Is Girtha 'Sister' Nevells the oldest resident of Alabama?

Jeanne Calment

Who is the oldest resident of Conecuh County?

That’s a question that came to mind last week when I read Monroe Journal reporter Josh Dewberry’s story about a recent meeting of the Repton town council. In that story, he reported that town officials congratulated Girtha “Sister” Nevells on her 107th birthday, which was Tuesday of last week. If my math is right, that means she was born on April 23, 1906, which was just five days after the Great San Francisco Earthquake.

Due to her remarkable age, Nevells is likely the oldest resident of Repton and has got to be in the running for oldest resident of Conecuh County if not Alabama. I use the word “likely” because I’m not 100 percent sure if she is or not. There’s a chance that there’s someone else out there in Conecuh County right now who was actually born before Girtha Nevells.

If you know of a living Conecuh County resident older than Girtha Nevells, I’d like to hear from you. You can call me at 578-1492, e-mail me at courantsports@earthlink.net or write me at The Evergreen Courant, ATTN: Lee Peacock, P.O. Box 440, Evergreen, AL 36401.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest living person ever verified was a French woman named Jeanne Calment, who lived to the ripe old age of 122 years, 164 days. She was born on Feb. 21, 1875 and died on Aug. 4, 1997. The oldest living man ever verified is actually still living today. He’s a Japanese man named Jiroemon Kimura, who, as of Monday, was 116 years, and eight days old.

The oldest living American is Jeralean Talley, who was born on May 23, 1899, making her 113 years and 339 days old as of Monday. A native of Georgia, she currently lives in Michigan and is also the oldest living black person. The oldest living Alabama native is Susannah Mushatt Jones, who was born on July 6, 1899 in Lowndes County and currently lives in New York. For those keeping track, she’s 113 years and 297 days old.

Individuals over the age of 110 are called supercentenarians, and according to the Gerontology Research Group there are no verified residents of Alabama over the age of 110. After a brief search on Monday, I was unable to find the name of the oldest current resident of Alabama, but Nevells has got to be in the running for that title. If she’s not the oldest resident of Alabama, she’s close.

According to a study by the American Human Development Project, the average Alabama resident lives 75.2 years. Residents of Hawaii have the longest average lifespan, 81.2 years. In other words, Nevells has outlived the average Hawaiian by 26 years and the average Alabamian by 32 years.

In the end, let me know if you know of another Conecuh County resident older than 107 years. Maybe such information will settle a bar bet or two and will give us all something to shoot for.