Largest family you have found

[ScouseBoy]

I think "addiction" is the wrong word.  I think it is an innate human attribute to wish to produce children.

Of course, or the species would not have survived.  200 years ago parents continued because (a) the clergy told them to (b) it was fun (usually), (c) they had no controllable form of contraception (d) many children died young anyway.  These days only (b) applies, and most parents realise when enough is enough.

      It is not always fun  for the mother who has nine months      to carry the baby  around.

These days many women wait  some years before having their first child.

[BumbleB]

My largest find is 23 and 14 survived!   

Whilst stuck on my Grist line many years ago I followed all of that name in Suffolk and although not 'mine' I always remember this couple and their children.

Thomas Grist (b.1769, d.1832) married Ann Bent 11/6/1793 - she was 18.   The following are their family:

James bp.15/10/1793 Stonham Aspal - died 1793
Susan born 1795 - died 1795 Stowupland
Mary Ann bp.27/2/1797           ditto
Amy bp.1/1/1798                    ditto
Harriet bp.29/11/1798             ditto  - died 1799
Elizabeth bp.30/10/1799          ditto
Jemima bp.1/4/1802                ditto  - died 1803
William bp.10/6/1803               ditto   - died 1808
Sarah bp.24/6/1804                 ditto
Maria bp.13/9/1805                  ditto
Harriet bp.31/8/1806                ditto   - died 1807
Joseph bp.20/9/1807  Creeting St. Peter
William bp.4/9/1808            ditto         - died  )
James  bp.4/9/1808             ditto        - died   ) twins
Charles bp.9/8/1811             ditto
Thomas bp.22/3/1812           ditto        - died
Thomas bp.4/4/1813            ditto   )
Ann bp.4/4/1813                  ditto   ) twins
William bp.16/4/1815            ditto  )
Clarissa bp.16/4/1815            ditto ) twins
Hannah bp.25/5/1817            ditto
James bp.28/7/1818              ditto   - died
Henry bp.21/5/1820              ditto

Definitely all to the same couple as her maiden name helpfully shown.

Ann must have been some strong lady - she died in 1862 aged 87, having outlived her husband by 30 years!

Annette 
 

All I can say is that I'm glad that I was NOT born as Ann Bent    BUT, then she obviously wore him out!!! 

[JAKnighton]

My 4x great-grandparents had fourteen children and every single one lived to adulthood.

[andrewalston]

On the outskirts of my tree are Joshua & Hannah Cornwell, who at the 1911 census, have had 18 children, 14 of whom were still alive.

They went on to have another two in 1912 and 1913.

[lisalucie]

Ive got a family of 13 born between 1861 and 1889. And the Dad of this families brother had 14 children! There could of course have been a couple more in each families that are yet unidentified and died young.

[Rosinish]

All I can say is that I'm glad that I was NOT born as Ann Bent    BUT, then she obviously wore him out!!! 

I wonder if she was nick-named "H... Bent" 

Annie

[rosie17]

The largest family on my Grandma's side was 13 and they all survived and strange thing my Mother was an only child 
Rosie

[Andrew Tarr]

The largest family on my Grandma's side was 13 and they all survived and strange thing my Mother was an only child 

My mother's mother was one of five girls with four brothers.  Two of the brothers never married; one had one son, the other had four children.  Three of the five sisters never married, the other two had one daughter each.  I am an only child too (does it show?) 

[Alison Terao]

One of my ancestors had 25 children.

He married at 16 and took on his wife's first child when the father wouldn't marry her and they went on to have 14 children together.
When she died he went on to have 10 children with his second wife.

Most of the children lived to adulthood.

He died at 85 with all his faculties intact.