The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-08
MOTHER OF TWENTY Five.
Mrs. Swartwood Married 81 Years
Has 20 Living Children.

Has 20 Living Children.
Mrs. Samuel swartwood, of wilkes
Barre, Pa, is the mother of the larg-
est family in the United States. Al
though a comparatively young wo-
man. being only Al years old, she is the
mother of twenty-five children, twenty
of whom are living. The youngest Is
onl a few days old, and gives promise
If being like his brothers and sisters,
hale and hearty.
To be the mother of twenty-five chill
dren is no mean achieve ment, and Mrs.
Swartwood is proud of it. Her chill
dren are her greatest blessing and sim
gularly enough, they are all good, obe
dient children, without the proverbal
black sheep among them. Mrs. Swart
wood said.
My children are my joy. Though I
have always had baby-she laughed
modestlv--"and sometimes two to look
after, they never seemed 10 be the
trouble and worry some babies are. My
last little one seems more cute and
sweet than any of the others, but I
suppose all babies seem interesting
when they are Just born"
Mrs. Swartwood is a remarkably
we'll preserved woman She was mar
ried when very young, her first baby
was born fourteen months after her
marriage. There have been but five
years since during which the house
hold has failed to he blessed with Il
baby. These years were 1874. 1885, 1887.
1858 and 1896. But two of them were
in succession. and in the succeeding
years twins were born.
OF the entire twenty-five children
there were but the two sots of twins.
which wero horn in 1889 and 1898. ono
of each set Of twins is dead. Mrs.
Swartwcod can recite the hour and day
each child was born.
Walter was our first child" she
said. He was married a little over
a year ago. He was born on June
%. 1872. Louis came next on Sept. 9.
1873. Then came Thaddeus. Jan. ;,
1875: Maude. who is married to Charles
Heslog and has one child, Jan. u, 1876;
Cora, March Is, 1877; Blanche, May 19
1873; May, who is dead. on May 20,
1879: Herbert Aug. 81 1880; Warren,
March II. 1884; Daniel Sept 3. 1885,
Ruth, Sept. 3, 1886; Alonzo and Ger
trude. the first twins. Jan. 81 1880;
Calvin, July 81. 1891; Florence, Nov. 10,
1892; Esther and Benjamin, the second
twins on Dec. 81, 1898; Earl, March 20,
1885; Jesse, May 8. 1896; Edith, June 8,
1897; Lottie. Sept. 5, 1898, and our baby,
which was born on Sept. II, of this
year"
Regarding her married life, Mrs.
Swartwood talked freely. 81 was mar
ried when I was IA years old. l loved
Will when I was a girl and wanted 10
be married. Ever since. we have been
| very happy, and l would not change
places with any rich lady.
| Look at these children. Amt they
| riches enough, and every one living
al home except the two girls thai got
married It's nice for father and mo
/ to have them all here, although it
! does crowd us up a bit. We haven
/ got a big house as you can see. and
! every bit of the space is used. Walk
! into the dining room there and look
| at the table"
1t was a table to look at, OF generous
width and very long. 1t bore plates
and knives and forks for twenty-five
I people At intervals were great piles
of bread.
1T keeps me and the girls pretty
busy looking after the eating and
washing for our big family" resumed
! Mrs. Swartwood when ! came out of
the dining room. Father makes
about $40 a month and the boys bring
in about 800 a month. and, while we
get along nicely, we have nothing tt
spare. We've given all the children
as good schooling as they can get
around here"
What do you think of married life?'
| / ventured to ask.
"Well | ought to know, I guess. Who
was it said married life was one long
sweet dream. Grover Cleveland wasn't
It? Well, I agree with him. 1t has
been to me. Every woman SHOULD
get married, | think. I don't know
much about the new woman. but II she
doesn't believe In married life I dom
want to know anything about her
What's as happy as to have childrer
to love you and you loving them?
None of my children has been {
source of grief, trouble or anxiety I,
me, and think God has been espa
cially kind to give me so many. Yes
sir. you can put me down as bel!nv
irg in the married woman who he
lieves In having children,
Mr. Swartwood, who is an enginae
On the Jersey Central railroad ha
been receiving the congratulat at'Cns q
his fellow workmen for several day
upon his wife giving birth to the TWEEN
ru-fifth child