gap between sibling births

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

Hi
I am so glad to be home been to the USA for three weeks. I just had to get back to my family history I could not wait to do some research but now I have I am wondering why we do this.
I am researching a family members tree and they gave me details of three children born to a particular couple who married in 1926. So I started looking though the birth records to find them. I found the first born in 1927 but I was about to give up because I reached 1935 and found no more children. I did think this was unusual but kept looking but throughly bored by now and thinking someone is giving wrong information. I found the next child born in 1939, 12 years later. I have one more child to find and up to 1947 and still no sign of him.
So I got to thinking how many years apart have others found siblings born as this is the first time I've had such a large gap.

[Orangeblossom]

My mum was born 8 years after her brother. She also has a sister who is 10 years older.

I'm sure there are others in my family, but can't think off-hand!

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

Well I am up to 1952 and still not found the 3rd child I think I am going to give up plus she is 51 years old now and I think to old to look further!!!!

[KiteRunner]

Contraception was available by the 1930's (in some form) so I suppose it was easier for people to plan their families than it was in previous generations. It would be pretty unusual to find a family like that in earlier centuries but of course sometimes there would be a series of stillbirths and miscarriages in between the live births.

[Rosie Knees]

my oldest sister was born in 1946 when my mum was 19 so she could have had a couple before that. I was born in 1963 when my mum was 35 so I guess she could have had a couple more AFTER me. That gives her a potention child-bearing range of 1944-1967, 23 years . Not impossible for that to have extended to 28-30 years I suppose.

OMG, you can see how the Victorians used to fit in so many babies lol.

[Little Nell]

In pre-contraception days it was common for mothers to be delivering their 12th or 13th baby whilst the elder children were themselves becoming parents. I have a gap of 25 years between eldest and youngest in one family.

But smaller families generally are born with the same 2 year or so gap. If there are big gaps between babies I'd suggest either some fertility problem or the absence/illness of one of the parents. Where does your source have the information about the 3 children?

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

My source gave me the info via her mother. But as you and I well know that the memory plays tricks sometimes, she told me there were three children all boys James Ted and Pat. I found James in 1927 pat was patricia in 1939 and the last one who knows I gave up looking. As well as looking for names I did look though the entire list of this surname (thank god there are not that many) for MMN for all the years I looked at just in case they gave me the wrong christian name and to ensure there were none that died at birth because of the large gap. I have also looked from 1924 - 1935 twice. I must be mad.
I've been back to my source and she confirms that there was a Ted he was Edward but I am not looking again today who can blame me.
I've had large gaps between the eldest and youngest which you expect but never had a 12 year gap between the first and second. I agree perhaps she had problems conceiving.

[Rosie Knees]

Gwen, I wonder whether Edward was his middle name?

[Olde Crone Holden]

I had an eight year gap between two of mine. Unexplained infertility.

OC

[Little Nell]

Or maybe some miscarriages/stillbirths followed by complications?

[Northern Light]

18 years between my mum and her brother..Nan said she thought the "change" was over lol..

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

My ex-M-i-L had a child nine months after her wedding when she was 19.

She told me she and her husband "never did anything to prevent another pregnancy" but it was over 20 years before she had another child, when she was 40. She had no miscarriages in between.

Do you know what happened to the Edward you are looking for? I suppose most likely he is still alive, but if not, can anyone identify his death reg? It would give his dob if after 1969.

[Granny Lynne]

I have 2 sisters, 26 and 29 years younger than me. They do have a different mother though!

My next door neighbour had a daughter at the age of 44, who is 21 years younger than her sister.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

My Dad has a cousin Ted, his full name is George Edward, after his father but he was probably known as Ted to save confusion, perhaps it was the same in your case.

[Barbara Dodds]

My brothers are 13 years and 18 years older than I am.

[Olde Crone Holden]

An aunt produced her one and only child at the age of 45, after 25 years of marriage, and YES, it was her husband's child!

OC

[BigShaz McCreadie]

OH's parent's never used contraception.... They married in Sept 1964 and he was born in Sept 1971.

She never used contraception and never had any other pregnancy before or after.

Her mother before her had two children in 1925 and 1927 but then she wasn't born until end of 1939 even though her own mother apparently never avoided pregnancy or had any losses.
Her mother told her this, they were very close and her mother lived until 1994.

OH's father was born in 1937 his older brother was in 1935 but before them was a brother born 1922 and a sister born 1920.
The sister is still alive and still very much with it and she tells me that to her knowledge her mother never suffered any losses although she admits she wouldn't have known about any early miscarriages.
They may have used some form of 'contraception' her mother would never have divulged that.

[James]

My ex was born 1951 her last sister was born 1990, 39 years later, different mother

[kylejustin]

i have an ancestor born in 1801, and the next 1824, then 1825.
i interpret this as missing parish records though, and expect to find stillbirths or missing siblings between the 20 years!!