Oldest Living American Is A Charlotte Resident Who Just Turned 116

Happy birthday, Hester Ford! The Charlotte resident turned 116 on Saturday and is the oldest living American.

Her family held a drive-by birthday party for Ford earlier in the week. The pandemic shuffled prior plans for a party, but Ford was able to see part of her very large family. Ford has 12 children, 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.

“We are living amongst a living legend,” her great-granddaughter, Tanisha Patterson-Powe, told WSCO.

Ford was born in 1904 in on a farm in Lancaster, South Carolina. Records are inconsistent about her birth year so no one really knows if Ford is 115 or 116, reports the Charlotte Observer. She spent much of her younger life growing and picking cotton before she married John Ford when she was 14 years old. Her husband died in 1963, but Ford carries on. She has been living in Charlotte since 1953.

When asked what her secret to longevity is, supercentenarian isn't quite sure. It might be luck or healthy living because Ford is rather independent for her age. She lives with her 87-year-old daughter but is still able to walk and take care of herself.

“We are honored and we just thank God for the opportunity to celebrate her,” her granddaughter Mary Hill told WCNC. “She just continues to be a blessing to us. And she tells us all the time. You are here to be a blessing to someone else.”

While Ford is the oldest living American, she is not the oldest person alive. That title belongs to Kane Tanaka of Japan, who is 117 years old.

Photo: Getty Images