The children of Britta Ann Green McGuire Flynn

How many children did Britta Ann have?


That depends on which source you believe. 


We know that Britta had four children who grew up and themselves had offspring. She had three with John L. McGuire:

• Ellen Nora McGuire, born 1857
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• Mary Drucilla McGuire, born 1858
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• Stephen Arnold Douglas McGuire, born 1860

After the death of John L., she married Mike Flynn and had:

• Margaret Ann Flynn, born about 1874

These children are well documented and have living descendants. 


However, several censuses suggest that Britta had several other children. The 1900 Federal Census for AL says that she had seven pregnancies, of whom four are still living. The 1910 US Census for AL says that she had six pregnancies, of whom three are still living (Ellen Nora died in 1904).


When were the other children born?


It's possible to identify only one other child, a girl. In the 1866 State Census for AL, Mrs. Brittan McGuire lives in Twp 24, Range 12 East in Shelby County. In the household are one male under 10 (Douglas), two females under 10 (Mary Drucilla and Unknown), one female 10 - 20 (Ellen), and one female over 20 (Britta).


This child was most probably the daughter of John L. McGuire, as he was home in Jefferson County until February 1, 1863, when he joined the Alabama Infantry mustering at Cedar Grove. She was probably born between September 1860, when Douglas was born, and October 1863, nine months after John L. left for war. She had most certainly died by 1870, as she is not listed in the household for Mike and Britta Flynn in the Shelby County Census. 


Britta's sixth/seventh child could have been with either John McGuire or Mike Flynn. Britta married John L. on January 24, 1854, but Ellen wasn't born until May 4, 1857. In those three years Britta and John could easily have had a child—even two—who died. Mike Flynn married Britta on December 19, 1868, but Margaret (Maggie) wasn't born until May 24, 1873. In the intervening three years Mike & Britta could have had a child who died, too. 


When you look at the Mortality Schedules for that time, you see dozens of children who died of diphtheria, typhoid fever, teething, and other causes. Makes you happy that anyone at all survived. And it REALLY makes you happy for the modern medicine that keeps our children alive and spares us the sorrow Britta must have felt at the deaths of at least two and maybe three children.