Violet Brown

Violet Brown
Brown on her 115th birthday in 2015, with a birthday card from Elizabeth II
Born
Violet Mosse

(1900-03-10)10 March 1900
Duanvale, Trelawny, British Jamaica
Died(2017-09-15)15 September 2017
(aged 117 years, 189 days)
Montego Bay, Saint James Parish, Jamaica
Resting placeDuanvale Cemetery
Other namesViolete Brown, Violet Mosse-Brown, Violet Moss
Known for
  • Oldest living person (15 April 2017 – 15 September 2017)
  • Oldest Jamaican person ever
  • First verified Jamaican supercentenarian
  • Last known surviving subject of Queen Victoria
SpouseAugustus Gaynor Brown (died 1978)[1]
Children6

Violet Brown (née Mosse; 10 March 1900 – 15 September 2017)[2] was a Jamaican supercentenarian who was the oldest verified living person in the world for five months, following the death of Emma Morano on 15 April 2017 until her own death at the age of 117 years, 189 days on 15 September 2017.[3][4] She was, along with Nabi Tajima of Japan, one of the last two living people known to have been born in the 19th century.[5]

Early life

Brown was born as Violet Mosse on 10 March 1900, and was one of four children born in Duanvale, Trelawny, British Jamaica, to John Mosse, who was a sugar boiler, and Elizabeth Riley.[1] She was baptized at the age of 13 into the Baptist Church.

Longevity

Brown indicated in an April 2017 interview with The Jamaica Observer that she was healthier than her five remaining children and had no ailments.[6]

When asked about the reasons for her longevity, Brown claimed there was no secret formula to her long life, telling the Jamaica Gleaner: "Really and truly, when people ask what I eat and drink to live so long, I say to them that I eat everything, except pork and chicken, and I don't drink rum and dem tings."[7] She also credited her longevity to eating three eggs a day, two of them raw.[8]

She is the oldest verified Jamaican person ever and the first verified supercentenarian from Jamaica.[9] Her date of birth was variously reported as 4 March 1900,[10] 10 March 1900,[2] and 15 March 1900.[1][11]

Brown was born in Jamaica when it was a part of the British Empire and she was the last known subject of Queen Victoria.[12]

Personal life

Brown married Augustus Gaynor Brown, with whom she had one daughter.[1] She had six children in total, four of whom were still living at the time of her death in 2017.[13] Her first child, Harland Fairweather,[14][15][16] died on 19 April 2017, aged 97 years and 4 days.[17] He is believed to have been the oldest person with a living parent.[18]

Death

Brown died on 15 September 2017 at a hospital in Montego Bay, Saint James Parish, at the age of 117, after being diagnosed with dehydration and irregular heartbeat a week prior. Following her death, Nabi Tajima became the oldest living person and the last living person born in the 19th century.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Tashieka Mair (16 July 2007). "The independent Mrs Violet Brown". The Jamaica Star. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Oldest Validated Living Supercentenarians". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  3. ^ Jones, Stephen (15 April 2017). "New oldest living person in world was born only miles from fastest man on planet". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  4. ^ "World's oldest person Emma Morano dies at 117". BBC News. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  5. ^ "The Last Known Person Born in the 19th Century Dies in Japan at 117". 22 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Jamaica's supercentenarian shows age is more than just a number – Editorial". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Learn The Secrets Of Longevity From Violet Brown, The World's Oldest Woman". Blavity. 18 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Learn The Secrets Of Longevity From Violet Brown, The World's Oldest Woman". Blavity. 18 April 2017.
  9. ^ Steve Robson (16 September 2017). "Violet Brown: Oldest person in the world has died aged 117-years-old in Jamaica". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  10. ^ Sheena Gayle (8 March 2010). 110-y-o Trelawny woman reveals secret to long life. Jamaica Gleaner. Accessed January 2014.
  11. ^ Hines, Horace (29 March 2013). "An extraordinary senior citizen – 'Aunt V' turns 113". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  12. ^ Sophie Lewis (17 April 2017). "There's a new world's oldest woman". CNN. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  13. ^ Badcock, James (18 April 2017). "Jamaican church stalwart Violet Brown becomes world's oldest person at 117". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  14. ^ "97 Year Old Son Of World's Oldest Person Dies In Trelawny". rjrnewsonline. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Violet Moss Foundation – Just another WordPress site". violetmossfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  16. ^ Hines, Horace. "97-year-old son of world's oldest person dies". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Man, 97, dies just days after mother was declared world's oldest person". The Guardian. Associated Press. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  18. ^ Chin, Jean Lowrie (23 May 2016). "Violet Mosse Brown — 116 amazing years!". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Japanese Woman Becomes Oldest Person in the World". NewsBeat Social. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Jamaica's Violet Brown dies at 117; Japan woman now oldest". CTVNews. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  • Violet Mosse Foundation, a nonprofit support organisation for contributing to the well-being of all elderly persons. This foundation was founded by Violet Brown's relatives and named after Violet Brown. (The site is now closed and the link is Wayback Machine)