At 115 years old, Naomi Washington Whitehead becomes the oldest known living person in the United States and North America, and also a liviving archive of more than a century of Black American history.
Born on Sept. 26, 1910, on a farm in rural Georgia, Whitehead’s life predates many modern innovations — from traffic lights and commercial air travel to the internet and social media.
Whitehead’s remarkable longevity was confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and her status as the oldest living American followed the death of Elizabeth Francis, who passed away at 115 on October 22, 2024.
From Cotton Fields to Supercentenarian
Born Naomi Washington in Patterson, Georgia, Whitehead grew up helping her family with work on their farm, picking cotton and tobacco as a child — memories she still recalls vividly. ([Wikipedia][1]) In 1930, she married Sylvester Whitehead, and the couple had three sons: Sylvester Jr., Parrish L., and Elbert. Whitehead was widowed in the 1980s, and her sons all predeceased her, with her last surviving son passing in 2011.
Throughout her life Whitehead has credited her longevity to her faith and lifestyle choices — she reportedly never smoked or drank alcohol — as well as genetics, noting her father lived into his 90s.
Today, Whitehead resides at St. Paul’s Senior Living Community in Greenville, Pennsylvania, surrounded by generations of a large extended family that includes grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and great-great-great-grandchildren.
A Century‑Plus of History in One Life
Whitehead’s lifespan bridges some of the most consequential eras in American history. She was born before World War I, lived through Jim Crow segregation, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the moon landing, and the rise of the digital age. Her firsthand experience offers a rare continuity of memory that connects past struggles and achievements to the present day.
Her story resonates not only because of its extraordinary length, but because it highlights how individual lives — especially those of Black Americans in the rural South — reflect broader currents in U.S. history and resilience.
As of late 2025, Whitehead is recognized by longevity researchers as one of the oldest verified living people in the world, further cementing her place among the remarkable cohort known as supercentenarians — individuals aged 110 or older.
