Charlotte woman with 260 descendants celebrates another birthday as oldest living American

Friday, August 14, 2020
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Hester Ford has seen a lot in her life, and she'll see one more birthday on Saturday.

The Gerontology Research Group said Ford, who lives in Charlotte, is the oldest living American.
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Her actual age is up for debate. For a long time, Ford and much of her family thought she was born in 1905, which would make her 115 this year. A Spectrum News report states that census documents show Ford was actually born in 1904.

That would make her 116. Some numbers that are clearer - Ford has 12 children, 48 grandchildren and more than 200 great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
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At her 2015 birthday, her son Joe L. Ford told WSOC "It's a blessing to be able to have a living mother at that age."

Ford was born in Lancaster, South Carolina. She's lived in Charlotte since the mid-1950s. Mayor Vi Lyles previously declared August 15 as "Mother Hester Ford Day."
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