Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-05-06
STRANGEST FAMILIES IN WORLD
RECORD for Longevity Has Not Been
Beaten Since PaTT Died at 124.
New York PreSS.)

u 10 at TIC plSScII llilS llNluS
at Bilboa, Srain, a family Of seven
who between them possess no fewer
than 164 fingers. One of them has
% fingers, another 81, while the re-
naming five each can boast Of a cou-
pie of hands with IL fingers apiece.
The last surviving member Of what
was perhaps the record family with
regard to weight was Charles Atkins,
who died a few years ago at Harrow.
He weighed AIS pounds, his brothers,
who predeceased him, being no less
than 504 and $50 pounds. Another
heavy family was the DudfieldS, one
Of whom, Robert, a brewers dray-
man, weighed at his death AS
pounds, % pounds heavier than his
twin brother, whose APO pounds was
equalled if not topped, by their two
sisters.
For loftiuess Of stature the family
Of Hassan Ali, who some while since
was on exhibition in this country,
would be hard to beat. His grand
father, the tallest of the family, stood
8 feet II inches, seven inches more
than his father, whose height was s
feet 4 inches; Hassan Ali himself
being content with a modest s feet
2 inches.
The family record for longevity has
not been beaten since Robert Parr.
the great-grandson Of the celebrated
Thomas Parr, died in 1857 at the age
of 12i. His father lived to celebrate
his Tooth birthday anniversary; his
great-grandfather was 1872 at the
time Of his death. If a long-lived
family Of Wisbech, named Stockdale,
cannot in the mere number Of years
compete with the PARIS, H. asauredly
holds the record for golden Weddings,
6lFW itch five have been celebrated
IN the family within comparative
recent years.
One Of the most notable instances
Of proli6cness is that mentioned in
the Harleian Miscellany Of a Scotch
weaver and his wife, who were the
parents Of SO children. SO Of whom
reached their majority. Fortunately,
four men of the neighborhood each
adopted 10 children, the remainder
being brought up by their parents.
Large as this family was, its fame
Na!es before that Of a Russian, Ivan
Wasslif, who was the father Of 81.
He was married twice. BY his first
wife he had 60 children in the fol-
loving order: Four times Quadruples
at q birth, seven times triplets and
sixteen times twins. BY his second
spouse he twice had triplets and six
times twins.
Undoubtedly the record for mis-
fortune belongs to a Belgian family
named Adnet. The father, Jean Adj
net, vas drowned; his wife commit
ted suicide by throwing herself from
the roof Of her house, while Of his
two sisters, who lived respectively at
Chnnt nrI TDnrio nTn ~ li11nI NV
the kick of a horse and the other by
a blow received from a falling scat
fold.
Jean Adnet had six children, four
sons and two daughters. OF these
the latter persisted through the over
turning Of a pleasure boat. One of
the sons was stabbed in a drunken
braWl, another was crushed to death
by a heavy wagon, while the remain
ing two, who had emigrated to Amer
lea, were slain in 1891 while fighting
for Balmaceda against the Congress-
lists.
But Of peculiar records the strang-
est was that held by a family nick
named the "Odd Family" that lived
at Ipswich at the commencement of
the 18th century. The names Of the
father, mother and seven sons each
contained an odd number Of letters.
The youngest son. Ezekiel, enlist
ed as a grenadier in 1903, and vas
wounded % times. Five other sons
Roger. James, Matthew, Jonas and
David-died in different places, and
by an extraordinary coincidence.
were buried on the same day in the
year 1913. Ten years later another
son, Solomon was with Ezekiel,
drowned in crossing the Thames.