banner-img

Colestein Veglin: Meet The Oldest Man On Earth!

Have you ever heard about Colestein Veglin? The name might ring a bell if you keep up conspiracy theories and longevity myths. Simply put, Colestein Veglin was one of the most well-known longevity myths of America – it was claimed that the man was about 615 or 617 at the time of his death. 

Yes, most humans find it difficult to survive for a hundred years – of course, there is more than one famous instance of a hundred-year-old human. But things start getting weird the moment someone says humans can live longer than 110 or even more in some cases. And Colestein Veglin is one such man!

Today, we will talk about this fascinating man and his REAL age when he died. Keep reading to find out more!

But First, Let’s Talk About Longevity Myths:

Longevity myths are basically traditions about people who live for a long time – typically known as supercentenarians. Either as groups or individuals, these people are believed to be associated with practices that confer longevity. 

However, current scientific evidence does not really support these practices or even the claims. 

While there are multiple literal interpretations of myths like this indicating unnaturally long lifespans, modern experts say that such figures could be the result of inaccurate numeric translations of number systems through different languages, paired with the symbolic and cultural significance of certain numerical figures. 

There is a phrase called ‘longevity tradition.’ This phrase includes alchemy, meditations, longevity practices, rituals, and purification – all of which have been believed to actually confer human longevity, particularly in Chinese culture. 

Modern science actually indicates multiple ways in which lifestyle, diet, and genetics impact human longevity. Also, it enables us to find out the age of humans with a fairly acceptable degree of precision. 

Apart from mythology, the details for the maximum verified lifespan in the current world are,

● 116 years for men – Jiroemon Kimura.

● 122+1⁄2 years for women – Jeanne Calment

There are certain scientists who estimated that even in the most ideal conditions, human beings can live up to 127 years at the most. This obviously doesn’t include any theoretical possibility that, in case of some fortunate combination of various mutations, a person could actually end up living longer. 

For instance, certain types of Galapagos tortoises actually live over 175 years. Similarly, there are certain kinds of bowhead whales that go on to live for over 200 years

Who Was Colestein Veglin: The Old Man Who Kept Getting Older!

The legend of Colestein is fascinating for most Americans. In fact, even today, you will find people google things like ‘Colestein Veglin age’ or similar other details for the sake of an accurate answer. There remains a prevailing confusion among individuals regarding the actuality of this myth. Was this man actually more than 600 years old or was it all just fluff? 

Let’s find out…shall we?

Who Was Colestein Veglin?

You don’t have to google ‘Colestein Veglin usa age’ – you can find what you need to know right here! Colestein’s name wasn’t really known to people for a long, long time – in fact, for hundreds of years, no one had any clue about this man’s identity, if the longevity myths about him are actually true! 

On the 20th of July, 1876, a man known as Colestein ended up getting arrested in the Newark area located in New Jersey – this was reported in the New York Times.  The article was called ‘The Oldest Man Yet,’ and it told the world how Colestein was living with six wives at 21 William Street

Although Colestein Veglin revealed that he was polygamous and even his six wives were actually all alive, he never revealed the age brackets of all his wives. 

The Colestein Veglin Myth:

You don’t have to google ‘Colestein Veglin usa’ to understand that the man was considered to be insane – moreover, it’s strange that nobody actually even bothered to confirm the claims made by him or even follow up on the story published in the New York Times. In fact, the only available story about this man is in the published article we were just talking about. 

Things got stranger when we failed to find any information about Veglin’s six wives or even his parents. It is speculated that Colestein had around seven children. To be honest, Veglin appears to be a myth, much like your usual conspiracy theories

Finding Out The REAL Age Of Colestein Veglin: How Old Was He When He Died?

There’s no point looking up things like ‘Colestein Veglin net worth’ since it’s practically redundant. Also, it was hard to find out almost any information about the elusive Colestein Veglin. So, without wasting any more time, let’s read about the REAL age of Colestein – how old was he when he died?

Colestein Veglin’s REAL Age: Was He Really 615 Years Old During His Death?

At the time of his arrest, Colestein Veglin had made claims of having six wives who were all alive. He also made another claim about how he was 615 years old during this time. This practically means his birth year have to be sometime between 1259 to 1261. But there hasn’t been any confirmation on this birth year. 

But what do we know is that Veglin does appear on Wikipedia’s list of people known for longevity myths, and Veglin’s name is on top, with the 260-year-old Kirk Campbell bagging the second position. 

Simply put, to date, there’s absolutely nobody who knows the REAL truth behind the Veglin myth. 

However, it is interesting to note that Veglin’s arrest report mentioned that he was a pretty valuable property, which prompted his arrest in the first place. And that wasn’t the only thing that was stated in the report – it was also mentioned that Veglin would be sent for treatment to an Insane Asylum. 

The report’s tone was enough to understand that Colestein Veglin was hardly 615 years old when he was arrested. Moreover, there’s absolutely no evidence to confirm or even refute any of these claims. 

Colestein Veglin And Death: When Did Colestein Veglin Die?

According to Wikipedia, Colestein Veglin died when he was 617 years old. This practically means he lived for another two years after getting arrested. Then sent to the Insane Asylum. In short, Veglin died in the US in 1878. Surprisingly, there was no news about Veglin’s family – his alleged six wives or even the seven children never even made a single public appearance. 

But to date, Colestein Veglin continues to be relevant only because of the mysterious claims dealing with longevity. 

Is Colestein Veglin’s Age Even A Possibility? 

In 1997, one of the oldest people in the whole world, Jeanne Calment, died when she was 122 years old. There are several other people with age brackets closer to Jeanne’s age. And then there are other startling longevity names available on Wikipedia. 

For example, while Thomas Cam lived for a solid 207 years, Kirk Campbell lived for about 260 years – both of these men are from the United Kingdom. However, it is safe to note that Colestein Veglin is still on top of that list – he is not some 163-year-old man monk after all!

Moreover, scientists haven’t supported or even refuted the longevity claims made by Colestein Veglin all those years ago. But they did mention that humans can definitely live for a thousand years. Although the world is still waiting for a human to live for a thousand years, history says that several people, especially people from the Hebrew Bible, lived for about 900 years.

TBH, we are as shocked to find out about the story of Colestin Veglin 

And It’s A Wrap!

Now you have a fair idea about Colestein Veglin, what next? Do you know any other person who has lived for a really, really long time? Longevity myths are not that rare – history is filled with examples of people who have apparently lived for way too long – but the truth is we haven’t ‘met’ anyone like that. It does sound a little eerie, TBH – how can someone be alive for that long? In 2023, it does sound very strange. 

Tell us what you think about such longevity claims. Don’t forget to share your past experiences related to similar longevity claims in the comments below. 

Read Also:

Gossipment’s Favorite Hallmark Christmas Movies Of All Time

Who Is Nadine Caridi? Jordan Belfort Ex-Wife Biography, Age And Net worth

Share on Social Media

Image of Barsha Bhattacharya
Barsha Bhattacharya is a senior content writing executive. As a marketing enthusiast and professional for the past 4 years, writing is new to Barsha. And she is loving every bit of it. Her niches are marketing, lifestyle, wellness, travel and entertainment. Apart from writing, Barsha loves to travel, binge-watch, research conspiracy theories, Instagram and overthink.

Related Blog

Cover Image for Looking Beyond The HBO Series’ Representation Of Valery Legasov

Looking Beyond The HBO Series’ Representation Of Valery Legasov

Cover Image for Real Vs. Reel: Steve Murphy 

Real Vs. Reel: Steve Murphy 

Cover Image for The BEST Netflix Characters Based On Real People: The Reel-To-Real Connect

The BEST Netflix Characters Based On Real People: The Reel-To-Real Connect

Cover Image for Evolution Of The Star: Jonathan Groff

Evolution Of The Star: Jonathan Groff