A Sacramento family may have a very valid argument for being the largest family in the U.S. The Chernenkos just had their 17th child on December 7, 2005.
A great deal of media attention has been focused lately on the Duggar family in Arkansas. They have 17 children and are expecting their 18th on New Years Day, 2009.
However, the Chernenkos, who came from the Ukraine, have had 17 children in 24 years of marriage.
"When we got married, it was back in the Ukraine," Vladimir Chernenko said to News10 through a translator. "In six months we didn't have any children and I didn't think we'd be having any children at all!"
That all soon changed. Twenty-two-year-old Sergey was the first child born to the couple. He soon got plenty of company. The Chernenkos have had a child nearly every year since.
Large families with eight or 10 children are not uncommon in the Ukraine, so the Chernenkos don't really see their brood as particularly unusual. They say there are plenty of voices to fill out a family choir, one of the family's pastimes.
Chernenko supports his family working as a security guard and maintenance man. The family car is a 15-seat passenger van. No one has to share a bed, and the children seem to appreciate the advantages of having plenty of brothers and sisters. "It's a lot of fun," said 16-year-old Ludya. "You're never bored. You always have someone to talk with."
As of December 15, 2005, the Chernenkos family is made up of father Vladimir Chernenko and mother Zynaida Chernenko and their children:
22-year-old Sergey Chernenko
21-year-old Lilia Chernenko
19-year-old Andrey Chernenko
18-year-old Dmitry Chernenko
17-year-old Anatoly Chernenko
16-year-old Lyudma Chernenko
15-year-old Anna Chernenko
13-year-old Vitaly Chernenko
12-year-old Oksana Chernenko
10-year-old Svetlana Chernenko
9-year-old Inna Chernenko
8-year-old Vyacheslav Chernenko
6-year-old Paul Chernenko
5-year-old Diana Chernenko
4-year-old Alina Chernenko
2-year-old Timothy Chernenko
8-day-old David Chernenko
Zynaida Chernenko described their children as a gift and the source of their happiness. She declined to say if there'll be more babies.
The parents added that their older children are a great big help.
The Chernenko Family
The Chernenko Family - 17 Children
Large Families
