Ohio woman turns 119

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CLEVELAND, March 24 (UPI) -- The family of an Ohio woman who turned 119 said Guinness World Records will not recognize her age because they don't have a birth certificate.

Jimmie Shambley, 61, said his grandmother, Rebecca Lanier, marked her 119th birthday Tuesday with a party at the Warrensville Heights Senior Center near Cleveland, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, reported Wednesday.

"She still is in her right mind and has great health," Shambley said. "She is able to move about every day and makes her bed up every morning as she gets herself dressed."

Lanier, who lives with Shambley and his family, said she was born to a couple of former slaves March 24, 1892. However, she said she has no birth certificate due to laws and practices targeting black people at the time of her birth.

Shambley said his family has tried to get Lanier certified as the oldest person in the United States -- and possibly the world -- but Guinness World Records won't recognize the age without a birth certificate.