North Carolina woman was oldest living American

ANorth Carolina woman who grew up picking cotton, got married at 14 and went on to become the oldest living American has died peacefully in her home, according to her family.

Hester Ford’s age was either 115 or 116, depending on which census report was accurate. Either way, she was the oldest living American when she died Saturday in Charlotte, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks “supercentenarians.”

“She was a pillar and stalwart to our family and provided much-needed love, support and understanding to us all,” said great-granddaughter Tanisha Patterson-Powe.

Ford was born on a farm in Lancaster County, South Carolina, in 1905, if you accept the more conservative estimate of her age. She married John Ford at age 14 and gave birth to the first of her 12 children at age 15.

In 1960 the couple moved to Charlotte, where she remained for the rest of her life. Her husband died in 1963 at age 57. Hester Ford then lived in the home on her own, without assistance, until the age of 108, when she bruised ribs in a bathtub fall and relatives insisted on moving in to help.

Her 12 children gave her 68 grandchildren, 125 greatgrandchildren and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.

“She not only represented the advancement of our family but of the Black African American race and culture in our country. She was a reminder of how far we have come as people on this Earth,” Patterson-Powe said.

Her family said that in her final years, her routine involved a breakfast that always included half a banana; a trip outside for fresh air, weather permitting; and sitting in her recliner looking at family albums, doing puzzles and listening to gospel music.

“I just live right, all I know,” she said when asked about the secret to her longevity.