ofsharecroppe moved to New York York in 1923. After attending a private boarding school in Born in Alabama, the third-oldest of 11 children Alabama she was to have joined the Tuskegee Institute, but her parents did not have the money. niece, Lavilla Watson, "She's kind, has a tremendous work ethic and enjoys life," 80, told the New York Daily News, Ms Jones, who is also African American and has been 12 years, never smoked or drank alcohol, but she continues to love barbecued chicken and bacon. "I don't have a secret," she told Time magazine, "Believe in the Lord." blind