At 107 years of age, Clellie Jeralds is still going strong.

Jeralds, who celebrated her most recent birthday on June 24, insists there is no secret to her longevity.

Brett A. Clark/The Daily Advance (ENLARGE)

Clellie Jeralds, 107, is seen at W.R. Winslow Memorial Home in Elizabeth City, Thursday. Jeralds is one of a rising number of centenarians at area nursing homes, officials say.

"(There's) nothing special," she said. "The good Lord has been wonderful to me. I try to live to please him."

Jeralds is one of four centenarians at W.R. Winslow Memorial Home in Elizabeth City. Another two residents are currently 99 and the adjacent Carolina Living retirement community had one centenarian as well.

Administrator George Wilkins, who has been at Winslow since 1981, believes the number of centenarians seems to be on the rise.

"I only remember one every five or six years," he said. "It seems like lately we've had two or three each year."

An increase in centenarians was also noted at the Brian Center in Edenton. Administrator Teri Welcher said the center currently has three women over 100 years old, including one who

is 104.

"It's really based on better diagnostics, catching things sooner," she said.

Welcher also said the women, who were born at the turn of the 20th century, are hearty country people who were raised on hard work and have strong religious faith.

That description matches Jeralds as well. A mother of two and grandmother of many, she spent much of her life in rural Camden County, and was raised in Sawyer's Creek Baptist Church. Widowed since 1958, she drove until age 100 and was still voting at age 101.

Though she has swapped Camden for Winslow, Jeralds does not begrudge her new surroundings.

"They're good to me (here)," she said.

While Jeralds does not remember how old her parents lived to be, it is likely that she has eclipsed them.

The state does not track the number of centenarians in each county. However, data from the 2000 Census shows there were 132 people age 95 and older in the five-county area when the census was taken. That total includes 66 from Pasquotank County, 27 from Chowan County, 18 from Perquimans County, 16 from Currituck County, and five from Camden County.