General Chat

Just added 17 children all except one was born in the marriage. Wife had an illegitimate son.

Father born 1840 died 1886.
Mother born 1843 died 1924.

Last child born 1885 looks like she wore him out :-0

Edit…..at the 1911 census 9 were living and 8 had died.

I have one lady who had 7 children, the husband died very young and within the year she married again and had a further 6 children!!! I guess she needed to find a "sugar daddy" to look after them all. This was also in the 1850's

I'm still working on all the "twigs" and will be for some time to come. Keeps me out of mischief unlike my ancestors ;-)

Are you sure she did not slip something in his tea Mr. M :-D :-D :-D

**Ann** :-D :-D :-D

I can’t match 17 but my great grandmother had 13 who all survived though one died in a road accident when he was about 12. She was small and slim and didn’t look very strong but at age 97 she was dancing at my wedding.

I have several 10 's and 11's, plus a 12.
My g grandfather's youngest brother married and had 12 children. Of these, 3 died before adulthood, 5 daughters and 1 son never married or had children.
Of the remaining 3, 1 daughter married and had no children. 1 son married and had 1 daughter, who married and had 1 daughter, who never married or had children. The final son married and had 1 daughter who never married or had children. So there are no descendants from him left now, the last's flat was sold in 2008, so she either died or moved.

I despair when i agree to do a friend their family tree and then discover it is a huge tree with so many kids!!
Can you imagine having 12 kids today??

My mum was one of 13 but several early ones died. 6 survived and 2 are still living, my aunties. 1is 89 and the youngest is nearly 80.

I don't have any families with more than 12, but OH's gt gt grandfather had 20 children, and they all lived!

He married in 1831, the first child was born in 1832 and the last in 1860. There was never more than 2 years between them. There is a somewhat persistent rumour among the few descendants that there was a child that died, presumably between #19 and #20, but I can find absolutely no trace of it, unless it was a miscarriage at an early stage. However #20 was the only child to have more than 1 forename, she had 3, and her first name apparently is Latin for 21 :-S

He died in January 1869 aged 62 of kidney disease, his wife died about 3 weeks later aged 54 of "Chronic Disease of the Heart".

I reckon he wore her out!!

As grannyfranny found, most of the children didn't marry or didn't have children.so there are a limited number of descendants.

On Mum's side, her maternal grandfather's eldest brother had 13, from 2 marriages. The first 3 were boys and all the rest were girls. I haven't got lifespans for all of them, but the males all lived to a good age (must be the Dorset air!).

My mum came from a family of 12. Her family were Catholic, so most of her ancestors had similar sized families or larger :-0. I've had an Ancestry DNA Test and on my mum's side alone I have 50,183 matches and counting :-0

There is a family on 1 of the Scottish islands(not mine) and she has 22 children! over 50 grandchildren and great grandchildren. This was in the last 30 years not the 1850's.

I wont name the family as are currently living but it's a huge family!

The illegitimate son’s daughter married my Great Uncle.

I think she put something in his tea to keep him going to have 16 children Ann :-0 :-D

;-) ;-) :-D :-D :-D

I don't know if this is the same family as the one Florence mentioned, but there is series on Sundays on Channel 5 (currently in series 4) about Noel and Sue Radford, called "22 kids and counting".. She is expecting no. 23!!

I haven't been watching it, but am quoting Radio Times!

The Radfords are from Morecambe.

One of my Wiltshire side of the family had 20 children which included 3 sets of twins and they all survived into adulthood :-0 :-0 :-0 :-D. Seeing as they are my direct line I was sweating when I had my kids as my OH is one of twins and he also has a younger set of twins. Thank goodness mine were single births :-D :-D :-D :-D

LG I bet you were worried :-D :-D

Andys mum, no not the Radfords, this family are in Scotland.

Personally I cant think why anyone in this modern age would want a huge number of children??? The cost of bringing them up, size of house you need etc. Its very unfair making 4 children share a room. The poor mother and all that washing, cooking etc beggars belief.
Why Sue Radford is having another I cant imagine.After mine reached 15 plus, I got a bit of my life back and has some freedom. So still changing nappies after 22 years is beyond my comprehension :-D

Florence in the hebrides

Just a bit ;-) :-D :-D :-D

One of my friends born 1950s was one of 12 children living in a 4 bedroom house when their mum made tea she would put half a packet of tea in a massive tea pot she said it was normal and they didn't know any different.

If children are solely breastfed, this usually limits the number of children to one every 24 to 30 months - depending on how long, and often, they are breastfed for.
I definitely wanted 2 children.
Eldest was on solids, with the occasional feed, but just rejected me at 17 months - Literally - time for a feed - 'No thanks mum!'
Then I found out I was expecting No. 2, who was born when No.1 was 25 months old!
So eldest child knew I was expecting before I did!

Eldest child is now (suitably) a breast feeding consultant, who checks on the progress of babies when not being a consultant :-D :-D

maggie .......

that limiting by breastfeeding doesn't always work out.

OH's sister breastfed, found out she was expecting #2 when #1 was about 6 months old .................. so 15 months between them,

My brother's wife had a similar happening, except there is only 13 months between #1 and #2, and there was nearly a #3 at a similar spacing only she lost it at an early stage.