The Twelfth Child Read Free

Louise Dooley—March 1842
    Sired three sons:   
    William John Lannigan—born August 1856
    Joseph John Lannigan—born September 1857—died August 1883
    Samuel John Lannigan—born July 1859—died October 1883
    This was the Lannigan family bible. Why Livonia wondered, would William feel the need to lock it away? For a moment she was saddened by the thought that both of his brothers had died in the prime of their life. Neither of her babies would ever even know them. Why, Livonia herself was not yet born the year they died. She thanked the Lord God Almighty that her William had been spared then she moved on to the next page.
    William John Lannigan—June 1876 married Bertha Abernathy, mother of,
    Margaret Louise—born April 1877
    Two girl babies—born March 1878—one dead at birth
    Two more girl babies—born June 1879
    William Matthew—born August 1880, died Christmas Eve 1883
    A girl baby—born September 1881
    Bertha Abernathy Lannigan died in childbirth—September 1881
    Livonia could hardly believe what she read. William had said nothing about this marriage, nor had he ever spoken a word about these children. Girl Babies. Not even a name for most of them. Where were they now? What happened after their mother died? Livonia’s hands trembled as she turned to the next page.
    William John Lannigan—July 1882 married second wife Lucy Maude Perkins,
    William Matthew—born November 1884, died February 1885
    William Matthew? Livonia flipped back to the previous page and traced her finger along the line marked William Matthew. The first boy was dead; now here, a year later, William gave the second boy the exact same name. Good Lord, she thought, how he must have been hurting. She turned back to where she had left off.
    Lucy Clare—born January 1886
    Girl baby—born July 1888
    Lucy Maude Lannigan died January 1, 1900       
    Livonia heard one of her babies whimpering and she went to pick it up. How could this be, she asked herself. So many children, so few of them named. Where could they have gone to? She had lived in this house for the past three years and not once seen a trace of these children, no pictures or story books, no packed away baby clothes. Nothing.  Then Livonia remembered how William had gone up into the hay loft and returned with a good sized cradle, a cradle made from the wood of apple trees that had grown right here on the Lannigan farm. She knew that for a fact, because William had told her so. Her own baby girl was sleeping quietly at the lower end of the cradle, where Ruby’s gift was tucked under the quilted pad; it was the baby boy who was fussing. She picked the baby up and held him in her arms as she returned to the open page of the Lannigan Family Bible.
    Livonia sat down and counted up the children William had fathered, nine before he married her. Seven girls and two boys. She turned to the next page where there was only a sparse bit of writing at the very top of the page.
    William John Lannigan—May 1903 married third wife Bessie Thurston
    Bessie died childless August 1909
    The remainder of the page was blank.  Livonia’s name was at the top of the following page.
    William John Lannigan—April 1910 married fourth wife, Livonia Goodwin,
    A baby boy—born August 1911, died at birth
    William Matthew—born August 1912
    A girl baby—born August 1912 
    Livonia tearfully turned her eyes away from the book. It angered her to have her boy child named after those other sons, babies that were no more. He was not a substitute child; he was a special gift from God—a strong and healthy boy. A child who would live to till the land as William did. Livonia knew she could do nothing about young William’s name, but her precious girl deserved to have a name alongside that of the boy. A name written onto this page of their father’s family bible, a girl’s name penned in blue ink as was the boy’s. Livonia picked up William’s pen and dipped it into the inkwell. She scratched a line