As far as I am aware my longest living recent ancestor was my paternal grandmother, Christina Barr Walker (1868-1961). She lived to be 92. I must have met her, but I have no memories of her, as I was only three years old when she died and I was living in Newcastle upon Tyne at that time. She died from pneumonia after falling and breaking a leg. Recently I learned that in her final years, she had been suffering from dementia. She had survived her husband, John McAra, by fifteen years and during her lifetime she had lost four children and two adult sons.
My grandmother, Christina Barr Walker, as a young woman.
The ninth out of ten children, Christina was brought up on a farm, her dad starting off in life as an agricultural labourer, then becoming a blacksmith. She was given the middle name 'Barr' (a 'family' name that I was given) but which my research has shown me was never a family name! Christina Barr seems to have been the name of the milkmaid who lived next door to my great grandparents. Had she assisted in the birth of my grandmother I wonder?? She would have been 16 at the time.
She seems to have been a caring, hardworking woman. Not only did she take care of her own children, she took in Jeannie Walker, the illegitimate daughter of one of her sisters as well. She grew up with my dad and my dad was very fond of her. Her descendants still own the cottage my dad was born in.
It would be good to think I may have inherited some of her genes for a long life. I am the youngest of all of her many grandchildren, so with advances in medicine and health care, who knows?? My cousin, Christina Barr McAra is still going at 92!
Post script: the longest living person in any one of the trees I research, is Martin's Aunt Frances, who lived to be 100! Check out Week 29 of my blog if you are interested.
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