At 98 years old, MaeDell Taylor Hawkins, the matriarch of a vast Kentucky family, experienced a heartwarming moment as she met her first great-great-great-grandchild in February. The touching encounter, captured in a viral photo, featured MaeDell holding seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker. The photo includes multiple generations of women from the family, highlighting the remarkable depth and size of MaeDell’s family.
MaeDell, set to celebrate her 99th birthday in July, has played a central role in a family that now boasts over 620 grandchildren, spanning multiple generations. The photo showcases MaeDell, her daughter Frances Snow, granddaughters Gracie Snow Howell, great-granddaughter Jacqueline Ledford, and great-great-granddaughter Jaisline Wilson.
MaeDell’s life has been an extraordinary journey. At 16, in 1940, she married Bill Taylor, a 50-year-old railroad worker with ten children from a previous marriage. Despite facing challenges and an age difference, they had 13 children together. The family lived without many modern conveniences, enduring hardships such as the absence of a washer and dryer and limited access to running water.
The heartwarming photo symbolizes the love and support MaeDell provided, resulting in generations of happy and healthy women and children. The family plans to gather again in June for another photo, celebrating the remarkable legacy that MaeDell has created. Reports indicate that MaeDell’s family includes 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren, spread across the United States. MaeDell’s enduring impact serves as a testament to the strength and enduring power of familial bonds.
