Hester Ford
Hester Ford (nee McCardell; born August 15, 1905) is a supercentenarian and the oldest living American since 2019.
| Hester Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hester McCardell 15 August 1905 (age 120) Lancaster, South Carolina, U.S. |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Oldest living American person (since 23 November 2019) |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | John Ford (m. 1921; died 1963) |
| 👶 Children | 12 (4 surviving) |
Biography
Hester McCardell was born on August 15, 1905. (Though some sources indicate the year prior.) She grew up on a farm in Lancaster County, South Carolina.[1] On March 12, 1921, she married steel worker John Ford and gave birth to their first child the following year. They had 12 children and sold their farm in 1953, moving to Charlotte, North Carolina.[2] In Myers Park, Ford worked as a nanny for several families. Her husband passed away in 1963, at the age of 57. She continues to live in their house and has remained a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church for more than 70 years. According to reports, Ford has 68 grandchildren, 120 great-grandchildren, and more than 120 great-great-grandchildren.[3]
Health and longevity
Ford was never hospitalized until 2013 (at the age of 108), when she suffered a fall. Following the fall, numerous descendants joined her at home. She is still able to walk, talk, and feed herself, but has experienced hearing problems and dementia. In 2017, WBTV posted a video of Ford reciting the bible verse Psalm 23 from memory. The post has garnered over 6 million views.[4][5]
Following the death of supercentenarian Alelia Murphy in November 2019, Ford became the oldest living American. In July 2020, she also joined the list of twenty oldest-living Americans ever and currently holds eighth place on the list of oldest living people in the world. She is also one of only seven people alive who were born in 1905, with only Iris Westman also being an American. Her birthdays are annually given significant news coverage, with the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners officially declaring September 1st as Hester Ford Day in 2020.[6][7][8][9]
References
- ↑ "Hester Ford of Charlotte now listed as oldest American". Q City Metro. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ↑ "28 Sep 2014, M2 - The Charlotte Observer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ↑ Grantham-Philips, Wyatte. "Oldest person in the U.S. celebrates 115th (or 116th) birthday". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ↑ "Oldest living woman in NC lives in Charlotte, celebrates 112th birthday". www.wbtv.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ↑ "Hester Ford of Charlotte now listed as oldest American". Q City Metro. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ↑ Barnett, Andrew. "114-year-old Charlotte, N.C. woman is now oldest living American". Retrieved 2020-12-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "N.C.'s Hester Ford Takes Over Title as Oldest Living Woman in the U.S." spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ↑ kevinmccarthy (2019-08-16). "Hester Ford, possibly the oldest living American, celebrates her 115th birthday". Newsner English. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ↑ Staff, WBTV Web. "Sept. 1 declared as Hester Ford Day in Mecklenburg Co. in honor of oldest living American". Retrieved 2020-12-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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