age 111 years


Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA) - January 1, 1995
Deceased Name: OBITUARIES 'Mollie' Davenport, age 111, believed oldest Georgian
OBITUARY: Mrs. Mary Ann "Mollie" Davenport of Morganton, believed to be Georgia's oldest living resident, died Thursday at home. She was 111.
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at Hemptown Baptist Church near Morganton, with burial in the church cemetery.
She lived in the same house for 87 years, which did not get electricity until 1938, when she was 55.
She and her husband ran a general store and a post office in the Hemptown area, supplying the basics for living - food staples, hardware and farm implements - before there was a supply depot in Blue Ridge, and they had to drive as far away as Knoxville to stock the store. Mrs. Davenport's father was a schoolteacher and the first postmaster in the Dial area; her mother was a homemaker.
Mrs. Davenport lived to see five generations of descendants. The chances of living as long as she did are less than 1 in 26 million, said Dr. Raymond E. Tidman, chief of staff at Fannin Regional Hospital.
"I'd been the family physician for five years," Dr. Tidman recalled. "I did house calls on Mollie. She was conversant up until the time she died."
In a letter to the editor in The Atlanta Journal in November 1994, Dr. Tidman expressed awe that Mrs. Davenport was able to live virtually stress-free and to survive in good health for so many years. "When around Mollie, you always had a sense of her presence," Dr. Tidman said.
"One never had a sense of 'time pressure' around her," he said. "I could be still around her, just taking in the moment. It is a gift she unknowingly gave me."
In 1993, Mrs. Davenport received a proclamation from Gov. Zell Miller honoring her on her 110th birthday. For her 111th birthday this year, she received a congratulatory letter from President Clinton.
Surviving are five children, Leota Bryan and Maxie Davenport of Morganton, Charlie Davenport of Marietta, Forrest Davenport of Lilburn and Kermit Davenport of Douglas; 19 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.
additional information courtesy of R Jensen in the forums