Woman expects 7th great-great-grandchild

By Mark Walters - Associated Press - Friday, September 5, 2014

HANOVER, Pa. — Heather Dell got confused as she tried to recall all of her cousins. Keeping track of 47 of them is no small task.

Dell, 18, of Penn Township, recently gave birth to Jayden Williams, creating her family’s sixth set of five generations. In early October, there will be seven.

While the Guinness World Record for most living generations stands at seven, five generation families are somewhat rare. But for this Hanover-area family, five generations are common.

“What’s one more?” said Dell’s mother, Amy Baker, when asked about a new child joining her larger-than-average family this fall. “It’s meant to be. It makes sense to us.”

Baker is part of her family’s third generation. At 43, the Penn Township woman is younger than her 44-year-old sister, Allison Moore, of Hanover. But Moore is quick to note that Baker’s hair color is not entirely natural.

If she did not dye it, Baker, known as Nan to newborn Jayden, figures she would have gray hair soon enough.

She is the daughter of Donna Moore, 63, and the granddaughter of Evelyn Duncan, 91, both of whom are Hanover natives living in Chandler, Arizona.

Evelyn had her first of 10 children when she was 23, shortly before she married the late Donald Duncan Sr. in 1946. Her last child, who is a mere six months older than her daughter’s first child, came at the age of 46.

“I had enough work to do with 10 kids,” Evelyn said with a chuckle when asked what she did for employment. “I just took it as it came.”

Two of her granddaughters, Baker and Allison Moore, joked that Evelyn was establishing a day care. Dell referred to Evelyn’s children as a baseball team.

She had to lean in for a repeated question, but even at 91, not much gets by Evelyn.

Ten children, 27 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren, six great-great grandchildren - and one on the way, Evelyn said without missing a beat from the wrap-around sofa in Allison Moore’s Hanover living room.

The family squeezed into the West Elm Street home last week, bringing three of the entirely female five-generation sets under one roof.

Allison Moore’s twin daughters, Alisha and Brittany Boudling, both of Mount Pleasant Township, each have a daughter. Even in different outfits, the 26-year-old twins can be difficult to distinguish. Alisha is six minutes older than Brittany.

Baker confused her two nieces for the first decade of their lives, and admitted she still struggles to tell them apart at times.

Brittany Boulding’s daughter, 7-year-old Lilyauna Kennedy, was Evelyn’s first of six great-great grandchildren. Lilyauna just started first grade at Conewago Township Elementary School. Her cousin, 3-year-old Aubriauna Younce, is Evelyn’s fourth great-great grandchild. She attends the Hanover YMCA’s day care program.

Lilyauna referred to Aubriauna as “a baby fan” as the 3-year-old climbed onto the couch to hold her newest cousin, 7-week-old Jayden.

“The way she looks at her is awesome when she holds her,” Allison Moore said.

She commonly calls Jayden her “real baby doll,” Dell said.

Lilyauna is a tomboy, according to her grandmother. She likes Spiderman, Batman and Thomas the Tank Engine, Allison Moore said. And she hates dresses.

“I call her my granddaughter-grandson,” Allison Moore joked.

Through four generations, from Donna to Aubriauna, the first-born daughters all have Marie as their middle name: Donna Marie, Allison Marie, Alisha Marie and Aubriauna Marie.

When referring to each matriarchal figure among the 10, Baker is Nan, Allison is Meme, Donna is Mamaw and Evelyn is simply Grandma.

Even to her friends in Arizona, Donna said, Evelyn is Grandma.

“With all them kids, she should be just Grandma,” Baker said. “There’s no small in nothin’ in our family.”

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Almost-seven sets of five generations

Set one