Five Generations Share One Birthday: A Family's Record

An American family has achieved a Guinness World Record for having five consecutive generations born on the same calendar date, September 14. The tradition began with Wilber Harlow in 1907 and continued through his daughter Addie (born 1949), grandson Donald (born 1972), great-granddaughter Emma (born 1997), and most recently, Emma's son Arthur Bell, who was born on September 14, 2025.

This remarkable feat covers a span of 118 years and also includes an alternating gender sequence across the five generations: boy, girl, boy, girl, boy. The family was aware of the four-generation streak for years but waited for a fifth generation to solidify their unique claim.

While some online have speculated about coordinated births, the family attributes the coincidence to fate or divine intervention. Notably, the family's ancestral roots also share a common meeting place, Maryville, Missouri. Before this family's record, four generations sharing a birthday was a known, but less rare, achievement.