The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-05-15
SOME LARGE FAMILIES.
TWINS. TRIPLETs, QUADRUPLETs
AND sEXTUPLETs.

Iowa's Champion Leads with Twenty
eight Children, and Another Hawkeye
Claims Two Dozen Micbigan's Great
ACKNOWLEDGMENT tn the Front.
From the Chicago Herald.l
DUBUQUE. Iowa. May. 1880.
Some Interesting Developments In con-
nection with large families have besn made
In this vicinity. Melchor Mueller. who re-
sides near Bellevue. In the neishboring
county OF Jackson. bears the distinction OF
being tho father Of one OF the largest fam
lilies on record. Twcnty-eight children
have been born TO him. eighteen OF whom
are dead and ten living. In this number
there were three pairs OF twins. Mueller
was born as Tranheim, Germany In De-
cember. 1884. and is robust. healthy mar
He has been twice married. His first wife
was Agatha Doser. n native OF Germany
who bore him six children. three OF whom
are living. His second wife was Kunigunde
hummeL also native OF Germany. who Is
now living. aged 46. She has borne twenty
two children. seven OF whom are living.
Mueller Is poor but Industrious man
deeply attached TO his family thoroughly
domestic in his tastes, and, il his life Is
spared. thinks he W II yet see several other
naxen-haired. rosy-cheeked children bear
his name. The eighborhood in which
Mueller resides Is largely populated by Lux
emburgers. and among them arc many
large families. Tho average family is
twelve. Indeed. family OF less than this
number Is considered small in that neigh
borhood. family OF twenty-five children
lives In Spruce Greek Township. jackson
County. near Mueller's home.
In the city OF Dubuque there are many large
families. John Benkson. IA painter. heads
the list. He has been married but once.
and Is the father OF eighteen children. His
wife Is a native OF Iowa. 80 years OF age.
Their residence Is 1899 White street. John
Jennie, laborer. comes next with a family
OF sixteen children. His wife Is 43 years
OF age. and the couple declare they would
not Willingly part with one of their
offspring. John Krayer. a we'll to- do grocer
in this city. has fifteen children by his pros
ent wife. who is now 43 years OF age and a
woman OF robust health. George Neumier
has family OF fourteen. and Jake Dodge,
a peddler. one Of the same number. Joseph
Goode is thoroughly happy surrounded by
the same number Of children. Those hav-
ing thirteen children are: Leo Mcdaniel,
Benedict Bossler. Il. Vogel. Frank Major
Fritz Reibitsch. =. Mccullough and j. G.
Curtis. Those having twelve children are:
j. NJ. Lenehan. T.. l.. jones. John Parker,
Robert Miller. Adam Doerr, A. j. Patch.
II. A. Mayer. M. Gantenbeim. Joseph Bower.
G.. Ridermeyer. Thomas Kenneally. Anton
Baumhover. Henry Dippey. f. L. Curtis and
Max Matsch. 1t would occupy column OF
space to publish the names of the men in
this city who are the fathers OF eleven chill
drcn each. With great many that number
seems to be high water mark. IL il related
here that In 1872 a woman named Schmidt.
living at Rockdale, in this county gave
birth 10 six children. all within an hour. A
year or two ago woman named Murphy.
residing in this city gave birth TO four chill
dren, all OF whom were healthy and strong.