Family Breaks Record as Multiple Generations Are Born on the Exact Same Day
A family breaks records as multiple generations are born on the exact same day. I’ve always loved telling people that my three kids were born in September, October, and November, in age order and right on their due dates. I thought that was a pretty fun family story. Then I heard about the Bells.
In Silver City, Iowa, five generations of one family were born on September 14. Five! I can barely get everyone in my family together for dinner on the same day, let alone imagine them all being born on the same day.
Five Generations in One Family Share the Same Birthday
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It started with Wilber Harlow, born in 1907. His daughter Addie arrived on September 14, 1949. Then came her son Fred in 1972, his daughter Emma Bell in 1997, and Emma’s son Arthur Bell in 2025. Arthur’s arrival made the family official Guinness World Record holders, with the same birthday stretching across 118 years of family history.
Fred, who sits right in the middle of those five generations, sees the record as one more reason to treasure his family. “When you have children, they’re a gift,” he said. “This is a very unique gift.”
Grandma Hoped the Family Tradition Would Continue
For years, Addie had teased Emma about keeping the tradition going. “You have to have a boy on September 14th,” she would tell her granddaughter. So when Emma learned she was expecting her second child, due on September 14, the family had reason to hope. Still, babies have plans of their own, and their birth stories are wild and adventurous.
Baby Arthur Makes the Family Guinness World Record Holders
Arthur, apparently, was happy to cooperate. He arrived on the fourteenth, giving his mother a birthday gift she’ll never forget. He also completed another little family pattern: boy, girl, boy, girl, boy.
The one person Emma wished could have been there was Addie. Her grandmother died before Arthur was born and never got to meet the little boy she had dreamed Emma might have someday. Emma said she thinks Addie would be proud that they actually made it happen.
I think she would be, too.
The Real Gift Is the Family Legacy Behind the Record
Someday, Arthur will be old enough to understand why September 14 means so much to his family. He’ll hear about the people who came before him, the grandmother who hoped for him, and the day everyone waited to see whether he’d arrive. The world record is wonderful. But the real gift is knowing how many people were ready to welcome him into the family story.
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“For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5
WATCH: Family Breaks Record as Multiple Generations Are Born on the Exact Same Day
LISTEN: Twins Celebrate 100th Birthday Together and Share Their Secrets to a Long Life
h/t: People
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/CBS19
Originally published October 13, 2026.
