Large Family, do they run in the family?

[macwil]

A couple in one of my trees had 13 children, of those one daughter had 10, another had 7 and a third daughter and a son had 5 each, there were three other grandchildren for a grand total of 30.
That's if I've found them all.

EDIT: Add another 8, just found a 1911 census for a son.
AND another 7 for another son.

Total is now 45. (and counting?)

[medpat]

My 4th gt grandparents (born 1790s) had 10 children and just over 70 grandchildren. Many with same family names but GRO MMN has made it easier to sort out and put the children in the correct families.

[Flattybasher9]

No TV. What else could they have done??

Malky

[Skoosh]

We take the pension for granted, back in the day a large family was a safeguard against the Poorhouse!

Skoosh.

[Jebber]

Lack of contraception played a great part in determining the size if families.

Also, women were at the mercy of their husbands, many of whom demanded their conjugal rights regardless of the possible outcome.

[Andrew Tarr]

Lack of contraception played a great part in determining the size if families.  Also, women were at the mercy of their husbands, many of whom demanded their conjugal rights regardless of the possible outcome.

And don't forget that ministers were urging them regularly to go forth and multiply!  And until the 20th century, industrialised towns could usually absorb manual labourers and provide employment.

One factor that varied a lot was the age at which a woman married - I think that does tend to run in families.  Very rarely a family manages six concurrent generations, which calls for a marriage age of 20 or less.  My family tended to marry around 30, and some of the men married an older woman, which kept numbers down a bit.

[Ruskie]

Having many children to look after them in their old age - this attitude probably still exists in some places?
Having lots of children to follow the same faith and increase the number in the congregation, (so for religious reasons) - probably still exists in some places?
Lack of knowledge on how to prevent having large families - likely to still be the case in some places?
A need for men to prove their virility - probably still the case in some places?

[Andrew Tarr]

Having many children to look after them in their old age - this attitude probably still exists in some places? 

Not sure that this is near the top of a young bride's wish-list ?     Perhaps comes later if the score is only one or two ....

[guest189040]

In my Wife’s tree her GG Grandfather had 18 children by 4 Wives.

Her Grandad was the seventh Son of a Seventh Son.