Wednesday, March 13, 2019

And the Prize for Largest Family (among my ancestors) Goes to . . .

. . . Fred and Elvira (Bartley) Gerner who had 16 children.  Eleven of the sixteen children are pictured below.  The two oldest sons, Alonzo and Alfonzo, and the youngest yet-to-be-born three are not in the photograph.  The date of the painting or photograph below about 1893 or 1894.


The 1900 U.S. Census indicates that Elvira was the mother of 16 with 14 children still alive.  In those times it is uncommon for all children in a family to live to adulthood, so it amazing that all but two of Fred and Elvira's children became adults.  The who who didn't live long are Claire, who died of poisoning, and Netta or Meta, who died as an infant of liver problems.

The children are
                Ida Adelia  1873-1904
                Alfonzo F.    1874-1952
                Alonzo J.    1874-1940
                Lana Ellen    1875-1943
                Edward G.    1877-1917
                Della Virginia    1879-1968
                Mary Alma    1881-1952
                John N.        1882-1970
                Bessie Leota    1884-1973
                Mabel Lodenia    1886-1974
                Beulah Mae    1888-1913
                Warren Franklin    1890-1957
                Ethel Claire    1892-1897
                Netta or Meta Mildred    1894-1894
                Brendice Kathryn    1895-1996
                Paul Victor    1898-1972

Twelve of their adult children in the photo below are, from left to right, Della, Alonzo or Alfonzo, Alma or Leota, Alonzo or Alfonzo, Lana, Edward, Fred, Paul, Elvira, John, Mabel, Warren, Beulah, and Brendice.



The other family among my ancestors that comes close in size is that of Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen, my mother's paternal grandparents' family, who had 15 children.  Sadly, by the time the parents died, there were only six adult children still alive.

These days I can't imagine having such a large family.  Imagine the cost to feed and clothe so many, not to mention education and, these days, electronic devices!

This post was written for Amy Johnson Crow's 2019 version of 52 Ancestors.  The post topic for the week was "Large Family."

--Nancy.

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2 comments:

  1. What a large family - imagine having twins named Alonzo and Alfonzo!

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    1. Alonzo and Alfonzo were popular names in the mid- to late- 1800s. I see them often in census records, but to use them together is surprising. Their nicknames were Lon/Lawn and Fon. They sound so similar I can imagine lots of confusion when someone called them.

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