When it comes to the question of who has the most grandchildren in the world, it’s not a famous celebrity or a historical figure, but rather an everyday person like you and me.
Let’s learn a bit about the largest families in the world.
Who Has the Most Grandchildren in the World?
- Samuel S. Mast: 813 Grandchildren
- Cordelia Mae Hawkins: 599 Grandchildren
- Elizabeth Bolden: 560 Grandchildren
- Bai Ulan Kudanding: 247 Grandchildren
- Hans and Josie Schaffer: 140 Grandchildren
Samuel S. Mast [813 Grandchildren]
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Samuel S. Mast of Fryburg, Pennsylvania, holds the record with 813 grandchildren.
He had 11 children, 97 grandchildren, 634 great-grandchildren, and 82 great-great-grandchildren.
Cordelia Mae Hawkins [599 Grandchildren]
Cordelia Mae Hawkins has a remarkable family lineage with 230 great-great-grandchildren.
She had 13 children with her first husband, whom she met when she was just 16.
Besides her own children, she also became the stepmother to her first husband’s 10 children, expanding her family tree even further.
The total number of 230 great-great-grandchildren includes her step-grandchildren as she’s part of a blended family.
Cordelia has had three husbands.
She has a big family of 623 descendants, thanks to a family chart her daughter-in-law made.
The blended family includes 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren, and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth Bolden [560 Grandchildren]
Elizabeth Bolden died at age 116 and had a total of 560 descendants.
She had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great-grandchildren, and 75 great-great-great-great-grandchildren.
She was recognized as one of the world’s oldest living persons by Guinness World Records.
Bai Ulan Kudanding: [247 Grandkids]
The highest recorded number of grandchildren to date is 247. This remarkable achievement belongs to Bai Ulan Kudanding, a Filipino woman hailing from Barangay Ligaya in General Santos City.
She had 14 children, and the subsequent generations produced an astounding total of 107 grandchildren, 138 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
As you can see, Bai Ulan Kudanding’s 14 children went on to create a family tree that would put most genealogists to shame.
Hans and Josie Schaffer [140 Grandchildren]
Hans and Josie Schaffer, a British couple, left behind a remarkable legacy with a reported 140 grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the time of their deaths in 2014.
Hans, 92, passed away from what was described as a “broken heart” just three days after his beloved wife Josie, 83, succumbed to a chest infection.
They had been married for 67 years, and their enduring love story began during the Second World War when Hans, a German prisoner of war, met Josie, then 14, in Worcestershire.
They married in 1947 and went on to have 11 children and 140 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Conclusion
These stories really show how big families can get over time. Samuel S. Mast from Pennsylvania holds the record with 813 grandkids, which is mind-boggling!
Then there’s Cordelia Mae Hawkins who has a family tree with 623 branches, thanks to having 13 kids of her own and being a stepmom to 10 more.
Elizabeth Bolden from Tennessee also had a large bunch with 560 descendants, living to see many generations flourish.
Over in the Philippines, Bai Ulan Kudanding had 247 grandkids, all coming from her 14 children.
And let’s not forget the British couple, Hans and Josie Schaffer, leaving behind 140 grandkids and great-grandkids.
Their lives tell us that family ties can stretch far and wide, creating a lot of shared history and memories along the way.