, California did not yet exist. She lived much of her life in Allentown, where she brought up her daughter Kathryn Sullivan (1903–2005).
There was also a history of longevity in her family: her paternal grandmother lived to be 98 and her cousin Minnie Kresge (1893–1999) lived to be 105. In addition, her daughter Kathryn Sullivan lived to the age of 101.
Knauss's longevity first came to light after the death of Jeanne Calment in 1997, when she and Marie-Louise Meilleur were first authenticated (previously, Mary Bidwell (1881–1996) had been believed to be the oldest American).
Knauss died rather abruptly sitting in her chair on the afternoon of 30 December 1999, survived by five generations of descendants. She died 33 hours before the year 2000. Some of her organs were bequeathed to the New England Centenarian Study, which did an autopsy.
Longevity Records
Knauss was the eighth validated person to reach the age of 115, the fifth to reach 116, the fourth to reach 117, and the second and most recent to reach 118 and 119.
Gallery
References
- Sarah Knauss, 119 Photo Gallery, Gerontology Research Group
- Morning Call, October 9, 1986
- Morning Call, October 1, 1987
- Morning Call, September 29, 1988
- Morning Call, September 26, 1991
- Morning Call, September 30, 1993
- Morning Call, September 25, 1994
- Morning Call, September 24, 1995
- Morning Call, September 22, 1996
- Morning Call, September 25, 1997
- Morning Call, April 18, 1998
- Morning Call, September 25, 1999
- Morning Call, January 1, 2000
