RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Rebecca Lanier was known to many as the world's oldest person. Her family said she was born in Mississippi in 1892, the child of former slaves. Grover Cleveland was president. Henry Ford hadn't started making cars. "The Guinness Book" never gave her the title officially, since she didn't have a birth certificate. Social Security did recognize her birthday, and when she passed away in Ohio on Monday, Ms. Lanier was said to be 120 years old. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.