It is a beautiful thing when families come together. Seeing multiple generations walk through life together and celebrate its ups and downs is a powerful thing. One family photo of six generations of women welcoming a new baby to the world quickly went viral.
MaeDell Snow Taylor, 98, is the beloved matriarch of the family. She got to meet her great-great-great granddaughter Zhavia and a family photo was snapped to commemorate the big day. She was joined by family members Frances Snow, Gracie Howell, Jacqueline Ledford, and Jaisline Wilson.
Gracie knew that this was a special moment. “We’re very blessed that we had the opportunity to get together with grandma and just spend time with her. Not everybody gets that opportunity — to have that many generations together,” she told Today. She knew “six generations with all girls is rare.”
Even though she knew it was special, she was surprised at the public’s reaction. “I just didn’t expect it to have the outcome it’s had. I mean, it’s everywhere,” she gushed.
Gracie thinks this is a great opportunity to share her grandmother’s life story. She is so proud of MaeDell and says she "had a hard life. She was 16 when she married my grandpa, and he was 50. His first wife died having twins at home."
At 16 years old, MaeDell took on the responsibility for caring for seven children as a stepmom. She would also go on to have and raise 13 children of her own. "Girls back then, they were married at 14 — they married young and had babies young,” Gracie explained.
"She had it so hard because she didn't have a washing machine or a dishwasher; she couldn't just get in her car and get groceries. She took the clothes down to the pond and got the washboard out. She got up in the morning to get eggs and a couple chickens and wring their necks — she had breakfast ready by the time they went to school and had a hot dinner ready when they came home from school. She had a really rough life, but she never complained,” Gracie goes on to say.
Gracie admits she struggles keeping up with her own five kids. She has three children of her own and two stepchildren. She cannot imagine how her grandma did it.
"She had to make do with what was around her. We're all so proud of her. We wish someone would write a book about her, because she's so strong. I look up to her. She's an amazing, amazing woman,” Gracie gushes.
MaeDell has created a beautiful family and legacy. She has 621 descendants. This breaks down to 13 biological children, 47 biological grandchildren, 104 biological great-grandchildren, 63 biological great-great grandchildren and two biological great-great-great grandchildren, which is quite an accomplishment.
Gracie believes she learned important life lessons from her grandma such as always work hard and be present. "My mom said she doesn’t remember [MaeDell] sitting down and eating. She was always doing something, never idle. My own mother, she stayed home with us, she cooked our breakfast in the morning, she made sure we had supper at night and she cleaned our clothes. I think all of that has been passed down through the generations because of grandma,” Gracie concludes.
