MaeDell Taylor Hawkins, 98, recently met her first great-great-great-grandchild, a special moment for her large family in Kentucky.
In February, she held seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker for the first time. The moment was captured in a photo shared by her granddaughter, Gracie Snow Howell, which quickly gained attention online.
MaeDell has a large family, with more than 620 grandchildren across multiple generations.
“We thought this was special because it’s all girls,” Gracie told People.
The photo includes six generations: MaeDell’s daughter Frances Snow, granddaughter Gracie Snow Howell, great-granddaughter Jacqueline Ledford, great-great-granddaughter Jaisline Wilson, and great-great-great-granddaughter Zhavia Whitaker. It was taken by her granddaughter, Sheryl Blessing.
MaeDell will turn 99 in July.
She married in 1940 at age 16 to Bill Taylor, a 50-year-old railroad worker who already had 10 children. Life was not easy, as Bill was away for work often. Together, they had 13 more children and lived without modern conveniences like running water, a washer, or a dryer.
Despite the challenges, MaeDell never complained. Gracie shared that her own mother, Frances, also never spoke negatively about their home life.
The family believes MaeDell’s strong support has led to many happy and healthy generations.
“If everything goes well, the baby stays healthy, and Grandma is doing well, we plan to meet again in June and take another picture,” Gracie said.
According to Fox News, MaeDell’s family continues to grow. She currently has 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren living across the U.S.