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Hester Ford

A Charlotte, NC woman, Mrs. Hester Ford with 260 descendants, celebrates August 15, 2020 as her 116th Birthday! Records say she's the oldest living American.

Hester Ford

Mrs. Hester Ford has seen and experienced a lot in her life, and she saw one more birthday on Saturday, August 15, 2020.

The Gerontology Research Group said Ford, who lives in Charlotte, is the oldest living American.

She and her family have long thought she was born in 1905, which would make her 115 years old, but census documents show Ford was actually born in 1904, which makes her 116 years old.

Other numbers from her life are clearer - Mrs. Hester Ford has 12 children, 48 grandchildren and more than 200 great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

Ford has lived in the same home in charlotte for more than 58 years. She was born in 1904 in Lancaster, South Carolina. Ford and her husband had 12 children.

The family moved to Charlotte in 1953 where she worked as a nanny for two families. Her grandchildren say they think her faith has helped her get through tough times.

The Mayor of Charlotte, Vi Lyles declared August 15 as "Mother Hester Ford Day.”

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