| Thomas Peters | |
 | |
| Birth: | 6 April 1745? Leeuwarden, Netherlands |
| Death: | 26 March 1857 Arnhem, Netherlands |
| Age: | 111 years, 354 days? |
| Country: |  NED
|
| Disputed | |
Thomas Johannes P(i)eters (6 April 1745?[1] — 26 March 1857)[2] was a Dutch supercentenarian claimant and possibly the first supercentenarian on record; however, he is currently unverified by the GRG. He was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, and died in Arnhem, Netherlands. He was verified by Guinness World Records; however, the documents used to verify him have since been lost.
Biography
Thomas Peters claimed to have been born in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands on 6 April 1745. His parents died when he was very young, and he was recruited into the army. He served in the cantons in Switzerland in his youth, and then stayed in Rome with the army for two years. He later served under Napoleon, with his military service taking him to Egypt in 1798. He also fathered an illegitimate child, named Maria Petronilla, with a woman named Theodora Reijnen while he was staying in the Netherlands. In 1797, he was a witness to the baptism of his son-in-law, also named Thomas. Presumably, shortly after returning from Egypt in 1800, he married Theodora, who later died at the age of 87 on 28 September 1849. At the end of his life, he was receiving payments of 1 gulden each week for his service from the king. Peters died in Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands on 26 March 1857, at the claimed age of 111 years, 354 days.
Gallery
