Twins occur now and then. According to the Swedish language encyclopedia, (Nationalencyklopedin), twins account for 1 in 85 births. Triplets are considerably less common, 1 in 70,000 births. Therefore, it is rather surprising to see two sets of triplets born in the same parish with only 3 ½ months between them. This happened in the same village in Mjällyby parish in Blekinge county in the years 1731 and 1732.
On November 9, 1731 the triplets, Sissa, Åke and Lars, were born to Ingemar Larsson and Sissa Åkesdotter in Istaby. (See image below.)
Mjällby (K) CI:1 (1723-1753) Image 31 / page 53 (AID: v96434.b31.s53, NAD: SE/LLA/13269) Link.
On February 27, 1732 the triplets, Karna, Kiersta and Berta ware born to Bengt Olsson and Anna Svensdotter in Istaby.
Mjällby (K) CI:1 (1723-1753) Image 32 / page 55 (AID: v96434.b32.s55, NAD: SE/LLA/13269) Link.
There is a gap in the records in the death book from August 1731 to April 1732 so it is difficult to see if all the children survived. Triplets are often born prematurely and weigh less than ordinary children and at this time the prognosis for survival was not great. However, these triplets were baptized at the ordinary times and there is no notation that they received emergency baptisms.
It is likely that they died within a month after their birth. The writer has not found them in the later church books from Mjällby.
This article was written by Örjan Hedenberg for ArkivDigital and originally published in Swedish. Click here to read the article in Swedish.