The 98-year-old matriarch finally got to meet her first great-great-great-grandchild in her large Kentucky family.
Last February, MaeDell Taylor Hawkins held seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker for the first time.
Her granddaughter, Gracie Snow Howell, posted a photo of this moment that went viral. MaeDell now has over 620 grandchildren, including the children of her own daughters and the children of their children.
“We thought it was special because there were only girls,” said Gracie, who appeared alongside MaeDell, to People.
In the photo are Frances Snow, daughter of MaeDell, Gracie Snow Howell, granddaughter of MaeDell, Jacqueline Ledford, great-granddaughter of MaeDell, and Jaisline Wilson, great-great-granddaughter of MaeDell. Sheryl Blessing, granddaughter of Hawkins, is also in the picture.
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 said to People.
Gracie goes on to say that she never heard her mother, Frances, complain about lacking anything in the family home.
As shown in this photo of six generations of women, MaeDell’s support and love have clearly led to generations of happy and healthy women and children.
“If all goes well, if the baby is doing well, if the grandmother is doing well, we will all gather 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! Tell us what you think in the comments!