With a combined age of 1,106 years, the Beers family is truly the oldest family in the world. De Beersen are now officially in the Guinness Book of Records. “It’s really nice that we can experience this in pretty good health,” said 74-year-old Jos Beers. And actually the family is even slightly older.
In March this year, the Beerses became ‘world famous’ as the oldest family. And everyone wanted to know what happened. With their more than one hundred and fifty family members, they were also guests in Khalid and Sophie’s TV studio.
The studio was packed, our colleague Tom Jurriaans saw who followed all brothers and sisters with offspring with the camera. “We are put in the spotlight as a family, but it actually happens to you. It is not an achievement,” Nel Beers said laughing.
Pastor
The Beers family from Heerhugowaard consists of no fewer than 13 children. You hardly see such a large family these days, but it used to be promoted a lot. “If no child was born for too long, the pastor would come by. He would ask: and are you still busy?” says Jos Beers (74) laughing.
And since March they have already gotten a bit older due to birthdays. “It’s really nice that we can experience this in pretty good health. Fortunately, we’re all still here.”
Actually 1111
Jos laughs and says that it took six months before Guinness was finally ready to check the paperwork. A few weeks ago the time had finally come: “We now have official approval that we are the oldest family with 13 children.”
According to Guinness, the Beers family is ‘only’ 1,106 years old. That’s because they use a different calculation method. Yet the family is even slightly older than that. “We just add the whole years together, which is much easier. When my brother’s birthday is on January 3, we will be 1,111 years old,” says Jos.
And then great-great-grandchildren were also born this year. “One or two, I’m not sure, just off the top of my head.”
New Year’s drinks
“My parents already have 44 grandchildren, 76 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great-grandchildren,” says Jos. So the oldest family in the world doesn’t see each other often. At least not all at once.
Because it is quite a job to get all those people together. That’s why they always skip the holidays. They mainly see each other on birthdays. But that is done in shifts. “It wouldn’t be possible otherwise,” says Jos.
Although they actually skip the holidays, there is still some kind of New Year’s drink. “It just so happens that my brother’s birthday is in January. So we wish each other a happy New Year.”