# Who has/had parents - not grandparents - born in the 19th Century? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 9, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354 "2012-05-09T03:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/1 "2012-05-09T03:20:00Z")
This thread raises the topic (and suggests someone start another thread): > **[Anyone else have a grandparent born in the 19th century?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=651064)** > > I mentioned my mother’s father, born 1898, in another thread, which got me thinking about it. I bet there are people on this forum who have an earlier-born grandfather/mother than mine. Mine isn’t particularly remarkable: Grandfather born 1898, my... My father was born in 1893. He was 66 when I was born. (I’m 52) ---
**Author:** ![MemoryDump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@MemoryDump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MemoryDump)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/2 "2012-05-09T04:01:46Z")
I noted in the other thread, my dad was born in 1898. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/3 "2012-05-09T07:20:37Z")
My father was born in 1900, so he just made it under the wire. My uncle (mother’s brother) was born in 1899, and I think always half-seriously resented my dad for being only a year younger, but from a different century. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/4 "2012-05-09T07:48:33Z")
Well, he’s in luck! The century didn’t start until 1901. Source: [20th century - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/5 "2012-05-09T13:04:31Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > Well, he’s in luck! The century didn’t start until 1901. The previous poster indicated that. The 1800s and the 1900s were most definitely different centuries, just not exactly the same as 19th century and 20th century, respectively. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/6 "2012-05-09T13:46:45Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > This thread raises the topic (and suggests someone start another thread): > > [Anyone else have a grandparent born in the 19th century? - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=651064) > > My father was born in 1893. He was 66 when I was born. (I’m 52) The cool thing is you might have had your father born in one century, you born in the next, and your own child born in the third. That’s pretty cool. StG ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/7 "2012-05-09T14:36:16Z")
I know lots of people in this situation, though I’m not one myself. The youngest person I know with a 19th-century-born parent is an uncle, born in 1939 (his father b. 1867). The oldest of them was born in 1922, for whom it’s a bit less surprising. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/8 "2012-05-10T02:33:20Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > The cool thing is you might have had your father born in one century, you born in the next, and your own child born in the third. That’s pretty cool. > > StG Interesting - I never thought about that. My brother’s son was born three days from what would have been his grandfather’s 100th birthday. I filled out a form a few years ago that asked for my parents’ birthdates, but only provided two digits for the year. I got a reply that sarcastically asked if my father was only twelve years old. I answered no, if alive, he would be a hundred and twelve. ---
**Author:** ![truthbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@truthbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthbot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/9 "2012-05-11T02:07:47Z")
My father missed the mark by one day. He was born New Years day 1900. He was 57 when I was born. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/10 "2012-05-11T17:15:08Z")
Actually, you’d have to go back to my great-grandparents to get to the 19th century, and not even all of them. (I’m 30.) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/11 "2012-05-11T17:36:00Z")
> [@truthbot](#): > > My father missed the mark by one day. He was born New Years day 1900. He was 57 when I was born. Actually, he qualifies for the 19th century, being born in 1900. “19th century” and “1800s” are not conterminous. Close, but not quite, since the latter begins and ends a year earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/12 "2012-05-11T18:13:41Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Actually, he qualifies for the 19th century, being born in 1900. “19th century” and “1800s” are not conterminous. Close, but not quite, since the latter begins and ends a year earlier. So, if I were born in 1960, I was born in the 1950s? Cool. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/13 "2012-05-11T18:50:01Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > So, if I were born in 1960, I was born in the 1950s? Cool. Nope. What year was exactly 1,960 years before 1960? ---
**Author:** ![Orca\_Eyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Orca\_Eyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orca_Eyes)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/14 "2012-05-16T23:38:14Z")
Everyone I know with parents born in the 19th century is old. My maternal grandmother’s parents were both born in the 1890s, and my paternal grandpa’s dad was born in 1898. ---
**Author:** ![liam\_lynch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@liam\_lynch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liam_lynch)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/15 "2012-05-26T23:41:20Z")
A neighbour of mine died in 2000 aged 73, and his father was still alive, aged 100. He later died in 2002, aged 102. ---
**Author:** ![Tikkimouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@Tikkimouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikkimouse)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-parents-not-grandparents-born-in-the-19th-century/621354/16 "2012-05-28T02:03:57Z")
A friend of mine will be 93 on the Fourth of July. She was born when her father was 50, which means he was born in 1871.