Summary
As players venture back into the old west inRed Dead Redemption 2, they will encounter a variety of faces. Some of these faces are friendly, and some are not. What’s most notable about these people that players will bond with is the different backgrounds and ages, with all of the Van der Linde gang members featuring their own stories and lives, emphasized by their ages and experiences inRed Dead Redemption 2.
The sheer variety of characters in the Van der Linde gang makes the group of outlaws seem like a dysfunctional family, especially when some age gaps feature characters acting as paternal figures. The ages of the Van der Linde gang members inRed Dead Redemption 2are somewhat open to assumption.
Potential spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption & Red Dead Redemption 2!
Updated on June 07, 2025, by Jake Fillery:Many fans of Red Dead Redemption 2 might ask how old is Arthur Morgan, or, how old is the entire Van der Linde gang? With so many gang members in Red Dead Redemption 2, those who want to know Arthur Morgan’s age and the rest of the Van der Linde gang might want to check out below to see assumptions and accurate guesses on each character’s age based on what’s known about them and what they themselves have said.
29Uncle
50-60 Years Old
One of the greater mysteries ofRed Dead Redemption 2is just who is Uncle? The character is only referred to as Uncle because no one knows his name, nor do many of the characters care. Uncle comes and goes and is usually seen as the laziest of the Van der Linde gang. However, in one of his companion missions in Chapter 4, Uncle states that he was born “Sometime between the fall of ’49 and the fall of Rome.”
This statement from Uncle could be dishonest, and he could be lying, but it’s clear that he is definitely older than 50. Uncle can’t use lumbago as an excuse for this one, and it’s more than likely that Uncle is the oldest member of the Van der Linde gang based on his appearance and laziness.
28Hosea Matthews
55 Years Old
As one of the oldest members of the Van der Linde gang, Hosea certainly can act his age sometimes. Hosea will reminisce on days long gone or romanticize a time before the Pinkertons. Hosea is always one to offer advice and to help his fellow gang members in need. Even just by the way Hosea stands indicating his age is getting on.
Hosea has been best friends with Dutch for over twenty years, and the wrinkles on his face sure indicate it. It’s safe to assume that Hosea is roughly 55, as a Saint Denis newspaper in Chapter 5 can be obtained that describes Hosea looking around 55 years old.
27Leopold Strauss
53 Years Old
Without the emotionless scams and debts owed to Leopold Strauss, it’s safe to say that the Van der Linde would have run out of money quicker than it did. Strauss runs a money-lending operation, and the Van der Linde gang acts as the muscle to enforce the return and interest of said money.
Strauss’ age is indicated by his wrinkled lips and gray hair. His intellect certainly shows with his age, as he is a great bookkeeper. As a shifty character, this loan shark must be around 53 years old, considering he was born in the poverty-stricken city of Vienna in the Austrian Empire.
26Susan Grimshaw
48-50 Years Old
Susan is the matriarch of the Van der Linde gang. Her words strike through like lightning leadership, and part of that comes from the fact that no one wants to get on the wrong side of Susan Grimshaw’s verbal wrath. Susan deserves the respect she has from the gang, considering she has been with them for so long.
Although Susan’s age is never stated, she’s often mocked by the girls of the camp for being old, and the gray from her hair and the wrinkles on her face indicate that her youthful years are long gone. With hints towards a relationship between Dutch and Susan, it’s likely that she’s in her late 40s, especially since she’s a founding member of the gang.
25Simon Pearson
48 Years Old
Pearson longs for a time when he was at sea, even if it was brief. A sailor in the United States Navy, Simon Pearson has dreams and ambitions that don’t involve the life of an outlaw. Based on Pearson’s inability for gunslinging, reliance on cooking, and his thinning, balding head, it’s safe to say that Pearson is getting on a bit.
Pearson wanted to be a sperm whale hunter like his father and grandfather, but by the time he finished school, that was a dying industry. Therefore, it’s likely that Pearson is around 48 years of age, considering whale oil was used through to the mid-1800s.
24Bessie Matthews
45-53 Years Old
Bessie was adored by Hosea, and this husband-and-wife pairing was inseparable. Sadly, Bessie died a few years before the gang fled Blackwater in 1899, but Hosea mentions that it had only been a few years, meaning she may have died between 1884 and 1887. Even as Hosea drifted back into criminal life, Bessie stuck by him.
It’s unknown how Bessie died, but it’s likely that it was an illness that took her, as she wouldn’t have been old enough to die due to her age. Considering the romantic interest between the two, and the intellectual and emotional composure of both parties, Bessie would have been near to the same age as Hosea.
23Orville Swanson
44-47 Years Old
Swanson may have once been a clergyman, but his addictions to morphine and alcohol have made him forget his allegiance to god. Swanson’s substance abuse certainly makes him look older than he is, and the graying hair is a clear indication of that.
Orville Swanson was a good reverend, and the only reason he’s still around is because he once saved Dutch’s life. While Swanson battles his own demons, he will also have to battle mortality, and based on appearance alone and his role as a reverend, it’s like he’s in his mid-to-late 40s.
22Dutch Van Der Linde
44 Years Old
Thanks to the Game of the Year guidebook forRed Dead Redemption, Dutch van der Linde has his age pinpointed to 1855. This would make Dutch 44 by the time ofRed Dead Redemption 2, as the game is set in 1899. Dutch’s philosophies and dreams seem to come from his rebellious youth and his adoration of literature, a true oddity to seea literate cowboy and outlaw.
There’s even a photograph of a young Dutch with Hosea and Arthur, showing just how youthful Dutch was before the events ofRed Dead Redemption 2, where his grasp on violent tendencies slowly begins to slip. There’s even a wanted poster for Dutch that describes him as being in his mid-forties.
21Josiah Trelawny
40-44 Years Old
The biggest clue to Josiah Trelawny’s age is the secret fact that he has a family in Saint Denis. Trelawny may keep this secret from the Van der Linde gang, but it’s all for a good reason. The safety and sanctity of his family are his urgencies, even if he does enjoy the thrill of the life of an outlaw.
Trelawny has a wife and two children, implying that he must be getting on a bit, as he is happily settled down with his wife and their two sons, Tarquin and Cornelius. Trelawny is a showman with a flamboyant personality, and his connections seemingly everywhere show his experience.
20Micah Bell
39 Years Old
Micah Bell is actually Micah Bell the Third, as his father and his grandfather were both called Micah Bell. A newspaper scrap can be found that details the gruesome murder spree from Micah Bell’s father, who is described as having a 17-year-old son in 1877, which places Micah at the age of 39 by the time 1899 rolls around.
Micah Bell is a character that players don’t want to age, not for the love they have for him, but for their disdain. Micah is an outlier in the Van der Linde gang and one of the central reasons for its downfall, which is why Micah should stay and rot at the age of 39.
