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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: earley-bird on Thursday 25 October 12 10:16 BST (UK)
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What is the largest number of children born to a couple in your family tree excluding twins, triplets quadruplets etc?
There has long been a story told in my family that my GrandFather was one of 21 children and my grandmother one of 14 children :o
I believe I have finally found the proof as far as I am likey to be able to.
Edwin Charles Earley and his Wife Catherine T (nee Kangeisser) had 19 children born alive but 10 of those died after birth .
I have concluded that the likelyhood is that the other two children would have been stillborn and therefore not recorded so it looks like the family story I was told 50 years ago was true.
Folio 537
Page 1
Piece 1258
Schedule 269
Edwin Charles Earley
Married 37 Years
Total Children Born Alive 19
Children Still Living 10
Children Who Have Died 9
Year of Birth 1848
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Could either of your grandparents have been married twice ? One or both of them may have brought children into a second marriage.
Both of my g.g. grandparents were married twice. My g.g. grandfather had 2 children by a previous marriage, and these children were brought up by his second wife, when he married her as a widower. They then went on to have 12 children together. When my g.g. grandfather died, she married another man, who also had 6 children by a previous marriage, and she had another 2 children with him. So, in all, 22 children would have called her 'Mum' :)
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If the 1911 census return was filled in correctly, it was supposed to show children born to present marriage
The only way to be reasonably sure would be to get the birth certificates of the first and last child and see if the parents are the same
My grandfather was one of 16 (6 died young), so 19 or 21 children is not impossible (though very tiring for Mum I suspect!)
Linda
PS I think large families have been discussed before, but can't remember the biggest one :o ::)
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I have the marriage certificate and all the relevant census returns and confirmation of all living children (ie 10x) what I do not have yet is the death certificate of all the children who died. ( ie 9+)
I could order all the death certificates I suspect are related and are the right dates but that would cost around £220.00 + which is rather expensive just to prove this point so I'm happy to accept the 1911 census information. Why would they lie to the person recording the census.?
Besides there are still at least 2x children missing according to the family legend and if they were still-born I'd never be able to prove that . :(
The couple's first child was Catherine who was born just after the marriage so the children are all theirs .
Edwin married really late in life when he was 33 so its possible that he was married previously however I have been unable to find any record of a marriage and these 19 children are all within the timeframe of his Marriage to catherine kangiesser.
;)
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I have an aunt of my grandfathers who had 18 children, of whom 8 died before 1911. She was married to the same man for 45 years and died in 1933 aged 84. They were tough in those days! Her parents before her had 12 and both lived into their 80's.
Anna
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The most I've found in my own tree is 11 to one family (both my parents, actually).
However, a friend has documented one of her ancestors a few generations back (can't remember exactly and can't ask her because she's gone to join them) had 26 children. To two different wives, admittedly. And I think most of them survived.
Just as well there was money in the family!! ::) ::) ::)
Dawn M
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I have been helping my brother's wife with her family tree and her great grandmother had 22 children!! All her own..although quite a lot of them didn't survive infancy.
Milly
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wow thats a huge number Milly. Were any of them twins or multiple births ?
Looks like we are holding the record at the moment lol ;D
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Fortunately for her there were some twins in there!
Milly
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My greatgrandmother's answer to the 1911 question was 19 children born to the marriage, 14 still alive. Years married was correct for her second marriage. There were also 5 children born to the first marriage. I haven't found all 19, not a rare name in a large Cardiff parish, so she may have added the 2 families together, but the 24 children does tie in with what my father told me.
Her occupation? Certified midwife - she'd certainly had plenty of practice!
::) ;D
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My greatgrandmother's answer to the 1911 question was 19 children born to the marriage, 14 still alive.
Her occupation? Certified midwife - she'd certainly had plenty of practice!
::) ;D
;D ;D ;D probably why such a relatively high percentage survived !
looks like you currently hold the record Osprey if they were all born to the same partners.
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think I need to win the lottery to get the birth certs to be sure! I've got the ones for the children of the first marriage as that's where I'm descended from.
:D
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Hi,
my gggrandfather Nathaniel Brown was born 1809 in Chelsea and emmigrated to South Africa where he married Sarah Ann Saunders and they had 19 children ( all one marriage) all survived to adulthood.
Both parents lived well into their 80's.
bigjon
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Grandad was one of 14, all roughly 18 months to 2 years apart no multiple and no known losses all by the same mother and father . Great gran was a roman Catholic her offspring all became cof E! - the eldest daughter ran off to nurse writing home it was far better then looking after her brats of brothers.! Only one died in war. 3 fought , the rest went farming .4 never had children ( that we know of !!!) and most lived till their late 80s. Grandads name was valentine simply because he was born on that day!