PROFILE: Clara Herling Huhn
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Colfax County, Nebraska native Clara Herling Huhn ranked among world's longest-lived persons
Copyright © 2007 by E. A. KralTo date, validated cases of supercentenarians (people who reach age 110 or above) primarily represent persons born or resided in Australia and New Zealand, Europe and Japan, and Canada and the United States.
And as record-keeping becomes more reliable in other nations and as more cases become known and validated, the number of supercentenarians in the history of the world will increase.
At present, it is accurate to report that among the 70 longest-lived persons in the world, and validated as the oldest Nebraskan in the history of the state, is Clara Herling Huhn, a native of Colfax County, who lived 113 years and 327 days, and died in 2000.
The second longest-lived Nebraskan is Helen Stetter of Valentine in Cherry County, who, to date, is more than two months beyond age 113, and ranks among the 115 oldest persons in world history. She has lived her entire life in Nebraska.
The third longest-lived Nebraskan is Betsy Russell Baker of Tecumseh in Johnson County, who died in 1955 at 113 years and 65 days. At the time, she was the oldest person in the world. At present, she ranks among the 115 longest-lived persons in the world history.
The fourth oldest Nebraskan is Mary Cully Bittlebrun, who lived for 26 years in the Friend area of Saline County and reached age 112 years and 140 days. Bittlebrun, now ranked among the 210 longest-lived in the world, died in 1976.
Clara Herling Huhn was born January 28, 1887 on the family farm located 7 1/2 miles south and 1/2 mile west of the town of Clarkson in Section 20 of Midland Precinct in Colfax County.
She died December 20, 2000 at La Mesa, California, with interment in Glen Abbey Cemetery at Bonita.
Her parents were among the early pioneers of Colfax County, settling on a homestead in Midland Precinct by early 1885 after emigrating from Germany in 1883 and living for a short time near Greenbush, Warren County, Illinois
Her father John Henry Herling was born February 27, 1839 at Erntebruch, Westfalen region, and died August 23, 1918 at age 79 near Schuyler, while her mother Katherine Meusborn Herling was born September 5, 1845 at Vornwald, near Hilchenbach, Westfalen region, and died April 22, 1917 at age 71 near Clarkson.
Both parents were interred at what is now called Schroeder Cemetery located in the northwest corner of Section 28 in Midland Precinct. Previously it was the site of the German Lutheran Church and cemetery.
Clara was the youngest of eight children. Her brother William, a farmer and carpenter, lived to age 70, and brother Henry Jr., a farmer, to age 94. Both resided in Colfax County.
Her sisters Mrs. Louis (Louisa) Hahn lived to age 62, Mrs. Reinhold (Emma) Held to age 94, Mrs. Gustave (Anna) Hahn to age 89, Mrs. Paul (Katherine) Held to age 101, and Mrs. C. Otto (Alvina) Hahn to age 67.
Louisa and Anna lived in Colfax County, but Emma relocated to Omaha, Katherine to Iowa, Idaho, and Oregon, and Alvina to Idaho.
During childhood on the Herling farm, Clara reported in a January 30, 1997 San Diego Union-Tribune article that "the children slept in a loft divided by a blanket--boys on one side, girls on the other."
She walked two miles each way to nearby Rural School District 21 north of the farm "from the end of the fall harvest to the beginning of spring planting, until she completed the eighth grade."
There was no electricity, and it was the era of horse-drawn implements. Family members depended upon each other, and her chores included working in the fields, planting crops or herding the livestock, and from time to time she took care of the young children of other relatives.
Her social life involved attending barn dances and the nearby Lutheran Church, and living with her parents and brother William until she was married at the age of 29 to farmer John F. Huhn on December 6, 1916.
From 1916 to 1938, Clara and her husband lived on a farm in Section 28, Grant Precinct, located from the center of Schuyler three miles north, one mile west, and one-half mi1e north on land now owned by Dan Kramer.
They raised four children: daughters Mrs. Albert (Mayrene) DePuydt and Mrs. Chester (Margaretha) Good and sons Dale and Wayne, with Mayrene and Dale graduating from Schuyler High School, and Wayne attending Emanuel Lutheran School.
After her husband suffered a disabling injury during a farm accident, Clara decided to move her family to California for John's health, and to be near his brother who had relocated there during the decade of drought and economic depression.
While living in San Diego, she worked at Convair's aircraft factory during World War II, and her children Margaretha and Wayne graduated from San Diego High School.
After husband John Huhn died in 1948, Clara supported herself with domestic kinds of work until reaching age 80. She resided in the North Park and Normal Heights areas of San Diego, living independently until age 103, and using a bus to do her shopping.
For two years she lived with daughter Mayrene until her death in 1996 at age 78, then lived with son Wayne and his wife Corrine at Campo, California, taking care of herself and doing housework until age 113. For the last six months of her life, she resided at a La Mesa care center.
During the prime of her life, Clara's height was about 5 feet 2 inches and she maintained a weight of about 125 pounds, her son Wayne remembered.
She ate light, was quoted as saying, "Usually I just have fruit and toast for breakfast" and had what she termed "regular food" for lunch and dinner. Clara did drink three cups of coffee daily, and occasionally took a glass of wine,
During nearly all her life, she remained healthy, needing only gallbladder surgery at age 95, and years later began taking medicine for high blood pressure and shortness of breath. At age 113, she began experiencing heart troubles.
Clara enjoyed camping and remained active, once volunteering at a local tuberculosis clinic during an era when there were no antibiotics, reported daughter-in-law Corrine Kolterman Huhn. After age 80, she helped others, taking them to church services on Sunday.
In a December 30, 1999 article in the Alpine /CA/ Sun, Clara was quoted at the age of 112 as saying the reasons for her longevity were "No stress, no worries, no TV." As a devout Christian she believed putting her trust in her Lord would offer guidance and help resolve problems, thus providing "no worries" and subsequent lack of stress.
As for television, she stated, "It causes worry and stress, so much sadness and things you have no control over, yet you wish you did."
In Clara's obituary published in the December 25, 2000 San Diego Union-Tribune, Corrine Huhn noted, "She was a person who accepted things--good or bad. She always said we have to accept whatever it is and go on with the Lord's help. She was very upbeat and never gave up, no matter what the situation was."
At her death, Clara was survived by daughter Margaretha Good of Arkansas and son Wayne Huhn of Campo, California, along with 8 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and 13 great great grandchildren.
A brief obituary in the January 31, 2001 Colfax County Press reported surviving relatives in Nebraska included niece Alice Balzer of Clarkson and nieces Marcella Ernst, Genelle Waak, and Joan Wachal of Schuyler.
Recently, the longevity accomplishment of Clara Herling Huhn was brought to the attention of the author by Robert D. Young of Atlanta, Georgia, who records validation studies for worldwide volunteer scholars and scientists affiliated with Gerontology Research Group. Its website at www.grg.org offers the public periodic updates on validated supercentenarians.
Clara's age was validated with the assistance of Wayne and Corrine Huhn for the Herling family bible, which contains notes in the German language, with the assistance of Colfax County Clerk Sharon K. Bohaboj for rural school census records of 1895 and 1901 and the marriage certificate of December 6, 1916, and the author's examination of U.S. Census records for Colfax County, Nebraska revealed Clara was listed in 1910, 1920 and 1930, but was not found in the 1900 Census.
Data from three different records during the first 20 years of Clara's life, along with corroboration from later records, met the validation standards of Gerontology Research Group.
For history, consult San Diego Union-Tribune, January 30 and May 5, 1997 and December 25, 2000 and Alpine /CA/ Sun, December 30, 1999. For a lengthy study, see the 44-page supplement "Nebraska's Centenarians Age 107 Or Above--1867 to 2001" published with the April 24, 2002 Crete News.
Readers may consult the 44-page supplement as well as a roster of longest living Nebraskans age 107+ on the Nebraska Health Care Association website at www.nehca.org.
At this writing there have been 23 validated supercentenarians (age 110 or above) with Nebraska connections by birth or by residence in the history of the state.
For more information, consult "900 Famous Nebraskans" on the Internet at www.nsea.org or www.beatricene.com/gagecountymuseum or www.nebpress.com.
