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Family Of 12 Siblings With Combined Age of 1020 Years

By naij.com
Family & Parenting oldest family
APR 23, 2015 LISTEN
oldest family

A family of 12 siblings with a combined age of more than 1,000 years have officially been named the oldest in the world, Coventry, England, UK.

The Tweed family – comprising seven brothers and five sisters – are aged between 76 and 95 became Guinness World Record holders, confirming their place in the history books. Between them, they have 33 grandchildren, 59 great-grandchildren and 17 great-great-grandchildren, and live across the UK.

The brothers and sisters are: Elsie, 95, Reginald, 92, Robert, 91, Cynthia, 89, Ralph, 87, Noel, 85, Eric, 83, Ronald, 82, Malcolm, 81, Valerie, 79, Phyllis, 78, and Eunice 76. A black-and-white photo taken in 1939 shows the siblings in the back garden of their three-bedroom council house with parents Flo and Percy.

Brewery drayman Percy and barmaid Flo brought up their large family in Coventry and had a staggering 16 children in 21 years. Four of the siblings have since died and some of the rest have moved further afield, living in Wolverhampton, Leicester, and Wales. Their mother Flo died aged 59 in 1956 and dad Percy was 73 when he died in 1958.

The Tweed's world record for the oldest family was officially dated on November 25 last year when their combined ages totalled 1,019 years and 336 days (a combination of their years and additional days). The 12 siblings remain close and still meet up every year at their gigantic family gatherings.

Speaking about her family's history the third youngest child Valerie McCaffrey, 79, said, “It is incredible to think we are the oldest family in the world. I knew we were a big family but to be over 1,000 years old is a remarkable achievement. Growing up was fun all being in the same house together.

I think 23 months was the longest time our mother went without being pregnant. But there wasn't really any television in those days. We all keep in touch and we are having a big family gathering in June for my 80th birthday. It is great when we all get together. “

naij.com

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