At 98, Kentucky matriarch MaeDell Taylor Hawkins met her first great-great-great-grandchild, seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker, for the first time this February.
A viral photo captured six generations of women: MaeDell, her daughter Frances Snow, granddaughter Gracie Snow Howell, great-granddaughter Jacqueline Ledford, great-great-granddaughter Jaisline Wilson, and baby Zhavia.
MaeDell, turning 99 in July, was married at 16 to a 50-year-old railroad worker with 10 children. Together, they had 13 more, raising them without modern conveniences like running water or a washer.
Despite hardships, Gracie says MaeDell and her mother never complained. Today, MaeDell’s legacy spans over 620 descendants, including 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren.
“If all goes well,” said Gracie, “we’ll reunite in June for another photo.”