Dr Patricia Holness, CEO at the Registrar General's Department, kisses centenarian Ida Gordon at her home in Lime Tree Garden, St Ann, while family and friends look on yesterday. - Photo by Carl Gilchrist

Ida Louise Gordon, affectionately known as Miss Ida of Devon in Lime Tree Garden, St Ann, is officially 112 years old, according to the Registrar General's Department (RGD), the country's registrar of births, marriages and deaths.

The RGD yesterday pre-sented Miss Ida with a copy of her birth certificate and according to the department's CEO, Dr Patricia Holness, she was born on November 13, 1896.

Holness said Miss Ida was born in Alexandria, St Ann, and was registered by her father, the late Thomas Gordon.

However, Miss Ida insists she was born 10 years earlier on November 5, 1886, the date she has been holding on to ever since The Gleaner first published an article about her in 2003.

"1886, 1886!" she insisted when, after the celebrations had died down, The Gleaner pointed out to her that the birth certificate stated 1896.

However, even at 112, Miss Ida is one of the oldest persons in Jamaica. According to Holness, she is the second-oldest person on record locally.

She is appealing to persons who are caring for elderly men and women who they think might have reached 100 years in age to come forward with information so that the RGD can trace their history to determine their true ages and celebrate with them.

The RGD's research officer, Steve Campbell, who was among the RGD team that made the trip to the deep rural community, said the genea-logical research took 15 hours, tracing the family tree as far back as 1893.

It was a difficult process, checking and rechecking marriage, birth and death records, Holness explained.