The Earliest Born People Recorded on Sound

This is a list of all known sound recordings of people who were born in or before 1820. This topic is still under-researched.

Individuals marked olive have little to no documentation of their life.

Individuals whose identity in the recording cannot be confirmed are marked mustard.

Individuals marked dark grey (over 100 years of age) have at least some evidence supporting their age during their early or mid-life, but no birth or baptism record.

See also other lists of earliest-born and firsts.

 

   

Name Gender Recording(s)
(Link)
Date of birth Date of death Final age (years) Place of birth Place of death Date(s) recorded Sources
___ Léger M 1 1769? 1869 100? Kingdom of France (?) French Third Republic (?) 1869 1
Peggy O'Leary F Whereabouts unknown 1787/88? aft. 1900 112+? Kingdom of Ireland (?) United Kingdom (?) 1900 1
Horatio Perry M Recording lost 16 Mar. 1790? 17 Feb. 1891 100? USA USA Jan. 1890 1, 2, 3
Helmuth von Moltke M 1, 2, two recordings lost 29 Oct. 1800 24 Apr. 1891 90 Holy Roman Empire German Empire 21 Oct. 1889 1, 2
John Henry Newman M Whereabouts unknown 21 Feb. 1801 11 Aug. 1890 89 United Kingdom United Kingdom c. 1889 1, 2
Lajos Kossuth M 1, one recording lost, one destroyed 19 Sep. 1802 20 Mar. 1894 91 Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Italy 20 Sep. 1890 1, 2
Wilford Woodruff Sr. M 1, earlier recordings lost 1 Mar. 1807 2 Sep. 1898 91 USA USA 12 & 19 Mar. 1897 1, 2, 3, 4
Joachim Ludvig Phister M 1, 2, 3 23 May 1807 15 May 1896 88 Denmark Denmark 1889-96 1, 2
Henry Edward Manning M Recording lost 15 Jul. 1808 14 Jan. 1892 83 United Kingdom United Kingdom 1891 1, 2
Alfred Tennyson M 1 6 Aug. 1809 6 Oct. 1892 83 United Kingdom United Kingdom 1890 1,  2
William Ewart Gladstone M 1 26 Dec. 1809 19 May 1898 88 United Kingdom United Kingdom 18 Dec. 1888 1,  2
Pope Leo XIII (Vincenzo Pecci) M 1 2 Mar. 1810 20 Jul. 1903 93 French Empire Kingdom of Italy 1903 1
Phineas Taylor Barnum M 1 5 Jul. 1810 7 Apr. 1891 80 USA USA 17 Feb. 1890 1
Robert Browning M 1 7 May 1812 12 Dec. 1889 77 United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy 7 Apr. 1889 1, 2
Isaac Pitman M 1 4 Jan. 1813 22 Jan. 1897 84 United Kingdom United Kingdom 20 Oct. 1891 1, 2
Otto von Bismarck M 1 1 Apr. 1815 30 Jul. 1898 83 Prussia German Empire 7 Oct. 1889 1,  2
Mary Anne (Fanny) Stirling F Recording lost 29 Jul. 1815 28 Sep. 1895 80 United Kingdom United Kingdom early 1890s 1
Louise Amalie Petersen Phister F 1, 2 21 Jan. 1816 12 Jan. 1914 97 Denmark Denmark 1889-97, 6 Nov. 1904 1, 2, 3, 4
Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville M 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (combined here) 25 Apr. 1817 26 Apr. 1879 62 Kingdom of France French Third Republic 9, 17 & 20 Apr., 17 May, 15 Sep. 1860 1, 2
John Fowler M 1 15 Jul. 1817 20 Nov. 1898 81 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nov. 1888 1,  2
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge M 1 26 Mar. 1819 17 Mar. 1904 84 Kingdom of Hanover United Kingdom 22 Dec. 1888 1, 2
Queen Victoria F 1, one recording destroyed 24 May 1819 22 Jan. 1901 81 United Kingdom United Kingdom 1888, 8 Aug. 1898 1,  2
Peter Ludvig Nicolai Schram M 1 5 Sep. 1819 1 Jul. 1895 75 Denmark Denmark 5 Sep. 1889 1,  2
William Tecumseh Sherman M Recording lost 8 Feb. 1820 14 Feb. 1891 71 USA USA 12 May 1888 1,  2
Florence Nightingale F 1 12 May 1820 13 Aug. 1910 90 Grand Duchy of Tuscany United Kingdom 30 Jul. 1890 1,  2
 
Version November 2025
© 2025 arago86 and Benjamin S. Beck