Photos provided by Ben Garver of the Berkshire Eagle

Bernice Madigan is one of the few people in the world whose life spans three centuries.

Centenarians, those who make it to at least the 100-year mark, are among the fastest-growing population groups. There are more than 50,000 in the US. The number of supercentenarians, those who have lived to at least 110, is significantly smaller, although the exact number is a matter of some controversy and a great deal of study. While some suggest that individuals in this age group number as many as 300 worldwide, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) in Los Angeles maintains a fact-checked, international list of only 75 living supercentenarians out of a world population of 6.7 billion. Bernice Madigan, 110, is one of 71 women on the list.

Though she spent much of her life in Washington, DC, Bernice now lives back where she grew up, in a Berkshire farmhouse in Massachusetts with her niece Elaine Daniels and her husband, John.

“She always has an upbeat attitude,” says Elaine, 61. “She doesn’t complain about anything. In the time since she came here two years ago, she has more friends than I do!” More than 200 people attended Bernice’s 110th birthday party.

According to a 2005 report by the Center for Aging at the University of Chicago, the circumstances of Bernice’s birth and early childhood argued both for and against her reaching the age of 110. The study looked at the genealogies and family histories of 485 Americans who were born between 1875 and 1899 and lived to at least 100 years. They found that centenarians were most likely to come from families of with 7 or more children, but Bernice, born in 1899, came from a family of three children. She was born in July, another anomaly—the study found that life expectancy at age 80 is still affected by the month of birth (perhaps because of factors like exposure to seasonal illness); those born in December or January live longer than those born in summer months. For Bernice, that data is no longer relevant—by the time people reach 100, the birth-month impact on life expectancy apparently disappears.

Bernice was the second daughter, and the study found that birth order was more predictive of longevity for females than for males, and that females born early in the birth order were more likely to become centenarians. Less likely were girls born late in the birth order to relatively old parents.

Most significant, perhaps, is the fact the Bernice spent the first six years of her life on a farm. Children born to farm owners, the study found, had lower child mortality rates and an increased chance of living to advanced age. Some of this effect may be due to the increased risk of contagion faced by children in crowded cities in the late 19th and early 20th century. Some may be due to the ability of parents who have the financial means to own property to provide adequate nutrition and other resources to their children.

At the age of 18, as soon as she had finished high school, Bernice struck out on her own, moving to Washington, DC. World War I was still being fought, and the government was looking for women to fill positions. Bernice took the civil service examination and was assigned a job with the Bureau of War Risk Insurance (BWRI), a precursor to the Veteran’s Bureau that employed more than 15,000 people by the war’s end (three-fourths of whom were women). “We were all pooled as to what you could do. As they needed more experienced girls, they took us from that group and put us in new jobs.”

Life in the nation’s capital was memorable.

“I remember one day I was walking down Pennsylvania Avenue and Calvin Coolidge was coming up. I knew the Secret Service men and they all tipped their hat to me and everybody wondered who I was.”

Maybe it wasn’t surprising that the Secret Service knew her. Bernice made it a point to be social. Asked if she went on a lot of dates, she retorts, “I didn’t miss very many! During World War I, the government put on dances at the Army and Navy headquarters and you could go down and just dance and have a good time.”

In 1923, Bernice met a Georgetown law student, Paul Madigan. They married two years later and had a “perfect, very happy marriage” lasting 50 years. She continued working under the Treasury Department and, in her spare time, played piano.

Bernice recalls the enfranchisement of women—“I took advantage of it just soon as I could”—and the end of World War II: “We were all glad to see the end of it.” She recalls a cross-country road trip with her husband in the 1950s and fondly remembers a Chrysler she used to own.

“I just loved that car. I drove until I was 97.”

There may be up to 300 supercentenarians worldwide, but Bernice has far outlived anyone she knew growing up. She is grateful for her long life. “This is a saying I like: ‘Do not regret getting older. It is a privilege denied many.’ I like that.”

To find out your odds of reaching 100 click here.