The Relief Society Magazine used to have a feature entitled, “Unusual Mothers”. It would spotlight women who had given birth to a large number of children. Often these women spotlighted were women who had sixteen, eighteen, or more children. Indeed, those numbers are unusual, even for then, and deserve some honor. As I understand it, Susa Young Gates (editor of the magazine) was pro-large families, being a mother of thirteen. Sorry, Susa, you’re not even unusual enough…
Way back in the 18th and 19th Century, it was fairly common to have from eight to eleven children. Back then, the mortality rate was high, so several children in a family would die while still young. Now let’s think about this.
The typical 24-hour day would find a woman cooking over a fireplace, or coal stove. Bread was made every day, and meals took hours to cook. When not cooking, or stoking the fire, there was washing to be done. You’ve heard the joke, ”What do you do when the dishwasher stops working? Kick her!”
Two days a week was spent washing and drying clothing. Granted, they had less clothing, and washed those items only when absolutely necessary, but there was much more fabric to deal with, no automatic machine to do it for you, and drying it must have taken forever, especially in the winter months. Then, of course, came the darning. When was the last time you darned a sock?
Shopping was an ordeal. It was a day’s journey just to get to town. The whole family would come along, because it was such a rare adventure. Everyone would be able to pick a treat and dad would fork over the $2.25 for groceries that would last for the next four months.
Now, where did these super-duper large families live? In a one, maybe two, room house; lean-to in the back, if they were lucky. No heat, no running water, no bathroom, no privacy. These women were heroic!!
In this particular article, each mother is spotlighted with some of their life experiences. Not one of them had an easy life.
From the April 1918 Relief Society Magazine:
Nellie Kenner Snow, mother of eighteen children, thirteen living. Married at age sixteen in Sanpete County, sealed two days later in St. George. With husband and seven children, moved to Piute County, with the idea to improve living conditions. After struggling for two years, with one difficulty after another, they returned to Sanpete where they were finally able to buy and settle into their first home. They maintained an honest living while enduring much sickness and ill-health. Sis. Snow almost died after delivering her twins, but recovered in time for her husband to get sick and die, leaving her and her oldest son to support the family. During her difficult life, she remained a faithful, active member of the Church, and Relief Society.
Emma Adella Wood Tolman, mother of seventeen children, 59 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. She has always been a “faithful wife and mother, and an energetic worker in the Relief Society”.
Fannie Johnson Caldwell married at age fifteen. She is the mother of sixteen children—nine girls and seven boys. At age seventy-seven, she was still in perfect health.
Annie B. Hansen married in 1893, was baptized into the Church in 1895 and is the mother of eighteen children, fourteen still living. She is a teacher in the Relief Society and travels a distance of twenty miles each month to do her visiting teaching. She keeps up with her Relief Society work, besides taking care of her family and doing farm work.
The article concludes with this: “What a glorious career is this for any woman! Honors are hers here and here after.”
Life for us, in America, may have changed drastically (perhaps not so much in other nations of the world), but the commandment still applies, “Be fruitful and multiply.” There are still many of Heavenly Father’s children yet to be born. Better to be born in a strong, righteous family, than to be lost and abused in lost and abused families.