What is the greatest number of children you have found in your ancestry

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

My grandma was one of 15 & one of her barley ancesters had 16, that I can remember.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Sometimes "greatest" numbers are not births:

One man on my tree experienced this:

First marriage lasted 10 months, wife died in first childbirth, son lived until the age of 22.

Second marriage lasted 10 months, wife died in first childbirth, son lived to adulthood and outlived father.

Third marriage lasted six years, wife died in fourth childbirth, all children lived to adulthood and outlived father.

Fourth marriage lasted 2½ years, wife died in first childbirth, child was probably stillborn.

Fifth marriage, lasted 18 years and she outlived her husband, but there were no children.

[Meridian Line]

There are 2 women in my tree with 20 children, one had several sets of twins, but the other had 20 children one at a time....I think she only stopped because the husband died!!!!

[Tippin]

The most on mine would be Isaac Wagstaff. He was married twice, and had 20 know children.

[KiteRunner]

My 3xg-grandparents had 14 and only one of those died in infancy. But I won't be surprised if my 2xg's on another line turn out to have had more; I've found 11 or 12 so far (we're not sure if two of them are really the same person with a different name) but they were all born in India or Ireland so there may well be more we haven't found yet. There are a few gaps.

[jenoco]

Mine seem to average between 9 and 13. My 3x great grandmother had 12 children in 17 years (no multiple births). She died aged about 45 in 1820. One child died in infancy and there is one I can't trace, but all the others survived.

[flashieboy]

My great great grandfathre had 16 possibly 17 children.

3 to his first wife in England before being sent to Tasmania as a convict.

13 to his second wife who sadly died aged 42 leaving him with all the children to raise.

Possibly one to his third wife who had a child with an "unknown" father 2 years prior to marrying my great great grandfather.

Most of his children grew up to have between 8-14 children each.

My mother came from a family of 10.

[jackdaw]

I have a distant rellie who went to Utah America and converted to mormonism - he had 5 wives and fathered 32 children?? another not a rellie who went over same time had 4 wives and 44 children

[Olde Crone Holden]

jackdaw

Ah, it must be Mormonism which makes them so fertile!

My 3 x GGM who had 45 children went to Utah and became a Mormon - that'll be what did it then!

(Actually, she never left her village in Lancs, but that's another story)

OC

[poytheboy]

Not as many as some on this thread but my mom is the 12th of 13 children - all single births, but one ancestor in the early 1800's had 14 births including 2 sets of twins, and both sets of twins survived into adulthood and from there twins appear in every generation!

[Vivienne]

My Mum was one of 13 & Dad one of 6 but I've yet to find the rellie my Dad said had 23 children made up of singles, twins & triplets.

[Lindsay]

My 4xggrandparents had 16, and as far as I can tell they all survived.

They lived in one of the worst East End slums, though they were actually quite well off - he was a 'scavenger' on the census (sounds grim!) but in fact ran street cleaning contracts and died worth thousands.

Perhaps not surprisingly, his wife died of 'senile decay' in her early 60s...

[kes_hill]

My hubby's gg grandfather married twice and had 11 children to each wife (hows that for not playing favourites??) His second wife was only 9 months older than his eldest child. Oh and there was only one set of twins.

[kylejustin]

my 4th great grandparents had 17 children from 1807-1831. only 3 or 4 died before adult age.