Richard King, Free Settler "Templar" 1844

Father of one of the (if not the) largest family in Australia in 1911
Richard KING born 15/9/1832 Oxfordshire, arrived in Austalia age 8
wife born 31/1/1838 Somersetshire, arrived in Australia age 13
married Hexham 2/8/1857

• 2 died as infants
• 28 children

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/82191087

Warwick Examiner and Times 1/7/1911

THE LARGEST FAMILY IN THE COMMOWVIiALTH. The search initiated by. the sydney "Globe" with a view to locat ing the largest family in Australia, has evealed,one of 30, the parents of which are Mr. and Mrs. Richard King of Mount View, via Cessnock., New South Wales. We have receiv- ed particulars of a number of other large families, but this appears to be the best yet.

Writing the Editor of the "Globe", Mr. King says :-"I desire to state that I came from Oxfordshire, England, and my wife came from Somersetshire. I was eight years of age when I ar- rived in Australia and my wife was 13. We were married at Hexham, New South Wales. We had been married 53 years on the 2nd of August, 1910. I was 78 years of age on the 15th of September, 1910, and my wife was 73 years on the 31st of January last. When we had been married three months we were both engaged by Mr. John Manning to go to Twofold Bay. My wife had given birth to 30 child- ren, 28 of which were christened ; the other two (twins) did not live. The first child, was born on t'he steamer traveling from Twofold Bay to Sydney. We had three child- ren born on Prince of Wales' birth- day in different years, and two born on Queen's Birthday."

So far, this appears to be the largest family in Australia. In order, however, that there shall be no doubt, the award will not be made for six weeks. If in that per- iod, we do not hear of a larger family, the award will be made.

It will be recalled that when the Globe" search for, the largest fam- ily in Australia commenced we pub- lished the portrait of Mr. and Mrs. George Perkins, of Hull, England, who have 28 children. This was held by the English Press to be the largest family in the Kingdom. If that is so then it would ap- pear that Australia has the honor of being the home of the parents of the largest white family in the Em pire, because, though we have sear- ched all the available records, we are several of over 20, and in that approaches even the English record.

As far as world premiership goes, there is a family of 30 in Iowa, U.S.A., the parents being still alive, and in Khiva, Russia, there is one, so it is reported, of 32.

In France, the home of small family circles, strange to say, there cannot find a trace of any family Germany there are at least two of twenty-five.

To France, if wo can believe what is written in stone, goes the honor of being the birth-place of the mo- ther of the largest family the world has ever known. There is preserved in the Carnavalet Mus- eum, an old tombstone taken from the old cemetery of St. Marcel, in Paris. It bears the inscription : "Here lies the mother of 51 child- ren, and all poor, Charlotte Beu- leau, wife of Charles Baptiste Bror- Fix this textport, aged 80. April 6, 1807."

https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/12248104/person...

lists the following 22 children

• [died as infant] unknown 1860-1860 - on Geni
• [died as infant] Mary Ellen 1861-1861 - on Geni
• William Thomas 1862-1938 - on Geni
• Mary Ann 1863 - on Geni
• Charles 1865-1929 - on Geni
• [died as infant] Sarah 1866-1866 - on Geni
• [died as infant] James 1867-1867 - on Geni
• Benjamin 1868-1933 - on Geni
• [died as infant] Camilla E 1870-1870 - on Geni
• Lucy Jane 1872-1925 - on Geni
• John Edward 1874-1898 - on Geni
• Eliza / Elizabeth 1876 - on Geni
• [died as infant] Camilla 1877-1877 - on Geni
• Henry 1878-1957 - on Geni
• Matilda 1879-1938 - on Geni
• Emma 1880-1965 - on Geni
• [died as infant] Harriet May Maud 1881-1882 - on Geni
• [died as infant] Hannah Maria 1882-1882 - on Geni
• Charlotte Selina 1884-1960 - on Geni
• Camelia Caroline 1889-1961 - on Geni
• Amelia
• W H

There are the following additional children on Geni

• 1871 male child

For there to be 28 living children there are at least 11 children missing.