This 98-year-old matriarch was finally able to meet her first great-great-great-grandchild in her large Kentucky family.
Last February, MaeDell Taylor Hawkins held Zhavia Whitaker for the first time, who is seven months old.
Her granddaughter Gracie Snow Howell posted a photo of this moment, which went viral. MaeDell now has over 620 grandchildren, including her daughters’ children and their children.
“We thought it was special because it was all girls,” Gracie, who appeared alongside MaeDell, told People.
In the photo, Frances Snow, MaeDell’s daughter, Gracie Snow Howell, MaeDell’s granddaughter, Jacqueline Ledford, MaeDell’s great-granddaughter, and Jaisline Wilson, MaeDell’s great-great-granddaughter, are seen. Sheryl Blessing, a granddaughter of Hawkins, took the photo.
MaeDell will turn 99 in July.
She married in 1940 at the age of 16 to a 50-year-old railroad worker who had 10 children from a previous relationship, as reported by Fox News.
Her husband, Bill Taylor, was often away for work. According to Gracie, they still had 13 children together, and they all lived without most modern conveniences. The family had no washing machine, dryer, or running water.
“I know she had a tough life, but she never complained,” Gracie told People.
Gracie goes on to say that she never heard her mother, Frances, complain about lacking anything in the family home.
As this photo of six generations of women illustrates, MaeDell’s support and love clearly led to generations of happy and healthy women and children.
“If all goes well, with the baby and the grandmother doing fine, we’ll all meet up again in June to take another photo,” Gracie told Fox News.
According to Fox, the Kentucky matriarch has 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren living in the United States.
We can’t imagine raising so many wonderful children with so little! Let us know what you think in the comments!
