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Dec
28
2005

The Largest Number of Children in One Family on Record?

By | Family Life

48 Comments

Love in the House

USA Today recently came out with a family on record with the most children born to one couple, the Chernenko family of Sacromento, 17 children. Originally from the Ukraine, this family shows that having many children can be a great blessing from God. Unlike other large families that have large incomes to overcome the modern doubts of financial sustainability of so many kids, Vladimir Chernenko provides only a modest income as a security guard and a janitor at a school. The USA Today article shows how God is in control of our finances, our families, and our faith…if we allow him that control.

I’m not quite certain that Wendy and I will make it to 17, but I am certain of the faith that we have that God will take care of us if we do. This isn’t complex theology or detailed decision making. We aren’t masterminding our future or “planning” our parenting as if our children are lab specimins with predictable lives and scientific hypotheses. Our children are gifts from God, and each one of them are blessings to us, to each other, and to the world.

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About Chris & Wendy Jeub

The Jeub Family live in Monument, Colorado, with 14 of their 16 children. They encourage couples to love God and love one another, building an atmosphere of love in their homes.

  • Kelly

    I’ve heard of this family. They don’t speak English at all.

    There is a record that has a pretty large number of children born to one mother. A Russian woman had 69 children in 40 years (1725 to 1765)! They were twins (16 sets), triplets (7 sets), and quads (4 sets). Only two failed to live passed infancy.

  • Michelle

    Yes, they do speak English. They were featured on TLC and speak perfect English.

  • John Bartell

    Not to ruion your day but there are 19 in my family counting my parents.

    I guess we are even. Born and raised in Remer, MN You can check the stas. at Cass County court house, Minesota under Gus (Agustus), Bartell Parents are both dead also two oldest siblings. My older sister is in her eighties living in Grants pass, Or.

    jon I’m next to the toungest at 64 years.

  • Yana

    Well I guess that big families are spread far and wide…I am the second to youngest in a family of 17 children, yes all from one mother and father. I am 18 and quite happy and satisfied, saved through Christ, by grace in faith. My family has 4 sets if twins, boy-boy 2 sets and boy-girl two sets. Hey, unlike other families, we are never bored or alone unless we choose to be.

  • Ana

    Wow,I grew up in a family of 6 and thought that was a big family, which in the 80s it was. However, I love kids and would love to have as many as GOD would bless us with. My hubby is from one of those western european countries where having children is not all that great(I wont name the country as not to offend anyone), where it seems no one here has more than 1-2 children and they wait until they are 40 to have them! Its sad bc they dont even seem to care much, and in the USA we LOVE our children and our big families! So glad GOD touches our families and bless them with so many blessings!!

  • http://wiki.answers.com Elizabeth

    “The highest officially recorded number of children born to one mother is 69, to the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev** (1707-1782) of Shuya, Russia. Between 1725 and 1765, in a total of 27 confinements, she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets, and four sets of quadruplets. 67 of them survived infancy.”

  • Isabel

    I am the third oldest in a family of 18. Five twins 2 triplets.

  • Geo

    In my country (Hungary) there is a family in the south of the country living in a small village with 20 kids. They were on TV a couple of years ago in a show presented by Mr. Andras Kepes.

  • Chandima

    There is a family in Sri Lanka which was featured in a newspaper article and they have currently 23 children and the mother is expecting one more. So, 17 is not really the highest number.

  • Rick

    I have a personal friend who is one of 22 children by the same parents. I came to this site to see if that was some kind of record but it looks like someone else has captured that title.

  • Chamorrita

    I have the most children by one father in my family and the most grandchildren for my parents…but I never made it to double digit numbers! I only gave birth to 8!

    I wish I could have more like these lucky women!

    To all those with super large families:God sure has blessed you all!

  • asilla smith

    im the 69th oldest of a lot of children there are 5 sets of twins 4 sets of triplets 4 sets of quadruplets 3 sets of quintuplets 7 sets of sextuplets 2 sets of septuplets 1 set of nontuplets 2 sets of decaplets 6 sets of octuplets and 4 single birth. add it all together

  • ChimBobbee

    Wow, Asilla Smith! At least you’re in the elder half of the family, so you have almost 130 little siblings to boss around. Part of me, though, believes that in reality you are a primary-school teacher who wanted to post a math “story problem” on a school enrichment site, but mistakenly posted it to a Quiverfull site . . . . .What does everyone else think??
    Chimbobbee

  • Shawna

    I have a couple of questions for Asilla Smith – how many of your siblings were live births? How many survived infancy? That is an amazing story! I’d love to hear more about your very large family!

  • Meggie

    Asilla Smith…if your story is true, why can’t I find anyting out when I google you. If your story is a math problem, I hope you are a college professor, because I have failed to add up the number of children in the story!

    I’d like to find the real record of the most births, the mother with 69 children sounds like it takes the cake! Also, if the Duggars of NW Arkansas keep going, they may take the current record!

    Myself, I have a dream of having 6 children once I marry.

  • elizabeth

    umm the duggar family has 18 and they keep growing

  • JTurner

    Asilla Smith… the only families with decaplets never survived infancy. I think your just making it up to get attention.

  • Kelly

    The Duggar family just got bigger. Not only are they going to have a grandchild (due in mid-October I think), but they just announced today that they are pregnant with number 19.

  • Ann Arritola

    Yeah, I did the numbers. Asilla would be #69 of 190 children. Allegedly. Pffft!

  • kaye

    I’ve read the record held in the UK is 22 children born to 1 woman in the midlands England.
    However my friend lived in Gravesend Kent England during 1950/60s. She recalls a naighbour who had 24 children which included 2 sets of twins. Most of the children had grown up so I guess they had been born around the 1930/40s.
    This is the same as the shri Lankan lady expecting her 24th. Apart from the lady from russia who had 69 – is 24 the next most?

  • Sue

    I came from a community of people who all had 18,19 and 23 children by the same mother and father,natural,no help from fertility drugs,my friend mother had 23 children who all live to be in their 60′s and 70′s,my mother had 15 children,not counting the ones she lost,my daugthers has twins,my 2nd daugther has 2 sets of twins,my 3rd daugther has a set and my last daugther has a set,now my grandson one of the older twins has twins,there’s 8 sets between my girls,one set from grandson,my aunt had 24 children,I’m 60,lived in Ark,having 20-25 children was nothing new for us,the African American people.

  • Tom B

    My grandfather was one of 19 children. 18 of the kids had around 4-6 kids also except one I believe never had any. To give you an idea my grandfather was the second born. My mother was his second and is older than the 19th child. The family is the Swoggers and they are from north east Ohio. Most of the 19 are still living and all of them were born to the same mother and father.

  • http://jeubfamily.com/2005/12/28/the-largest-number-of-children-in-one-family-on-record/ Clara

    Sorry to contradict you but there are 23 people in my family(including parents,of course).
    I am 26 years old and I am the middle child.
    hey Tom, I think I know you. Don’t you work for International Herald Tribune?
    Answer!
    Clara xxxx

  • Linda S

    My Dad is one of 20 children all born to the same parents. All of the children are still alive today, parents are deceased though. I love being a part of such a big happy family!!

  • Abby

    has anyone ever ehard of the duggars. they clearly have more kids then this family with 19 total and still going.

  • http://india xavier varghese

    hey,i have six children , five girls and one boy. and i thought mine was a large family. my heart felt congrats and God”s blessings upon this family. Yes. certainthings arepre ordainrd and God has his own plans. Mineis a struggling family. Still some how things get done. and by God”s grace things are moving on.best wishes.

    • http://www.jeubfamily.com Chris & Wendy

      Wow, a message from India! Thank you for posting, Xavier.

  • Alan

    Has the Russian peasant one been proven as back then records weren’t kept. 69 yea come on. My greatgrandfather came from a family of 16 and they produced 71 kids between them

  • Kelly

    For all the people who have said that not really the highest number it was posted 2005 it 2010 give the people a break

  • Uniqueboutique4u

    Just met a lady today who is one of 20 children born to the same mother and father.  They were on tv back in the 70s interviewed and given star treatment.  I saw the photos and the documented evidence.  Some are elderly and 4 have died since then.  There was a baby a year for 19 years and one of those deliveries was twins. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GKZJXMHAJRIZMRXHQRIAEPDV6A Jennifer white

    hello,
    Thanks for explaining the policies which are considered while grants given to the single parents and moms.. I was not aware with the facts.. I will share it out with my friends..
     
    single mother grants

  • Skinney55

    My mother-in-law is from a large family all born in Flathead county ,Montana . 20 siblings from the same parents Bradford Olden and Pearl Alberta (Adams) Leighty. There was a half brother to start the family born in Montana also .

  • Guest455

    My Father was the oldest of 21, same parent’s, and 5 sets of twins :D

  • Parintha1882

    My great-grandparents had 22 children, all had the same mother and father, they were all single births and all lived to adulthood and married. There were newspaper articles about them all over the United States and Theodore Roosevelt wrote to them. 18 of the 22 children lived into their 70s, 80s and 90s. The parents both lived to be 83. The other four children died at the ages of 30, (almost 31), 58, 59 and 67. I have an article from the Washington Post and papers in California, Nebraska, Utah, Massachusetts and Maine, (where they lived). Their name was Dickey

    • http://www.jeubfamily.com Chris Jeub

      Do you have a link to one of the newspaper articles? Would love to see one.

  • Stephanie Neujahr

    This post makes me smile, because God has certainly provided for you, now that you are past the 17 mark.  ; )

  • JDizzle

    Uh, the assilla math is 208 kids.

  • Tinahec

    That amount of children is ridiculous.  Especially in todays economy.  The human body may produce a large quantilty of children to one mother but it ISN’T healthy or wize.

  • Lm

    the Duggars are the biggest. they have 19 kids

  • Dr M

    I personally
    think it sad to hear who has the “MOST” amount of children born to
    one family. I think it is nothing to be proud of, especially if it is more than
    6 or 7 (this is my own opinion, no offence to those of you who have more than
    this amount).

    In today’s
    world, yes i agree with Tinahec, its certainly ridiculous to have and raise so
    many children. It is very difficult to give attention to all of them. Think
    about the time, energy and money spent just to maintain, support and raise the
    family as a whole. What about the emotional commitment and physical up keep as
    well as the woman who is giving birth to all these children?! I also don’t
    think it is fair for these children to be in such a large family because kids
    need the individual attention from their folks in order for them to have
    emotional stability, and the bigger the family becomes the more difficult this
    is to be..

    My
    grandmother was one of 21 children where she was the fifth born from the top.
    Most of her and her siblings had spent their child and young adulthood helping
    her mum raise all the children together. This certainly isnt fair on them.
    Children and young teens shouldn’t be raising or help raise their siblings,
    this is very selfish of the parents.

    Statistics
    are already showing that in 2050 the world as a whole will be in danger of
    completely diminishing it resources IF the human population continues to grow
    at a accelerated rapid rate.

    I am the
    eldest of 8 siblings in my family, and it has been difficult for me to maintain
    a good relationship with my folks because of it. I do love my siblings dearly
    as well as my folks but i don’t think it is fair on the whole.

    Today I have
    two kids and I’ve already drawn the line on having anymore.

    Just my
    opinion guys

    Thanx

    • B

      I am the oldest in my family, as well. While some in our extended family would make comments about my “lack of childhood” due to “helping” my parents with my younger siblings, I did not feel this way and found it to be a very odd perspective. My mother very strongly adhered to the belief that we love and care for one another. We were taught that “family” is very important and we grew up loving one another. Now, 2 of us have died and our parents have died, but we are there for one another. When the hard trials of life come, and there have been many, we are there for one another; when the joys occur, we rejoice with one another. Our lives have been much more full because of this way of thinking. I hope this life story is of help to families, whether large or small.
      We must help one another and be out-flowing to be happy or we will end up withered and alone in the end.

      • http://www.chrisjeub.com/ Chris Jeub

        Well said, B! I’ve found that the sibling bond is more powerful than the parental bond.

  • Sarberz

    My great great grandmother gave birth to 29 single childern to the same man (good on the ) If you are able to give a child the love and suport well then go for it. I think that is an Ausralian record as well if anyone know diff please let me know.

    sarberz

    • http://www.facebook.com/don.alman.9 Don Alman

      Hello there, you must be one of my mob as your Great Grandmother, Mrs.Annie Brown, of Pemberton Western Australia, mother of 29 children was my Grandmother.
      Annie, born in 1879 married at 22 years of age to Joseph Brown in 1901 after he divorced his first wife.
      My mother, Hazel Joan was the last child born to Annie Brown when she was 46 years of age.
      My Nanna died at 67 years of age and was interred at Karrakatta cemetery on the 13th July, 1946.
      I was born 27th August, 1941 when my mother was 14 years of age.
      See: Sunday Times (Perth Western Australia) Sunday 14th July, 1946. page 5.
      Don Alman. dk.alman@bigpond

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/ZWADP36NWAM37FQWZVJV5TGD2M Btlit13

    Well, if we’re talking “in history” then there was a family in Russia in the 1700s who had 69 children from 27 pregnancies. They had many multiples, including several quads. 

  • Jewish

    We’re proud that my great-grandmother came from a family of 18 siblings in the Old Country (Russia) in the Jewish Pale of Settlement. There is also a record of a New York Jewish woman having more than 2,000 descendents in her lifetime due to their high average amount of healthy children born to Orthodox Jews, on average more than 7 in most communities per family. This is prescribed by the Law of Torah.

  • Mikeandsharon

    I know of this woman on the isle of skye in scotland called jessie campbell who had 22 children her husband was a minister, she was having her 17th child in hospital with my mum when I was born in the 70′s . 22 children is an amazing accomplishment what a lot of work, I have been watching 19 kids and counting and totally believe that all of those children picked michelle to be their mother she is so loveley, I hope I’m as good a mum as she is, love and blessings to all their children xxxxxx

  • aussieruth

    l come from a family of ten girls and was trying to find out what is the record for the same sex siblings. But my family is small compare to yours. My mother had ten in sixteen years and she never wanted girls and really does not like girls. Her first grandson was born on her birthday.