A very big family in Kentucky celebrated a special moment when their 98-year-old grandma finally met her first great-great-great-grandchild, Zhavia Whitaker. In February, MaeDell Taylor Hawkins held Zhavia for the first time when she was seven months old.
A photo of this special moment was shared online by MaeDell’s granddaughter, Gracie Snow Howell, and it got a lot of attention. MaeDell has an enormous family, with more than 620 grandchildren from her own daughters and their descendants.
In the photo, you can see four great-granddaughters of MaeDell: Frances Snow, Gracie Snow Howell, Jacqueline Ledford, and Jaisline Wilson. The picture was taken by Sheryl Blessing, MaeDell’s granddaughter. MaeDell will turn 99 in July.
Back in 1940, when she was 16, MaeDell married a 50-year-old railroad worker named Bill Taylor, who had 10 kids from a previous marriage. Despite the challenges, they had 13 children together. Gracie mentioned that life was tough for them with no modern conveniences like a washer, dryer, or running water. But MaeDell never complained.
Gracie shared that her mom, Frances, never complained either, and the love and support from MaeDell have led to generations of happy and healthy women and children, as seen in the photo of six generations of women.
Gracie mentioned that they are planning to get together again in June to take another photo, and both the baby and Grandma are doing well.
MaeDell has an incredible family, with 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, and 234 great-great-grandchildren. It’s believed she has 37 great-great-great-grandchildren living outside of Kentucky.
The family is amazed at how MaeDell managed to raise so many wonderful children with their limited resources. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
