{"id":8463,"date":"2014-10-07T16:06:41","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T16:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=8463"},"modified":"2021-04-21T14:41:19","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T18:41:19","slug":"oh-baby-news-about-twins-triplets-quadruplets-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/oh-baby-news-about-twins-triplets-quadruplets-more.html","title":{"rendered":"Oh Baby! News about Twins, Triplets, Quadruplets & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary\u00a0Harrell-Sesniak searches old newspapers to find stories about multiple births\u2014and adds a personal touch by discussing her own twins. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

I recently wrote about querying historical newspaper articles for baby and birth records, but focused on singleton research (see: Genealogy Tips for Baby Research<\/a>). Within GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, you\u2019ll find numerous extraordinary reports of multiple births and large families, some of which I\u2019d love to share.<\/p>\n

History of Family Size and Fertility<\/strong><\/p>\n

Statistics show increased birth rates for today\u2019s mothers, but don\u2019t seem to factor in the large families of yesteryear.<\/p>\n

During the 18th Century, the average family size was probably between 10-11 children, a statistic that dropped to 3.19 by 1987. (See New York Times Archives of 2 June 1988: \u201cSize of U.S. Family Continues to Drop, Census Bureau Says<\/a>.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Without birth control, women who continued to get pregnant remained fertile well into their 40s, resulting in many mouths to feed. At her death in 1769, Mrs. Ruth Skinner of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, had a family of 196, including 13 of her own children and their resulting progeny.<\/p>\n

\"obituary<\/a>
Boston Post-Boy (Boston, Massachusetts), 24 April 1769, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Premature Births<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contrary to popular opinion, premature babies did survive in earlier times, but until I researched the issue I didn\u2019t realize how many babies survived before the invention of the infant incubator.<\/p>\n

For example, this 1884 newspaper article reported that the Richard Lawlis family of Red Bank, New Jersey, had a family of 12 children. One extraordinary premie, born four years earlier, survived after only weighing 2\u00bd pounds at birth, and another just-born premie was a diminutive 1-pounder, who was so small the child could be \u201cexhibited in an ordinary lamp chimney.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Columbus Daily Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia), 13 February 1884, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Twins and Triplets<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twins and triplets were greeted with as much enthusiasm in early days as they are today. This contradicts the notion that multiple births are a modern-day invention caused by fertility drugs.<\/p>\n

In 1767, there was a report of the remarkable births of six sets of triplets born in England, Germany and Denmark. The woman in Denmark had also given birth to triplets previously, in 1761!<\/p>\n

\"birth<\/a>
New-Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 2 October 1767, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1879 a mother-daughter combination from a Massachusetts family was blessed with five children born within one hour, in the same house. The mother had triplets and her daughter, twins. As some might joke, what do you suppose was in the water in that neighborhood?<\/p>\n

\"birth<\/a>
Times (Troy, New York), 6 March 1879, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As technology improved, newspapers printed photos of twins and triplets, and often ran stories following what happened to multiples throughout their childhood. Weren\u2019t Helen, Dewey and Ida McKinley darling in their matching outfits! Do you notice anything special about Dewey? He was one of the many boys at that time whose mothers dressed him as a little girl when young.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Boston Journal (Boston, Massachusetts), 3 March 1904, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cChildren Ride Free\u201d Discounts<\/strong><\/p>\n

We always greet discounts for children as a blessing, but as this 1846 article reported, the \u201cfree child\u201d bonus could get out of hand. Children could ride free on some stagecoaches in those days, but if a mother of three sets of twins bought tickets, along with other mothers averaging three children each, the driver would only make pennies. As the writer reported:<\/p>\n

On some occasions I have known an omnibus to be so swarmed with the infantile race that the top layer of them would touch the roof, and even then the driver would stop at every corner to take in more.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"article<\/a>
Commercial Advertiser (New York, New York), 13 November 1846, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Quadruplets<\/strong><\/p>\n

While reports of twins and triplets can be found in historical newspapers, sometimes one even finds accounts of quadruplets.<\/p>\n

The Cantwell quads were born in Delaware in 1893. The four boys, whose weights ranged from four pounds to five pounds nine ounces, were reported to be \u201cwell formed and in perfect health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gave<\/a>
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 5 March 1893, page 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although rare, it is possible for multiples to be born on separate days. The condition may be indicative of a mother with multiple wombs. Mrs. Pickworth of England delivered two boys on the 4th of March 1814 and an additional two on the 6th. Unfortunately, later reports indicated that they did not survive.<\/p>\n

\"birth<\/a>
Providence Patriot (Providence, Rhode Island), 28 May 1814, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Quintuplets<\/strong><\/p>\n

The odds of having quintuplets are about 1 in 60,000,000, and when these special arrivals are born, they are reported across the country. One of the more famous sets was the Dionne quints, who\u2014as this article reports\u2014were featured in movies.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Riverside Daily Press (Riverside, California), 2 March 1937, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A lesser-known set was the Irish quints, born in 1909 in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/a>
Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), 22 May 1909, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Twin Family Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

My husband and I are the parents of fraternal twins, but their birth was something of a miracle. These two darlings were born without fertility drugs and after being told we might not become parents.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Photo: the Harrell-Sesniak twins. Credit: Mary Harrell-Sesniak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our twins were a surprise from a genealogical standpoint as well. I remember their genealogist grandmother reporting she had never located any direct ancestors who were twins. On my father\u2019s side there were twins five and seven generations before them, which dispels the myth about skipping a generation!<\/p>\n

Fun Facts about Twins<\/strong><\/p>\n