Hester Ford, oldest living American, has died

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Hester Ford, a North Carolina woman who grew up picking cotton, got married at 14 and went on to become the oldest living American with more than 120 great-great-grandchildren has died peacefully in her home, her family posted on Facebook.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Mother Hester McCardell Ford today,” the statement read. “She was a pillar and stalwart to our family and provided much-needed love, support and understanding to us all. She was the seed that sprouted leaves and branches which is now our family.”

According to Gerontology, Ford was the oldest living American and sixth oldest person in the world.

Hester Ford was either 115 or 116 years old depending on which census report was accurate. Either way, she was the oldest living American when she died Saturday (April 17th) in Charlotte, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks “supercentenarians.” The group listed her age as 115 years and 245 days.

Ford was born on a farm in Lancaster County, South Carolina, in 1905.

She married John Ford at age 14 and gave birth to the first of her 12 children at age 15.

The couple moved to Charlotte, where she remained for the rest of her life. Her husband died in 1963 at age 57, three years after the couple moved to Charlotte.

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 her family members insisted on moving in to help. She lived in the home with family until her death.

Hester Ford had 12 children, 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.

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

Ford was a nanny for more than 20 years and a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church.

“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.

When asked what her secret to longevity, Ford said “I just live right, all I know.”