Biography
Elizabeth Jones was born in 1890 in Somerville, Tennessee, the daughter of freed slaves.
Bolden married Louis Bolden circa 1908, and their first child, a son, Ezell, was born on September 21, 1909. She had seven children in total, only two of whom were still alive as of her death in 2006: Esther Rhodes, 89, and Mamie Brittmon, 86. At the time of her 116th birthday in August 2006, Bolden had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great grandchildren and 75 great-great-great-great-grandchildren.
In her final years she resided in a Memphis, Tennessee nursing home, and was described by her family as unable to communicate, and they thus requested that media attention (such as interviews and visits) be limited. During her reign as world's oldest person titleholder, Bolden was rarely seen in public.
She was photographed for two different books in early 2005, and was featured in Jet magazine in May 2005 and the Memphis Commercial Appeal in June 2005. For her 116th birthday, new photographs were released for the first time in almost a year, and her family said that she was looking forward to her big day.
Read more about this topic: Elizabeth Bolden
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