Amazing but true: America is only 4 presidents' lives old

[Roland99]

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/03/12/amazing-but-true-america-is-only-four-presidents-lives-old/?utm_term=.8a916441b4c8

When President Obama was born (1961), President Herbert Hoover was still alive (1874-1964). When Hoover was born, President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) was still alive. When President Johnson was born, President John Adams (1735-1826) was still alive. And just like that, we've connected present day to the Founding Fathers.

[ADX]

1. That's truly amazing...

...Thanks for posting it.

[central scrutinizer]

2. The last Civil War widow died in 2004

She married an 81year old veteran when she was 21.

[Journeyman]

3. Two of 10th President John Tyler's grandsons are still alive . . .

Tyler was born in 1790, the year after George Washington was sworn in as President, and served as the chief executive from 1841 to 1845. His grandsons are around 90 years old.

John Tyler was the first vice president elevated to the presidency on the death of the chief executive and the first president to marry in the White House. Nearly 175 years later, two of his grandchildren are still around.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler, 89, is one of two living grandsons of President John Tyler, who was born in 1790, one year after George Washington was sworn in as president.

Just three generations -- President Tyler, his son Lyon Tyler, and grandson Harrison -- span almost the entire history of the United States.

<snip>

Here's how it happened. John Tyler became president in 1841. He had eight children with his first wife, who died while he was in office. At 52, he married 22-year-old Julia Gardiner. They had seven children, for a total of 15 -- the most of any president. He was 63 when son Lyon Tyler was born, whose first wife also died. Lyon also had a very young second wife, and was 75 years old when Harrison Tyler was born in 1928.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-two-of-president-john-tylers-grandsons-are-still-alive/

[snowybirdie]

4. Been doing some genealogy

My great grandfather was born in 1843 and came to America in 1860. I now am enjoying MY great grandchildren and I ain't done yet! Still frisky. Seems surreal!

[MineralMan]

5. There are only about 100 generations back to the year 1 CE.

think about it. And that's figuring with 20-year periods for generations. It's even fewer if you use a larger time period to indicate a generation. If you set the length of a generation at 30 years, which is probably more accurate, it's only 67 generations back to year 1 CE.

Further, if you are one of those that believes that human history only goes back 6000 years, that's just 200 generations. Think about it. It's mind-boggling, really.

[exboyfil]

6. Chinese have genealogy dating to Confucius

Dating back to 500 BC. 2 million documented descendants.

[MineralMan]

10. Amazing!

[Spider Jerusalem]

15. The average generation length is more like 25-30 years (n/t)

[MineralMan]

16. That's why I also gave the numbers for 30-year generations.

Thanks.

[First Speaker]

7. When I was a little boy, I met a great-great uncle who remembered the Civil War...

...and when *he* was a little boy, he had a great-grandfather who had been an eyewitness to the battle of Concord Bridge. Our history really isn't that long.

[appalachiablue]

12. My mother saw Civil War veterans as a child she told us.

In a 1948 photo of three generations, she's with her first born, my brother, her mother, and her grandmother who was born in 1860 during the Civil War, and died in the 1950s after WWII.

I never realized the historical significance of that photo until recently.

Agree, our history isn't that long, especially when you look at it from the perspective of 50, 60 years or more.

Years ago while working in Alexandria, Va. I met Rob Coles of Charlottesville, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson. I'd thought of him a few times over the years and was so sorry to learn he passed away in 2013. Such a nice, gracious man, tall with bright red hair like TJ.

https://www.dailyprogress.com/obituaries/coles-rob/article_e35cd1b7-3cc0-5208-84f4-b3dc3682ebe6.html?mode=jqm_gal

[Demovictory9]

8. cool

[Roland99]

9. The replies here are why I absolutely love DU!

You all are awesome!

[Wounded Bear]

11. When the US turned 240, it came to my mind that...

I have been alive for more one quarter of US history.

I was born in 1952.

[Kaleva]

13. The last verified veteran of the Civil War died in 1956, 2 years before I was born.

Albert Woolson

[JI7]

14. the USA is very young. when reading history of older nations

200 years doesn't seem that long as it does when thinking of three US.