What year was the oldest family member you knew born?

[Enigma]

My Great Grandmother was born in 1902 and died at 97 when I was 10. She could remember as a girl the headlines after the Titanic sank and witnessed the men of the town (Nairn) marching off to the Western Front.

I had a great uncle, who I can’t remember meeting, though my dad will have. He would would maybe have been born around 1910 but he left a short pamphlet-like memoir. He was a Japanese prisoner of war and was used as slave labour in the building of Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong and later down a coal mine on Honshu. After months of existing on only what could be scavenged from the woods after hours back-breaking work down a dangerous mine the American commander of the ship they were rescued on sincerely apologised that they had run out of ice cream.

More pertinent to this thread is written in the memoir is a bit of an apocryphal tale: he remembered as a very young lad being told by some ancient relation that when said ancient relation was a child there were still people in his village who, this side of my family being from Derbyshire, could remember seeing Jacobite soldiers pulling up the crops in the fields around the village and generally laying waste.

Edited March 23, 2021 by Enigma

[Sergeant Wilson]

9 hours ago, tamthebam said:

 

ETA: she later knew a German family in Trier and saw Hitler when she was there visiting. The German family she knew were anti-Nazis btw.

 

Aye, they all say that now.

[Shandon Par]

One grandpa was dead before I came along but the other was a bit unhinged. Think he was born in 1899. He was the drummer in a jazz band, a boxer and then a miner. He told me how he was once in a terrible scrap and someone got a gravestone dropped on them from a bridge. 

[Bigmouth Strikes Again]

Got a five generation pic taken when I was about 1, all the women on my mothers side live till their nineties. This was about 1966, so the oldest one must have been born about 1860's/1870's.

[Mr Tourette]

My great grandmother died when I was a young lad in the late 60s aged 93, so would have been born around 1875. Apparently she drank a large whisky every day of her adult life

[RH33]

My granny still going at 98

positive for Covid but asyptomatic so I think only a nuclear bombs going take her out 

[latapythelegend]

My grandad was born in 1927 - died in 2017 age 90.  Its quite odd but since he died I took more of an interest in local history and finding more stuff about him as well. Always find it fascinating looking at what other relatives lived through and seeing things they way they used too.

My living gran is 90 in July and has been deaf her whole life. She has dementia as well now but her physical health otherwise is incredible for her age which i think is aided by the fact he has to sign all the time and it somewhat keeps her body active doing so. 

[Myles Offside]

My great grandma (mum's mum's mum), who I only remember actually meeting once when I was about 10, although she didn't live that far from us. Don't know her definite year of birth, but based on the age of my gran and her siblings, it must have been around 1880.

[HibsFan]

1908, died in 2010.

Helpfully pointed out to me on multiple occasions that she wasn’t born when Hibs last won the Scottish Cup, and indeed lived and died without seeing it.

[Hillonearth]

Maternal grandfather was born something like 1885 - I don't think he married until he was well into his forties, so by the time I came around he was ancient and only lasted until I was maybe three or four, so it's pushing it to say I really remember him.

Weird career trajectory for the old yin anyway from what I understand...in WW1 he was a piper - which sounded suicidal going over the top with bagpipes rather than a gun - then after not being able to find work postwar rejoining the Black and Tans and doing his bit for Anglo-Irish relations. After that episode he joined the polis and finished off being a tram inspector, I'm guessing finally retiring when the trams finished up.

The only thing I'm really getting about his life is that he seemed to have a bit of a uniform fetish.

[Ron Aldo]

My granpa is still going (relatively) strong and was born in 1938. The oldest relative who's age I can remember was my gran on my dad's side who was born in 1927. She died about 15 years ago.

I can also remember having great grans (both on mum's side) but they died when I was about 3 or 4. Not sure when either of them were born but at a guess I'd say the 1910s.

[RiffRaff]

My Maternal Gradfather was born in 1908 and died in 2003. 

We have a four generation picture, him, my maw, me and the then Mrs Raff and our two daughters.

He lived quite an exciting life, after leaving Uni he became a Teacher and eventually ended up going to the Colonies, when Britain had an Empire, to set up Teacher Training Collages.

My Mother was born in St. Vincent in the Caribbean and grew up in West Africa and Central America.

He was offere a job in Fiji, but in his words "The Governor was an Idiot" so turned it down to go and work at Jordanhill Teacher Traing Collage where he taught a few of the Primary School Teachers that I had.

He was pretty active in the anti-apartheid movement and was invited to the dinner held in Nelson Mandela's honour in Glasgow.

He also played left back for Carluke Rovers back in his younger days.

 

[Lurkst]

My granny was born in 1899 and she had relatives I met who were older, not sure on DOBs though.

My dad is the youngest of his family by several years, as was his father. Which led to the bizarre fact I recently discovered that, despite being a sprightly 50, I had second cousins who were born during World War One!

 

[Ross.]

My great granda was 87 when he died, I think in 1987. Would have been 1899 or 1900 he was born I guess.

[Brummie Clyde]

My granddad was born in 1919 in Walthamstow, London.

He joined the navy shortly before WWII kicked off and met my Gran in Glasgow. Died in about 2006.

A fairly quiet man, who had no interest in sports.

[senorsoupe]

My great aunt Ruby was born in 1921 and died in 2014.  I think there were other relatives I may have met when I was a kid that were born before that but I don't remember them well enough

[badgerthewitness]

When I was a young pup (early 80s), my dad used to take me to visit his father's uncles. Two old men who both fought in The Great War together, returned & never married, instead becoming heavily involved in trade unions/left wing politics.

We still have one set of medals, never worn, in the original box they were delivered in.

[Jacksgranda]

1 hour ago, RiffRaff said:

My Maternal Gradfather was born in 1908 and died in 2003. 

We have a four generation picture, him, my maw, me and the then Mrs Raff and our two daughters.

He lived quite an exciting life, after leaving Uni he became a Teacher and eventually ended up going to the Colonies, when Britain had an Empire, to set up Teacher Training Collages.

My Mother was born in St. Vincent in the Caribbean and grew up in West Africa and Central America.

He was offere a job in Fiji, but in his words "The Governor was an Idiot" so turned it down to go and work at Jordanhill Teacher Traing Collage where he taught a few of the Primary School Teachers that I had.

He was pretty active in the anti-apartheid movement and was invited to the dinner held in Nelson Mandela's honour in Glasgow.

He also played left back for Carluke Rovers back in his younger days.

 

I hope he wasn't an English teacher, as he'd be a bit disappointed with that post.

[RiffRaff]

I hope he wasn't an English teacher, as he'd be a bit disappointed with that post.

Aye, more than likely.

[Honest Saints Fan]

My great gran was born in 1916, died in 2000. Her first husband, my biological grand grandfather died in WW2. She remarried in 1953 I think. My Papa as I knew him was a few years younger. They lived in Luss and are both buried in the cemetery there.

I wish I knew them as adults. I absolutely loved going to their house as a child. My Nana was the best baker I've ever met. She used to save up 1p, 2p and 5p coins for my brother and I in her calcium medicine tubs. Was a highlight of the week coming home with 26p!