Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-09-14
SOMETHING OF A FAMILY.
RrmaTIs able History ofa German Rag
picker Who Was The Father Of Forty
two Children.
Pnt.hure. Pa. Paper

John Hctlner, a German ragpicker,
resident of this city, who was killed
III the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad at Ian
-aster Wednesday, had remarkable
history Heffncr was a familiar fig
ure on the streets of Rea ling, and
.ould be seen almost any day going
dong the cutters picking up rags, etc.
He was 81 years old and was boro IN
Wurtemberg Germany The remark
lble thing about Iictl'nerS life was
the large number of children hc had.
He was married three times and had
a brood of forty-two children, only
i've of whom all daughters ranging
IN age from to ~ years, survive.
When 25 years old, in 1880, he mar
ried his first wife in Germany. She
lived eight years, and became the
mother of seventeen children, having
twins the first year of her marriage.
The next wear brought forth another
pair of twins Each succeeding year
for four years thereafter Mrs. Hellner
became the mother. of triplets; then
,he died, and was laid away in the
village churchyard in Germany. The
wIdower now had a family of seven
teen children Three months thereait
n young lady took charge Of the
children and i'm the course of time she
became the second Mrs. Heiiner. In
February, lS49. this second wife pre-
sented Mr. Hetfner with a boy. On
Christmas day of the same year the
nineteenth child was added to the
Heffner flock. The family was now
larger than any other in that part
of the country. When they gathered
around the table the household had
the appearance Of an orphan asylum.
Five years passed on and Mr.. Heff
ner's family was increased by the ad-
dition Of ten more children, pair oi
twins being born every year For the
next three years only one child was
born. In 1854 Hetiner came TO this
country with his family. In 1857 his
wife died, having been married nine
wears. He was now the father Of
thirty-two children, twelve Of whom
had died. leaving twenty to be taken
in charge by a widow whom he mar
ried in 1858. Mrs Hcffner No. 3 had
one child by previous marriage. She
became the mother Of nine more chill
dren in ten years by single births.
None Of the first set Of seventeen
children survive, Two Of the fifteen Of
the second wifes still live, and three
of the third wife. La a period of
twenty eight years he became the
father of forty-two children. The
old man has long since forgotten the
names Of his numerous progeny.
slippers that Perhaps Another
Mr.. Longfellow had vsry keen
sense 1f the humorous, and many a
witty impromptu was occasioned by
some light incident or accident. Ore
summer twenty years ago, when the
Appietons were living in Lynn, the
poets son, Charles, who was very
fond Of sailing boat, and who has
since become a famous yachtsman,
came in his boat one day TO make a
call The surf was high and the boat
capsized and he was thrown into the
; water. He was wet through Of
course, and was compelled to make
an entire change of clothing. Cap
tain Nathan Appleton, in place of
shoes loaned him pair of slippers,
which he wore home Mr.. Longfel-
low, the poet, returned the slippers a
few days afterward done up in neat
package. with this little stanza:
Slippers that perhaps a. other,
Sailing 0 oer the bay OF Lynn.
A foriorn or shipwreck nephew,
Esags7rI az tfsfn