Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: A Prolific Dad

Randy at Genea-Musings has assigned the following SNGF assignment for this Father’s Day weekend:

Your mission for Father's Day, if you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Determine who is one of the most prolific fathers in your genealogy database or in your ancestry. By prolific, I mean the one who fathered the most children.

2) Tell us about him in your own blog post, in comments to this blog post, or in comments on Facebook.

This is an easy one; I don’t even have to think about it. It would be Joseph Madison Carroll Norman, my great-great grandfather (father’s mother’s father’s father). By three wives he had at least 26 children (possibly 27, but there is uncertainty as to one of the children who died very young). You can see from the list below why I have been whining so much for the past few months over getting the basic information entered for this family; it has been a labor of love, but sticking with it was sometimes a real pain. Here are the 23 whose names are known plus three infants, names unknown, that family historians are pretty certain about:

Joseph Madison Carroll Norman
b. 8 Jun 1833, Alabama
d. 1 Apr 1901, Arkansas
& Rebecca Monk
b. 1837, Alabama
m. 4 Dec 1851, Talladega, Alabama
|--Cyntha Ann Norman
|----b. 1856, Alabama
|--William Henry “Jack” Norman
|----b. 15 Mar 1858, Alabama
|----d. 19 Dec 1939, Leonard, Fannin County, Texas
|---& Sarah Jane Sisson
|----b. 14 Feb 1855, Alabama
|----d. 25 Apr 1937, Fannin County, Texas
|----m. 1879
|--Leatha L. Norman
|----b. 3 Sep 1859, Alabama
|----d. 27 Sep 1909
|---& Thomas Wiley Huff
|----b. 29 Mar 1861, Alabama
|----d. 21 May 1931
|----m. 12 May 1879, Cave Springs, GA
|--Josephus James “J. J.”/”Joe”/”Jode” Norman
|----b. 1 May 1861, Alabama
|----d. 12 Jun 1924, Lamasco, Fannin, Texas
|---& Martha King
|----b. 5 Sep 1865, Arkansas
|----d. 3 Jun 1949, Bonham, Fannin Co., TX
|--Thomas Frank Norman
|----b. 1862, Alabama
|----d. ca 1912, Texas
|---& Letha/Lillie Brown
|----b. Oct 1873, Texas
|----d. ca 1906, Texas
|--Betsy Norman
|--Infant Norman

Joseph Madison Carroll Norman
b. 8 Jun 1833, Alabama
d. 1 Apr 1901, Arkansas
& Mary Patterson
m. 9 Mar 1864, Talladega, Alabama
|--Susan A. “Sudie” Norman*
|----b. 18 Dec 1864, Alabama
|----d. 20 Jul 1908, Peak, Garland Co., Arkansas
|---& William A. Cannon
|----b. 7 Jan 1862
|----d. 4 Mar 1890
|----m. 3 Oct 1882
|--Susan A. “Sudie” Norman*
|----b. 18 Dec 1864, Alabama
|----d. 20 Jul 1908, Peak, Garland Co., Arkansas
|---& Mitchell C. Blackburn
|----b. 25 Apr 1851, Missouri
|----d. 8 Jan 1916
|----m. 11 Jul 1892, Garland Co., Arkansas
|--Norman
|--John Norman
|----b. 1867, Alabama
|--Norman
|--Martha Rebecca Norman
|----b. 21 Sep 1871, Alabama
|----d. 18 Jun 1962, Albuquerque, New Mexico
|---& Enoch R. Fuller
|----b. Mar 1859, Arkansas
|----d. bef 1920
|----m. 6 Feb 1887, Pineland, Pike Co., Arkansas
|--Loney Norman
|--Voney Norman
|--Newton Leonard Norman*
|----b. 15 Jan 1871, Alabama
|----d. 4 Jan 1959
|---& Rebecca Dulcenia Weston
|----b. 22 Aug 1870
|----d. 30 Jul 1899
|----m. 28 Sep 1890, Garland County, Arkansas
|--Newton Leonard Norman*
|----b. 15 Jan 1871, Alabama
|----d. 4 Jan 1959
|---& Lillie Catherine Kinsey
|----b. 22 Jun 1882, Arkansas
|----d. 20 Mar 1915, Arkansas
|--Newton Leonard Norman*
|----b. 15 Jan 1871, Alabama
|----d. 4 Jan 1959
|---& Elsie Camilla Jones
|--Elijah “Lige” Norman*
|----b. 11 Jan 1874, Alabama
|----d. 15 Feb 1953
|---& Margaret Agnes Kinsey
|----b. 26 Jan 1874
|----d. 28 Sep 1918
|----m. 18 Oct 1894
|--Elijah “Lige” Norman*
|----b. 11 Jan 1874, Alabama
|----d. 15 Feb 1953
|---& Pellie Barthena Moore
|----b. 1 Oct 1877
|----d. 8 Jul 1970
|----m. 20 Aug 1919, Garland County, Arkansas
|--Mary Norman
|----b. 1876, Alabama

Joseph Madison Carroll Norman
b. 8 Jun 1833, Alabama
d. 1 Apr 1901, Arkansas
& Mary Frances Karr
b. 22 Oct 1854
d. 17 Mar 1931, Arkansas
m. 1 Jun 1880
|--Sallie Norman
|----b. ca 1881
|--Joseph David “Wiley” Norman
|----b. 4 Jul 1881, Arkansas
|----d. 25 Jan 1957
|--& Fanny Gertrude “Gertie” Helms
|----b. 18 Aug 1886, Arkansas
|----d. 23 Feb 1971
|----m. 17 Dec 1905, Meyers, Garland, Arkansas
|--Jessie “Judge Spivey” Norman*
|----b. 5 Dec 1883, Arkansas
|----d. 26 Feb 1969
|---& Caldonia Emiline “Callie” Tallent
|----b. 3 Nov 1883, Arkansas
|----d. 4 Jun 1926
|--Jessie “Judge Spivey” Norman*
|----b. 5 Dec 1883, Arkansas
|----d. 26 Feb 1969
|---& Annie Butram
|----b. ca 1909
|----m. 5 Nov 1937, Garland Co., Arkansas
|--Margaret D. “Maggie” Norman
|----b. 11 Jun 1887, Arkansas
|----d. 24 Mar 1973, Hot Springs National Park, Garland, Arkansas
|---& Joel Boston “Boss” Weston
|----b. 28 Dec 1885, Arkansas
|----d. 9 Nov 1965
|----m. 21 Jul 1903, Montgomery Co., Arkansas
|--Sanford “Sam” Norman
|----b. 3 Mar 1888, Arkansas
|----d. 1 Nov 1960
|---& Isabelle “Belle” Hickman
|----b. 4 Sep 1891, Arkansas
|----d. 20 Mar 1966
|----m. 19 Mar 1911, Garland County, Arkansas
|--Benjamin Norman
|----b. 1891, Arkansas
|----d. 15 Aug 1916, Garland Co., Arkansas
|---& Jeanette “Nettie” Cearley
|----b. 12 Aug 1891, Arkansas
|----d. 1 Jun 1968, Vacaville, Solano, California
|----m. 25 Aug 1912, Garland Co., Arkansas
|--Abraham Norman
|----b. 10 Sep 1893, Meyer, Garland, Arkansas
|----d. 14 Jul 1965
|--Dora Belle Norman
|----b. Apr 1897, Arkansas
|---& Henry Alexander Patterson
|----b. 23 Mar 1883, Springtown, Texas
|----d. 2 Aug 1959, Vera, Knox County, Texas
|----m. 4 Mar 1923, Meyer, Garland Co., Arkansas
|--Reuben E. Norman
|----b. 14 Aug 1898, Arkansas
|----d. 19 Nov 1911

Did I mention that I tried to track down as many descendants of JMC Norman as I could? I have concluded that I must be related to at least half the people in the United States with Southern family connections. No, really.