SOUTH DEERFIELD — Prompted by an inquiry from a Turners Falls resident, the Recorder recently sought to answer the question: Who is the oldest person living in Franklin County? However, while the resulting story, published in Saturday’s edition, featured one of the oldest residents in Franklin County, Grace Flood isn’t the oldest. As part of the reporting process, the Recorder contacted the town clerks from each of Franklin County’s 26 municipalities to determine the oldest resident in each town. Although initial information received from the town clerks indicated that Grace Flood of Deerfield was the county’s oldest resident, new information has come to light showing an even older resident of the same town.
At 109, Stella Connor of Deerfield surpasses Flood by five years. Deerfield Town Clerk Cassie Sanderell, in explaining the error, said she “did not pull the correct record from the state computer system, which would have captured Stella Connor’s file as the eldest Deerfield resident.” “I would like to express my heartfelt apologies for making an error,” Sanderell wrote in a statement.
“I am working hard to learn all aspects of my duties here in the Clerk’s Office and am humbled by the gravity of the role and [sheer] number of tasks. ..
. I join you in celebrating the lives and longevity of both Grace Flood and Stella Connor.” Connor was born in June of 1915.
“I’m very happy because I don’t have too much to do,” Connor said in an interview .