| Birth date | 21 September 1788 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Groningen, Dutch Republic |
| Death date | 3 February 1899 (aged 110) |
| Death place | Groningen, Netherlands |
| Known for |
|
Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (21 September 1788; baptised 23 September 1788[1] – 3 February 1899) was a Dutch supercentenarian and is generally accepted by scholars as the first validated case on record.[2][3]
Biography
Early life
Little is known about Boomgaard's life: he was born in Groningen, Netherlands. His parents were Adriaan Jacobs Boomgaard (1763–1844) and Geesje Geerts Bontekoe (1762–1834).[4] His father was captain on a boat, and civil records say that Geert had the same job.[5][non-primary source needed] In addition to captaining a boat, other sources say that he also served as a soldier in the Dutch-recruited 33ème Régiment d'Infanterie Légère (33rd Light Infantry Regiment) in Napoleon's Grande Armée.[6]
Marriages
Aged 29, on 4 March 1818, Boomgaard married Stijntje Bus (baptized 19 February 1797 – died 24 March 1830).[4][5] Stijntje died aged 33, a month after the birth of their eighth child. A year later, on 17 March 1831, Boomgaard married Grietje Abels Jonker (baptized 19 May 1793 – 18 May 1864),[4] with whom he had four more children, for a total of 12.
Longevity
On 8 January 1897, Boomgaard surpassed the final age of Belgian Pierre Darcourt (108 years and 108 days) to become the oldest man ever,[3] and by 10 April 1898, he was older than the previous titleholder, 109-year-old Norwegian woman Kirsti Skagen (1788–1897), therefore making him the oldest ever verified person at that time.[3]
Boomgaard outlived all of his children: his last surviving child, Jansje Hinderika, died aged 56 on 24 May 1885.[7]
Boomgaard died aged 110 years and 135 days. The first female supercentenarian and his successor was Margaret Ann Neve — who surpassed Adriaans' final age, dying at almost 111 (1792–1903) — although his lifespan as the longest-lived male was not surpassed until 21 February 1960, by Robert Early (1849-1960) of the United States.
See also
References
- ^ Baptismal certificate 23 September 1788 Groningen Martinikerk. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ "Table A – Verified Supercentenarians (Listed Chronologically By Birth Date)". Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born before 1850, as of May 17, 2019. Gerontology Research Group
- ^ "NOORDER RONDBLIK Geert A. Boomgaard uit Groningen werd het oudst van alle Nederlanders" (in Dutch). Nieuwsblad van het Noorden. 3 April 1982. Retrieved 14 March 2019. – via Groninger archieven.
- ^ "Akte – Groninger Archieven" (in Dutch). www.wiewaswie.nl. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ Derniers vétérans de l'Armée napoléonienne, Premier Empire (in French)
- ^ Chambre, Jeune, Poulain (2021). "Geert Adriaans Boomgaard, the First Supercentenarian in History?". ResearchGate
