CBS

GRAND FALLS, NEW BRUNSWICK CANADA

Members of a large Acadian family from New Brunswick say they have earned a place in the record books as the family with the most siblings over the age of 65.

The 18 surviving children of Eugene and Alice Theriault of Grand Falls, N.B., are all collecting pension cheques - a feat that they say has given them a Guinness world record.

The seven sons and 12 daughters in the Theriault family were born in Grand Falls in northwestern New Brunswick between 1920 and 1941.

All 19 siblings were claiming their government pensions in 2007, although the eldest member of the family, Yvonne, died in August at the age of 87.

Genealogist Yvon Cyr, who is married to Judy - the youngest sibling at 65 - said the brothers and sisters have 40 children and 46 grandchildren.

"While the 19 siblings were all born in Grand Falls where a few now remain, many have moved to the United States, Ontario and Quebec," Cyr said Monday.

"It makes it difficult to organize family reunions."

Large families used to be common in Acadian New Brunswick.

Last July, members of the Edgar and Anna LeBlanc family in Moncton, N.B., said they had established a new Guinness record in the category "Most Siblings to Reach Pension Age."

The 13 children in the LeBlanc family were honoured by the City of Moncton for their achievement.

It was news coverage of that event that prompted the Theriault family to enter its claim, which smashed the record set by the LeBlancs.

The 13 brothers and sisters in the LeBlanc family have 55 children, and the 100th grandchild was recently born.

Recent census information indicates that across Canada, large families like the LeBlancs and the Theriaults are increasingly a thing of the past.

Comments (0)

Write comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.