# Record for most generations living in a family **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256 "2007-06-25T00:31:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/41 "2011-03-12T15:05:26Z")
I once saw a picture of six generations of women in a family. The oldest was 103, and was the great-great-great grandmother of the youngest, a ten-month old girl. It was a direct female line of descent, from mother, to daughter, to granddaughter, and so on. We have several five generation lines in my mother’s family. I’m fifty-six, and have a living grandmother, who is **one hundred and six**. I have no kids, but some of my cousins are grandparents, giving Grandma great-great-grandchildren. ---
**Author:** ![Normalname71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ab992/32.png) [@Normalname71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normalname71)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/42 "2011-09-18T16:21:21Z")
Forgive me if someone has already posted the correct answer. I read a lot of non-answers and decided to just research it myself. The most generations in a family alive at one time ever was seven. The current living record is six. > **[Most living generations: Gladys Sweeting's family sets world record](https://www.worldrecordacademy.com/human/most_living_generations_Gladys_Sweeting_s_family_sets_world_record_112295.html)** > > NEWPORT, Gwent, UK -- Baby Harry Law has started a sixth living generation of his family; Harry's great-great-great nan Gladys Sweeting, 91, is mum to great-great nan Pamela Jackson, 74, who is mum to great nan Wendy Mumford, 54. Wendy's daughter,... ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/43 "2011-09-20T17:13:12Z")
My stepmother is 93 (I think) and has (among others) a great-granddaughter of 18 and another of 16. Fortunately they are well-behaved, smart, and pursuing academic degrees, so for now it looks like she won’t see any great-greatgrandchildren, barring any carelessness or accidents. I worked with a woman who was a grandmother at 35; her grandchildren seem to be well-behaved and smart however (not sure where they get that from - mst be peer pressure), they are now both about 20 or so and still no prospect of great-grandchildren. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/44 "2011-09-20T17:50:18Z")
A friend of mine became a great-grandfather when his mother was still alive–six generations. She died at 103. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/45 "2011-09-21T00:58:36Z")
My 86-year-old aunt has a great-great-grandchild. Four straight generations of women knocked up by jerks who didn’t stick around. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/46 "2011-09-21T01:21:55Z")
A friend of mine is a caretaker for a lady who just turned 107. Her great-great granddaughter is pregnant with the first 3-greats grandkid. A customer at work became a grandmother at 32. She has a kid and a grandkid about the same age. ---
**Author:** ![delveeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@delveeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delveeny)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/47 "2011-11-03T01:48:41Z")
I live in a situation where we have 5 living generations right now, and with a small chance of there being 6. My grandfather is 82 years old and my grand daughter is going to be 4 years old. Now my grandfather’s father lived to be 103 years old and my grandfather’s oldest living sister is 97 years old and moves like she is much younger. So if my grand daughter was to have a child at a young age, say like sixteen and my grandfather lived to be 95, then there would be six living generations. But for now I do know for sure of five living generations. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/48 "2011-11-03T02:14:46Z")
So far we have at least five generations in this zombie thread. Yes, it has been revived at least four times. Maybe that’s a record. Seriously, people, the question in the OP has been answered several times. The record is seven generations alive at the same time. We don’t need your personal anecdotes about how many generations are alive in your family. ---
**Author:** ![Nikki27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nikki27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nikki27)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/49 "2012-02-07T21:32:32Z")
> **[Most living generations: Gladys Sweeting's family sets world record](https://www.worldrecordacademy.com/human/most_living_generations_Gladys_Sweeting_s_family_sets_world_record_112295.html)** > > NEWPORT, Gwent, UK -- Baby Harry Law has started a sixth living generation of his family; Harry's great-great-great nan Gladys Sweeting, 91, is mum to great-great nan Pamela Jackson, 74, who is mum to great nan Wendy Mumford, 54. Wendy's daughter,... ---
**Author:** ![bforr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@bforr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bforr)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/50 "2012-05-11T01:50:49Z")
I just read that the world record is seven living generations. My son, who just turned three months, is the sixth living generation in my wife’s family. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/51 "2012-05-11T02:38:37Z")
There are now six generations in this zombie thread. It has been revived five times. ---
**Author:** ![Toni.OD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Toni.OD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toni.OD)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/52 "2012-11-29T12:09:49Z")
> [@bforr](#): > > I just read that the world record is seven living generations. My son, who just turned three months, is the sixth living generation in my wife’s family. 🙂 I am a direct relation to a seven generation family. Starting with MY Great-great-great- Grandmother Augusta Bunge Pagel. then my Great- great-Grandmother Sabin, My Great Grandmother Wentland My Grandma Wolter my unt Deb My cousin Lori and my second cousin Christopher.Grandmothers Pagel, Sabin, and Wentland have since passed away, They all lived in Wisconsin at the time. My Oma “Augusta” was 100 years 2 monthes and 3 days older than myself. I have since named my daughter after her and Christopher the last in the line has since had a child of his own. As I know my family still owns the record for most generations living at one time ---
**Author:** ![Toni.OD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Toni.OD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toni.OD)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/53 "2012-11-29T12:19:40Z")
i now it has been a few years since ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/54 "2012-11-29T14:35:47Z")
This is now a seven-generation zombie family. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/55 "2012-11-29T14:47:48Z")
Excuse me. What I meant to write is that this is now a seven-generation zombie thread. I hope Toni.OD’s family are not zombies. ---
**Author:** ![Toni.OD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Toni.OD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toni.OD)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/56 "2012-11-29T22:54:03Z")
Lol. No but but im sure my tween son would find that entertaining. Perhaps you could explain to me what a zombie thread is. ---
**Author:** ![Toni.OD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Toni.OD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toni.OD)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/57 "2012-11-29T23:09:11Z")
At what point did the decusion become about zombies? ---
**Author:** ![keithbri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@keithbri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keithbri)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/58 "2013-04-12T18:27:24Z")
I found this thread trying to figure out how common it is to have 5 direct generations of males alive. I have seen articles covering 6 and even 7 generations alive but always a grandmother at the top and a mixed bag of decedents. When my son was born, he was the 5th direct generation of males alive. All with the same last name and all the adult males’ wives alive as well. In first photo taken around 1980 Dale Bright in the cowboy hat (he was around 91) his son Glenn Bright in the yellow cap sitting his son Charley Bright in the red cap standing his son Keith Bright (me) in the 70’s hair standing back left my son Kyle Bright around age 2 sitting on my grandpa Glenn’s knee. 2nd Photo taken earlier with all the female spouses of same group. My wife Paula holding our son Kyle Bright [https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A1G6XBubbZuH9](https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A1G6XBubbZuH9) We should have taken more pictures. Did not realize at the time how rare this was. Comments welcome. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/59 "2013-04-13T03:20:34Z")
I think we have proven six, but not seven generations alive at one time. In other words, no great-great-great-great grandparent has seen that described child alive in his/her lifetime. Many great-great-great grandparents have. Anyone disagree? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256/60 "2013-04-13T04:13:48Z")
The record is apparently seven generations alive at one time for the case of Augusta Bunge of Wisconsin who became a great-great-great-great-grandmother when she was 109. Toni.OD in post #52 says that she is part of that family. And this is now an eight generation zombie thread, since it has been revived seven times. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-most-generations-living-in-a-family/409256.md?page=4)