What is the largest family you've found in your family tree ?

[earley-bird]

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 

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

[Nick29]

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' 

[danuslave]

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   

[earley-bird]

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.

 

[annaS]

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

[Billyblue]

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

[millymcb]

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

[earley-bird]

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

[millymcb]

Fortunately for her there were some twins in there!

Milly