A few weeks ago I made a jaunt to Austin, Texas. I visited the Oakwood Cemetery and was thrilled to find the headstone of a woman purported to have reached the age of 112 years old!
Sprinze Badt has a lovely headstone in one of the two Jewish sections of the cemetery. It is very clearly marked that she was born in 1776 and died in 1888. Additionally, the headstone proudly proclaims that she was aged 112 years old (which is what caught my eye). I mentioned this extraordinary aging feat to a co-worker and she did some preliminary research in to Sprinze Seelig Badt (pronounced ‘bought’) which got me doing even more digging.
Turns out Sprinze Badt’s headstone is false. Her great-great-great granddaughter (Helene Rosin) is an avid genealogist and has published on the family. Helene found a census record from 1880 that states Sprinze was 93 years old at the time. That means she aged 19 years between 1880 and her death in 1888. Additionally, her age doesn’t match up with her children (she would have been too old to give birth if the 112 proved to be true).
Helene states that she is not sure why there is such a blatant lie on the headstone. Especially since Sprinze Badt lead a really interesting life. Not only did she actually live to be 100 years old (!), her second husband was almost 30 years younger than she was (!), she lived in La Grange Texas (home of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas!), AND she frequently traveled between the US and her extended family in Germany.
Thanks to Jami at UMF who got me gnawing on this bone and Helene Rosin who published twice in genealogical newsletters.
Zero thanks to whomever lied about Sprinze’s age on her headstone although it did lead to a dang interesting story!
https://www.jgscv.org/pdf/newsletters/Venturing_V8_N9.pdf
https://www.jgscv.org/pdf/newsletters/Venturing_V8_N11.pdf
