The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-06-13

MANY ARROWS IL rnE QuIvEa.

All the Year Round has collected from
Notes and Queries, and various other
publication an amazing list Of cases
answering TO the question, "Aro there
any well-authenticatsd examples OF Q
father or q mother having had two
dozen children or more 2" Beginning
with the lowsst number mentioned in
the query. the writer cites six instan-
ces proving the affirmative Of the ques'
ton. Among the most curious oi
these is that Of Col. John Turner,
which 10 recovered from a volume oi
celebrated trials. While the suit was
in progress in which this gentleman
was involved, he gave in the following
casual bit OF testimony concerning his
wife: "Bhe sat down, being somewhat
fat aud weary, poor heart! i have had
twenty.seven children by her,--fiteen
sons and twelve daughters. Another
interesting example is that Of q publ
cans wife at Chester, who was living
twenty years ago, and had borne TWEEN.
ty-six children within sixteen years.
There were number OF twins included
In these births. A third case notable
IL that OF woman who, at the begin.
ming OF the present century, resided at
New Road, and had been the mother oi
twenty eight children. all Of whom had
been single births and had lived sever
al months, although not more than ten
were surviving at one time.
Passing on to a still higher number,
nine instances are recorded where thir.
ty or more children were borne Of the
same parent. Ao old copy Of the Gen
tleman's Magazine contains the obitu'
ary notice Of Mrs. Agnes Melbourne,
who died at the age of 100, and had
borne thirty children. 4 women in
Essex is mentioned who had fifteen
boys in succession, and then, TO make
the thing even, had fiften girls in the
same unbroken 70 luence. 1t is stated
that, when Charles V. entered Ghent
in state as the Count OF Flanders, one
Oliver Milan whose wife had borne
him twenty-one boys and ten girls,
presented himself before the Emperor
at the head OF his corps OF boys, oil in
uniform. OF course the marvelou,
spectacle secured a pension for the
prosperous father. But tho final fate
of this humorous family was most trag.
ical. The whole thirty-one children
were destroyed by the Black Death
which prevailed in 1896, and the berefi
ls-...a- f-lie--.I tL~.- -s.ss..fD-i.s,- -
the grave soon after. Ghens erected Q
memorial TO this extraordinary family
which is still in preservation.
Towards the.close OF the last century
n remarkable sight was witnessed al
Kiston. Moor, in Cumberland, viz.
procession consisting OF a man and
his wife and thirty children marching
to church to attend the baptism OF the
last and thirty-lrst youngster added to
the family group. II is related that
when the Emperor Henry III. was once
travelling through Germany, the Count
Of Abendsburg gave over to his sover'
eign his thirty-two children, as the
most precious jewels he could offer to
the Crown. In number OF the Gen
tleman's Magazine for tho year l75e,
there occurs this terse notice under the
head Of births: "A woman in Verse
street, OF the thirty-ffth child by one
husband"
Advancing TO yet higher figure, oui
authority gives four examples of up
wards Of thrity-fvs children OF one and
the same mother. Early in the six
teenth century, Thomas and Helen
Urquhart, OF Cromsrty Castle, were
the proud parents OF twenty-five soni
~ho grew up TO manhood, and Of elev
On daughters who lived to be married
and many OF them the mothers OF large
families. Toward the close Of the sew
enteenth century, Thomas Greenhill, &
surgeon and author OF treatise on tho
Art OF Embalming, addressed O peti
ton to the Duke OF Norfolk. then Ear
Marshal OF England, in which h,
prayed: THAT, in consideration o.
your petitioner being the seventh sor
and thirty. ninth child OF one fathel
and mother, your Grace would b.
pleased to signalize by some particular
motto or augmentation in his coat. OF
armor, TO transmit TO posterity so un
common O thing" The application
was granted,-the addition to the
Greenhill coat. .ot-arms being "dsn /
griffin, powdered with thirty'nine mul
let's"
One OF the most remarkable instan
ees Of fertility is afforded by the Bath
hurt family. The youngest brother o
the late Lord Bathurst had twenty-five
children by his FIRST wife, aud fourteen
by his second; while two brothers anC
q sister Of his had, during their mar
risd lives, sixty-four ehildren.-makinl
in oil just 100 ..as Iths progeny OF th
four couples.
Proceeding TO the incredible numbe
Of forty children, there are five case
cited. Pennnnt .transcribes, in bi
Tour in Wales, the following epitapb
"Here lyeth the body OF Nichola
Hooker, OF Conway, Ghsnt., who wa
the forty-ffth child Of his father, will
IAN Hooker, by Alice his wife, and tn
father Of twenty-seyen children, 1857.
An inscription on tombstone in Hey
don churchyard. Yorkshire. states tina
William Stratton was buried in 1874 q
the age OF 81, and that lac had had foT
ty-five childrea, a,--twenty-eight by hi
frat wife and seventeen by her success
sor. II is said that a'Florentine noble
the Marches Fsscobaldi, possessed
the portrait Of an aneestress, Dionor
Salviato, OH which is inscribed tia
declaration that the lady had ha
! fifty-two children. never less tha
three at a birth, and on one occa
sion six az birth A still NOR
marvellous story is taken from the Col
lectanea Topograpbica. in the Hnrliea
where it is recorded that q Scotc
weaver Ind by ono wife sixty-tw
children, all Of whom lived TO be bar
tised, and forty'six Of whom grew
manhood and four ~ womsnhood.
But We have borrowed as many case
from the wondrous store Of our inform
ant as the average reader will care
20 over. The original writer does nc
vouch for the authenticity Of oil {
them, but simply repeat them as the
we're given TO him; therefore, thos
which most task the credulity NAV We
be taken with a grain Of allowance
Nevertheless, there are in the list "
have quoted a sufficient number OF M
questionable examples OF remarksb
fecundity to create "our special vol
der" As fitting climax 10 the seri,
Of astonishing stories, we copy verb
tim the closing paragraph of the artic
from which the whole havo been O
tracted: Horace Walpole speaks
au ancient lady whom no visited. OF
Mrs. Godfrey; she had daughter, WI
had a daughter (Lady Waldegrave
who had q son Lord Waldegrave), wi
had daughter Lsdy Harriet Beard
! who had daughter (Countess Dow
; ger Of Powis), who had daught
! Lady Cline), who had an infant soI
Hornce walpole saw all the eight sc
eratiops at different periods OF his III
The secret here was--early, marriage
) one after another"
:
. vermont newspapers tell of Blu