Miriam Sparks Ba(n)nister née Voisey (19 March 1817 – 9 April 1928) was one of the earliest supercentenarians. Born in Salcombe Regis, Devon, England, to John Voisey, a wheelwright, and Hester his wife. She married 14 August 1850 at St. Marylebone church, London, to John Bodman Banister, a widower and plumber. She later moved to the United States in 1854. She attributed her longevity to "simple foods, avoidance of overeating and abstinence from worry".[1] When she died in St. Louis, Missouri, she was 111 years 21 days old, but was never the oldest living person due to the longevity of American women Louisa Thiers and Delina Filkins. She was congratulated by George V as "the oldest living British subject" shortly before her death.[citation needed]
