Because I, too, have longevity in both my mother's and father's lines, I've found this discussion quite interesting. Tonight, I decided to do some research on life expectancy to put the longevity" into more of a perspective. Here's what I found: In the year 1700, life expectancy in America was 35 years. By the mid-1800s, it was 40 years. By 1900, it was 47 years and less than 3% lived longer than 65 years. Now, looking at antecedents on both sides who lived into their 80s and 90s in the 1600s thru the 1900s takes on a whole new meaning! Lanie -------Original Message------- From: Jo Hogle Date: 01/16/05 21:27:18 To: [email protected] Subject: [WHITNEY-L] Longevity Longevity seems to run in the Whitney line. My grandmother, Celia Setzler Hastings lived to the age of 97, sharp as a tack until the last year or 2 when her short term memory failed slightly. Her three siblings all lived into their 80s. Their mother Julia Ardelle Whitney Setzler passed on at the age of 70. Henry Payson Whitney (Julia's father) was 76; his father, John Whitney Jr.,was only 56 and I am have yet to determine the cause of his young death. However his father, John Whitney, was 85 when he died in 1834. John's father was Elijah Whitney who reached 76 years. My mother is 81 and healthier than I am. Two of her 3 siblings died after the age of 85, she has one living sister who turns 86 in just a few days. It is interesting to look at those statistics, and I am fortunate that longevity seems to run in the lines of all 4 of my grandparents. But that Whitney stock, we are pretty sturdy folks. Jo Hogle