A viral family photo depicts an encounter between a 98-year-old matriarch and her first biological 6th-generation granddaughter in Kentucky.
MaeDell Taylor Hawkins met seven-week-old Zhavia Whitaker at a nursing home residence in Kings Mountain, Kentucky.
The photo shows six generations of women gathered together, with the youngest member being the great-great-great-granddaughter of MaeDell Taylor Hawkins.
The heartwarming meeting was captured on camera and quickly spread across social media platforms.
Family photo featuring 6 generations of women goes viral
According to the Daily Mail, a rare and touching moment was captured on camera when six generations of women gathered in one room in Kentucky.
The eldest of the group, MaeDell Taylor Hawkins, is 98 years old and serves as the family's matriarch.
MaeDell's granddaughter, Gracie Snow Howell, shared the family photo on social media, which quickly went viral. MaeDell has a large family, with over 620 grandchildren, thanks to her daughters and grandchildren.
Gracie Snow Howell and MaeDell appeared in the photo, stating that the gathering was particularly special because it involved only women.
The viral photo includes MaeDell's daughter Frances Snow, 77; granddaughter Gracie Snow Howell, 58; great-granddaughter Jacqueline Ledford, 39; and great-great-granddaughter Jaisline Wilson, 19.
The photo was taken by another granddaughter, Sheryl Blessing. Coordinating the meeting of these six generations was challenging, given that many of the women live out of state.
According to the New York Post, the gathering exceeded expectations.
They spent three hours together, during which time the matriarch met the family's youngest member, a 7-week-old baby named Zhavia Whitaker.
Although the baby grew fussy, MaeDell promptly took her into her arms, where she was comforted.
MaeDell has led a long and full life, and Gracie mentioned that she is set to turn 99 years old in July.
The gathering was a special opportunity for the family to catch up with the matriarch, who was admitted to a nursing home two years ago after suffering a fall.
Despite travel challenges and schedules, the women came together for a memorable and heartwarming experience.
MaeDell's 6 generations of women
As reported by Fox News, at the tender age of 16, MaeDell Hawkins got married in 1940 to a 50-year-old railroad worker who had ten children from a previous relationship.
Despite this challenging situation, MaeDell managed to take care of the household, assuming the role of mother to 10 stepchildren and raising 13 children of her own later.
She took on the role of caregiver, nurturer, and provider, doing everything she could to ensure that everyone in the household was well-cared for and loved.
According to her granddaughter, Amy Howell, MaeDell accomplished all this without many modern conveniences people take for granted nowadays.
She didn't have running water, indoor toilets, electric stoves, washing machines, radiators, or window insulation. Nevertheless, MaeDell never complained and took care of everyone in the household.
MaeDell's strong work ethic and dedication set the foundation for the rest of the women in her family, as Howell noted.
She never heard MaeDell complain about her duties. Instead, MaeDell instilled in her descendants the belief that working hard keeps you young.
MaeDell's descendants include Snow, Howell, Ledford, and Wilson, all of whom gave birth at 19.
Fox News added that MaeDell has an impressive 623 descendants, according to a family chart compiled by her daughter-in-law, Janice Taylor.
This impressive number includes 37 great-great-great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, and 106 grandchildren.