Couple welcomes first baby girl into family in 137 years

A South Carolina couple was elated with the birth of their baby girl last month -- the first female baby to be born into the family in 137 years.

"Everybody was a little bit stunned at first!" Kelen Settle, 36, who welcomed baby Carter Louise Settle on June 25, told ABC News.

Click through photos of baby Carter Louise Settle

Settle and her husband, Will Settle, 38, first shared the news of their baby's sex at a gender-reveal party during a family gathering in Alabama on Christmas Day last year.

"That was a very shocking experience for me. I just assumed I was going to have another boy," Will Settle said. "I was like, 'What's going on? This just can't be possible.' I was absolutely shocked. We had the whole family there. My mother just went nuts. My mom always wanted a daughter. She was absolutely ecstatic. She could not believe it."

Stunned by the shocking news, the couple said Carter's paternal grandfather quickly researched into exactly when the family last welcomed a girl and quickly found out it hadn't happened in nearly 140 years.

"He started thinking back, you know, my father didn't have any sisters, my grandfather may have had some sisters, and then started to kind of move further back and found out there hasn't been one in that long," Settle told 11 Alive.

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The Settles told the outlet they ended up choosing the name Carter because they wanted a "really strong name" that "you don't hear every day."

"She's going to have to be strong with all the men she'll deal with in the Settle family," Will Settle joked.

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