America’s Oldest Identical Triplets


 America’s Oldest Identical Triplets Share a Century of Memories with Family

Born on August 23, 1920, in Brooklyn, Catherine, Marguerite, and Frances Kirchner arrived as a surprise—since their mother had no idea she was carrying three babies. Believed to be the oldest living identical triplets in the country, the sisters grew up in Floral Park, N.Y., often wearing matching outfits. They came of age during the Great Depression, made their own clothes, and later witnessed history unfold with the attack on Pearl Harbor and through World War II.


All three graduated from William Smith College in 1942 and married men who had studied at the nearby Hobart College. They went on to work as teachers, stayed active in sports—Frances kept playing golf and tennis well into her 80s—and built a large family together: 15 children, 20 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.


When asked about the secret to their long lives, the sisters point to “good genes” and keeping busy. Longevity appears to run in their family, as their older sister Grace Haddad, now 93, still lives on Long Island.

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