The 106 grandkids, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren are all listed on this family tree. The woman just got to meet her great-great-great-granddaughter.
Family bonds are those that we establish at the moment of birth and on which we can unquestionably rely. The relationships that are formed and strengthened through quality time spent together give the family members a sense of security and belonging. These relationships can persist for many generations as elders see their children and grandchildren create their own families. The grandma in our story, who recently met her great-great-great-great-granddaughter, is an example of this.
Find out more about them in our gallery.
Maydell Taylor Hawkins is a Kentucky lady approaching her 99th birthday. As the true matriarch of six generations, she has overcome many obstacles and challenges to create the family that stands before her today.
Meidel has always tried to raise her children and take care of them. “Grandma was 16 when she married my grandfather Bill,” says her granddaughter. “He was 50 years old and a widower with 10 children. His first wife died while giving birth to conjoined twins at home.” Thus, the young Meidel is forced to take on the role of mother at a very young age.
In addition to being stepmothers to his 10 children, they welcomed 13 more children together. Her husband often traveled for work, and their living conditions were not the best. The family’s economic situation was dire, and they did not even have running water or other basic amenities such as a washing machine.
But Meidel wholeheartedly embraces her life as a housewife, raising her huge offspring under the given conditions. As her daughter Gracie notes, “I know it was hard for her, but she didn’t complain. She just did her job.”
Despite the lack of comforts, Gracie never heard her mother complain about not having enough food or clothing. Instead, Meidel always provided for her children’s needs while also improvising, growing, and preserving most of the family’s food.
Her granddaughter says, “With so many mouths to feed, Grandma would get up early in the morning, stock the stove with wood, go out to collect eggs, catch some chickens, and make breakfast before the kids went to school.”
Her family has continued to grow for six generations.
Raising so many children is a challenge, but Meidel manages to create generations after her and watch them grow.
So according to the family chart created by her sister-in-law, Janice Taylor, Maydell currently has 623 descendants. This family tree lists 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-great-grandchildren. The woman recently met her great-great-great-granddaughter for the first time.
The ladies of the old woman’s family gather at the nursing home to document the introduction of the oldest and youngest members of their extended family. “I know it’s rare for six generations to meet. It’s even rarer for them to all be the same gender,” says Gracie. “We’re all girls, and so is the female power.”
Gracie recalls, “We just planned a day and we all met, and Grandma knew we were coming. She was excited. We had three hours with her.”
Meidel will celebrate her 99th birthday on July 19, 2023, and if all goes according to plan, she intends to meet her third grandson of the sixth generation this summer. “If everything goes well, the baby is doing well, Grandma is doing well, and we all get along well, we will all meet again in June and take another photo together.”
