Charlie Smith - oldest living American (133 years) interviewed in Bartow, Florida on December 2, 1975 by Mack McCormick
Object Details
- General note
- DPA number RA.76-105.30
- Other number Z-490
- Local Numbers
- FP-1975-CT-Z-490
- Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint)
- Florida
- Date/Time and Place of an Event Note
- Recorded in: United States, Florida, December 2, 1975.
- General
- CDR copy; Charlie Smith (1874/1879? - 1979) was a centenarian noted for claiming to be the oldest person in the United States, although his claim has since been debunked. Smith stated that he had been born in Liberia in 1842 and came to the United States as a slave. Later research indicated that he had been born circa 1874 or even later.[1] In particular, his marriage certificate, issued January 8, 1910, listed him as being 35 years old at the time.[2] He died in Bartow, Florida in 1979, at the age of 105 (according to researchers) or 137 (according to his own claim). Later subsequent research showed Mr. Smith listed in the 1900 census as 21, suggesting he could have been only 100 years old.
- Creator
- Regional American Program 1975
- Recorder
- McCormick, Mack
- Creator
- Smith, Charlie, 1841 or 2-1979
- Collection Creator
- Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- Place
- Florida
- United States
- Topic
- Oral history
- Slavery
- African Americans
- Creator
- Regional American Program 1975
- Recorder
- McCormick, Mack
- Creator
- Smith, Charlie, 1841 or 2-1979
- Culture
- Americans
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife / Series 8: Regional America / 8.1: Fieldwork
- Extent
- 1 Sound recording (compact audio cassette)
- 1 Sound cassette (analog.)
- Date
- 1975 December 2
- Archival Repository
- Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
- Identifier
- CFCH.SFF.1976, Item FP-1976-CT-4704
- Type
- Archival materials
- Sound recordings
- Sound cassettes
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
- Collection Rights
- Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
- Contents
- Interview
- Restrictions
- Restrictions on access.
- Record ID
- ebl-1503510195028-1503510195594-3
- Metadata Usage
- CC0