Gertrude Weaver At 116 Named Oldest American

A woman in Arkansas celebrated her 116th birthday on Friday July 04,2014 with cake, a party and a new title - she's now officially the oldest confirmed living American and second-oldest person in the world, the Gerontology Research Group said.

Gertrude Weaver spent her birthday at home at the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation in Camden, southwest of Little Rock. This year's festivities included the new award from the Gerontology Research Group, which analyzed U.S. Census records to determine that Weaver is the oldest living American, rather than 115-year-old Jeralean Talley, who was born in 1899.