BIOGRAPHY

Hamm was born in Cairo, Illinois, USA, on 30 January 1908, as one of 15 children born to parents William H. Franklin (?–1947) and Annie Rice (1876–1924). The family lived in a small two-bedroom home, and both parents worked in a box factory to make ends meet. Hamm started working when she was a little girl, helping her mother carry buckets of hominy to sell to the local hotels. As a young woman she worked in her brother’s mousetrap factory. She moved to St. Louis in her 20s, where she worked for decades in city’s shoe industry.

At some point she got married and had two children (Anna Bander and Herman W. Hamm). She claimed that her husband was a “mean man” and an alcoholic, so she moved out with the children. Her husband died at the age of 58.

Hamm retired at the age of 72, and kept driving until she was 92. She lived in her own apartment in the Tower Grove Manor retirement community for around 15 years, before moving into an assisted living facility in Chesterfield, St. Louis, in December 2015. At the age of 107, she had seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson.

Hamm passed away in St. Charles, Missouri, USA, on 20 August 2018, at the age of 110.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Fabrizio Villatoro, and validated by LongeviQuest on 21 July 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Long-time St. Louis Resident Turns 107” – St. Louis Public Radio, 30 January 2015

* “Curious Louis: Who is the oldest person in St. Louis?” – St. Louis Public Radio, 17 February 2017

* “Lucille Hamm Obituary (1908 – 2018)” – Legacy

* “How can DNA Solve Unknown Parentage and Break Down a Brick Wall?” – LegacyTree, 2021

GALLERY

Recommended