Kudos to New York Magazine‘s Dan Amira, who tracked down one of President John Tyler’s grandsons (not great-great-great-grandsons) to discuss the fact that he’s still living. Here’s a brief excerpt from Amira’s interview with Harrison Ruffin Tyler:
It’s a really interesting story that you’re still, you know, around. Could you just explain how this happened? How someone born in 1790 still has living grandchildren?
Well, he was a good man! [laughs] Both my grandfather — the president — and my father, were married twice. And they had children by their first wives. And their first wives died, and they married again and had more children. And my father was 75 when I was born, his father was 63 when he was born. John Tyler had fifteen children — eight by his first wife, seven by his second wife — so it does get very confusing. I really do not know — it’s amazing how families drift apart. When I was a child, I did know most of the descendents, but as you get more generations down the line, it’s hard to keep track of everybody.
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He should be out there trying to land a young wife and keep this thing going. John Tyler’s great-grandson could be alive in the 22nd century.
posted by Al on 1-27-2012 at 1:53 pm
This is seriously the coolest fun fact I’ve learned from Mental Floss…I’ve been telling everyone I know :)
posted by Kristina on 1-27-2012 at 2:22 pm
look at you mentelfloss! getting noticed across the interwebs ;)
posted by kat on 1-27-2012 at 2:50 pm
I’m amazed at how this has made the rounds. It’s not like the grandsons JUST happened on the scene. I went to John Tyler’s Sherwood Forest Plantation (still family owned) near Richmond 15 years ago and that’s practically the first thing the tour guide mentions. Still pretty cool, but not really news per se.
posted by JoeD on 1-27-2012 at 4:17 pm
Kristina I agree!
posted by Don on 1-27-2012 at 5:06 pm
Simply awesome.
posted by Jason on 1-27-2012 at 5:12 pm
He even looks a bit like him! Especially the eyes. I had a several greats grandfather who had a last child at 83. I’m going to have to go back in the records and see the span between him and his grandchildren by that child. Probably a similarly remarkable timespan.
posted by amanda on 1-28-2012 at 9:04 am