Oldest Living American With 108 Grandchildren, Dies At 116
Hester McCardell Ford, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died on Saturday, according to reports.
Ford was born on August 15, 1904, and last year the Gerontology Research Group reportedly declared her the oldest person in the United States.
Born in Lancaster County, South Carolina, Ford grew up working on a farm, planting and picking cotton and plowing the fields, before moving to Charlotte, where she married her husband and raised a family.
Ford lived in the same home in Charlotte for more than 58 years.
She had 288 descendants: 12 children, 48 grandchildren, 108 great-grandchildren and 120 great-great-grandchildren.
Her exact birth date was unclear, but she had been recognized by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) as the oldest American.
Ford’s family is asking the public to reflect on how far the world has come since she was born, saying the family will keep this in mind as they aspire to keep advancing in her name and legacy.
