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A.J. HAMILTON
A.J. Hamilton is believed to be the oldest citizen of Henderson County and on April 13, he will celebrate his 106th birthday. Hamilton attributes his longevity to "Beint honest and honoring his father and mother," said his daughter, Mattie Hamilton, on Monday.
A.J. Hamilton was born on April 13, 1896 in Henderson County. He's been in Henderson County all his life except for a short time as a sharecropper on the Davis farm in another county. "Sometimes he just earned five cents a day," said Mattie. "He lived on it."
Later he became a custodian at the Conger Clinic, where he worked 13 years and also worked at Mitchell Britt's Grocery. He was affiliated with St. Paul Baptist Church and served as Sunday School Superintendent for 23 years. "He professed Christ at an early age," said his daughter.
He was married to Edie Harmon from Pleasant Hill, who died in 1989, and they had two children. Mattie will turn 72 on Friday and Melvinia Holmes is 67. At a young age, Hamilton was a teacher at the Pleasant Hill School for a brief period of time. He was always concerned with his children learning and taught them to read, write and "say the tables" before they ever started school, said Mattie. When she and her sister, Melvinia started school, they were already at a second grade level.
He continues to love reading and his grandson, Lee Holmes, brings him a newspaper every day. "He reads pretty good, but he can't see too well," Mattie said. Mr. Hamilton spoke up himself, stating he remembered the day the Titanic went down and "I got the book."
The Bible seems to have been a constant influence throughout his long life and he continues to read it. The "A" in A.J. stands for Aquilla from the Bible, he said. Mattie said her father had her recite the first chapter of Job when she was young. "I've always been interested since," she said. "Now don't get me started up on the Bible," Mr. Hamilton said.
The Lexington Progress April 3, 2002
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