Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1889 — SOME LARGE FAMILIES. [ARTICLE]

SOME LARGE FAMILIES.

TWINS, TRIPLKTB, QUADRUPLETS AND SEXTUPUJTS. low»’i Champion Leads with Twentyeight Children, and Another Haivkeye Claim* Two Dozen Michigan’* Great Record—Wisconsin to the Front. [From the Chicago Herald.] Dubuque. lowa. May, 1889. Some interesting developments tu connection with largo families have l eon made in this vicinity. Me Ichor Mueller, who reside* near Bellevue, in the neighboring county of Jackson, bears tho distinction of Doing the father of one of the largest families on record. Twenty-eight* children nave been born taliim. e ghtoen of whom are dead and ten living. In this number there were three pairs of twins. Alueiier wus born at Trimfeeim, Germany, iu December, 1834. and is a robu-t, healthy man. He uas been twice married. His first wife was Agatha Doser, a native of Germany, who bore him sLx children, three of whom are living. His second wife was Jtunigundo Hummel, also a native of Germany, who is <n<w living, aged 4G. She has borne twentytwo children, seven oi whom are living. Mueller is a poor but industrious man, deeply attached to his family, thoroughly domestic in his tastes, and, if his life is spared, thinks he w 11 yet see several other flaxen-haired, rosy-cheeked children bear his name. The neighborhood in which Mueller resides is largely populated by Luxemburger.-’, and among them are many large lamilies. The average family is twelve. Indeed, a family of less than this number is considered small iu that neighborhood. A family of twenty-five children lives in Spruce Creek Township, Jackson County, near Mueller’s home. In the city of Dubuque there are many large families. John Benksou, a painter, heads the list. He has been married but once, and is the father of eighteen children. His wife is a native of lowa, 59 years of age. Their residence is 1090 White street. John Jennie, a laborer, comes next with a family of sixteen children. His wife is 43 years of age, and the cquple declaro they would not willingly part with one of their offspring. John Krayer, a well-to-do grocer in this city, has fifteen children by his present wife, who is now 43 years of age and a woman of robust health. George Neumiller has a family of fourteen, and Jake Dodge, a peddler, one of the same number. Joseph Goode is thoroughly hiippy surrounded by the same number of children. Those having thirteen children are: Leo McDaniel, Benedict Bossier, P. Vogel, Fra*k Maier, Fritz lteibitsch. P. McCullough and J. C. Curtis. Those having twelve children are: J. M. Lenehan, E. E. Jonos, John Parker, Robert Miller. Adam Doerr. A. J. Patch, H. A. Mayer. M. Gantenbeim, Joseph Bower, G. ltidermeyer, Thomas Kennealty, Anton Baumhover, Henry Dlppey. E. L. Curtis and Max Matscli. It would occupy a column of space to publish the names of the men in this city who are the fathers of eleven children each. With a great many that number seems to be high-water mark. It is related, here thatin 1872 a Woman named Schmidt, living at Rockdalo, in this county, gave birth to.six children, all within an hour. A year or two ago a woman named Murphy, residing in this city, gave birth to four children, all of whom were healthy and strong.

Has Twenty-three. Still Living. Bellevue, lowa. About three miles north of tho neighboring township of Dows, this State, on the Bowen road, there lives in a one-stmy house one of the most romarkable families on record. It consists of a father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. William Marks, with twenty-two girls and one boy. Tho oldest child an infant child of eight months, 'there was an even two dozen children in the Marks family until November last, when the diphtheria visited them and carried off one. Tbe'husband and father of this immense family is a laboring man, possessed ofno means of maintenance except his simple earnings, with which ho supports his flock, and want lias never yet entero l their door. He is 43 years of age; his wife tho perfect picture of health and comeliness—is one year his junior. They lfiive been married twenty-five years this mouth.

Twenty-ono Young Fredericks. Sioux City, lowa. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick are the proud parents of tweuty-one ohildren, two of whom have died; nearly all of the nineteen are grown and some are marriod. It used to be a standing joke in the neighborhood that Frederick bought hats and caps and boo!s and.shoes by the case, and that when he traveled with his family he procured carload rates of the railroads, Atlantic’s Showing. Atlantic, lowa. L. A Lerenzen and wife, of this place, have had seventeen children. A majority of them are not living. W. Smith and wife have had two pairs of twins, and have had triplets once. All the ohildren are living, and some of them are grown up and married. MICHIGAN’S GREAT KECOKI). . Statistics from the State Census Show Many Prolific Women. Lansing, Mich. George Batchelor was married,and resided in Bunker Hill Township, in this county, shortly after the close of the war. During the first eleven years of his married Jiie eleven children were added to his household. All the children are yet alive, hut Mr. Batehelor is now dead. 'A.B. AngeE, who, when twenty-euzht years of age, married a sister of Mrs. Batchelor, relerred ho above, became the father Of eight children iu the illst seven years of married life. This family was once blessed with triplets. The last State census of Michigan shows tha't there were 701 molhers who had given birth to their tenth child, 405 to eleven children, 251 to twelve children. 120 to thirteen children, sixty-three to iourteeu children, twenty-seven to fifteen children, ten* to sixteen children, eight to seventeen children, four to eighteen children, one to twenty children, and one to twenty-five children. There were 606 pairs of twins reported during the census year, and four sets of triplets. Come In Bundies at Grand Rapids. Grand Bapids, Mich. Tho wife of Professor La Pierre was one of a family of twenty-three children, and she is herself the mot her of eleven, six of whom are still living. John Yan der Hauten is the father of twenty-two children by two marriages, and nineteen of them were alive at one time and all living under the same roof. Seven of the children have died at various ages. There were only two sets of twins. The late Leonard D’Yoge was the father of fifteen children, five of whom are now living, one of the five being Professor D’Yoge, of the State University faculty. John Shekehee is the father of thirteen children, only four of whom were girls. John W. Phillips has the credit of being tho father of thirteen boys, all grown to manhood and themselves parents of large families. John Poisson is tne father of an even dozen children, none of them twins, and the majority of tho feminine persuasion. Michael Farrell, of Ada Township, has nine girls and two boys. Mrs. May, a widow, lias ten children, the eldest fourteen years, six of them boys. Aaron B. Turner, editor of the Eagle, has two boys and six daughters living and one boy laid away to rest, John Montague,

•f Georgetown, has thirteen children living and two dead, and all bat three came either as twins or triplets. Seven of them are girl*, and the eldest is eighteen years of age. A Polish family at Dow had one set of triplets, two pairs of twins, two solitaires, and last fall the mother gave birth to four babies at one time. All but the quadruplets are living. Julia A. Moore, of Edgarton. known as “the Sweet Singer of Michigan." had ten children. J. Loshoskey has his modest home adorned with tourteen.olive branches. Ten of them are girls, with four pairs of twins and one set of triplets in the lamily, the eldest of the lot being twelve years. Battle Creek Ha* Twins and Triplet*. Battle Ceeek, Mich. There are many families in this city and vicinity with seven, eight or nine children. The la-gest family yet discovered is that of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Sparrow, who are the parents of seventeen children, nine of whom are attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Joe N. Sanford have twelve children. James Mulvaney has a family of eleven children. The youngest one is about eleven years of age and weighs 213 pounds. Anotner good-sized family is that of Isaao N. Johnson, which consists of eleven children. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Morse are the parents of eleven children, all but one of whom are living. In the last school census Jeremiah Conway is credited with ten children of school age, Hugh Gibson with nine, Christian Sneau ten. and W- 8. Nelson nine. Twins are quite numerous. Mrs. Michael Marion recently gave birtn to triplets' The most remarkable case of that sort here was that of Mis. Alonzo Gray, who first gave birth to one child, then to twins, and finally to triplets, all boys. The triplets were named “Tom. Dick and Harry.” The latter lived for several months, but all three are now dead. Mrs. Alonzo G. Payne, living a few miles east, gave birth to male twins very recently. Nothing Remarkable About Benton Harbor Benton Habboß, Mich. Mrs. George Horman, of Bt. Joseph, has borne fifteen children, twelve of them girls and three boys. Mrs. Henry Butzback is the mother of twelve children. Mr. and Mrs. Don C. Morrison filled their cradle full of twins on Feb. 10 last.