Henry Rifle Forums

How many siblings do you have and where do you rank?

I’m the youngest. 4 boys and 1 girl.

I got a lot more freedom to do things because my whole family was maturing as a unit and I was able to watch and emulate what worked.

Oldest of 4, a sister behind me, then brother and another sister. We all have/had the same initials.

RP

I had one younger brother, Dave. He passed away from cancer in 2003.
I still miss him. We fought like the devil growing up but when I came back from
VN he became my best friend.
Carol is the oldest of 8. 5 girls 3 boys.

I'm the oldest of four boys (and a sister who wasn't actually born, but our family doctor was a devoted Catholic who baptized the miscarriage that would have been a girl and who my parents then buried as if she had actually been born). My youngest brother was born with Cystic Fibrosis. They gave him extraordinary care and attention as an infant and child and he enjoyed a fairly normal life until he was 52. I miss him dearly. The rest of us are still close friends.

I am 18 months older than my sister. My father was 18 months older than his sister and my son is 18 months older than his sister.

My sister and I are not that close. Neither was my father and his sister nor my son and his sister.

I was the youngest 3. with 2 older sisters one of whom has passed on.

Paul

We all get along well.

My brother that’s 3 years older than me is here today.

I'm one of four. One girl and three boys. Sister is the oldest, followed by my older brother who we lost to cancer many years ago. Then there is me and my younger brother.
Although we stay in touch, we seldom spend time together.

One older brother and two older sisters from my father. Then three younger half brothers. I haven’t spoken to my older brother in sixty years and neither have my siblings. The rest I haven’t spoken to from 10 to 20 years. They think I should help them financially and I won’t give them a dime. So I’m the evil one in the family for not being poor.

My Father was second oldest of fifteen children. 9 boys and 5 girls, one died in childhood. My Mother was second oldest of six. That makes 18 Uncles and Aunts and when they married the number doubled to 36. They all had children anywhere from one to eight. Lots of cousins.

When my Dad came back from the war in 1951 his family started a big fishing trip for men and boys only that lasted fifty years. We would take over a resort in Northern Minnesota for a long weekend of card playing, eating, and of course, fishing.
I am front row center and my brother Dave is on my right. My Father is top center in the light jacket.
Grandpa who lived to be 95 is in the plaid jacket with a pipe. He was a nice man.

As you can see I was raised with a very large extended family. Of course we always had one or two siblings that quarreled and wouldn't speak, we ignored it. We played cards, softball, croquet, ect at family gatherings and ignored the differences.

In the nineties I hosted family pig roasts here at the place in the wood and I would have fifty or sixty folks attending. I roasted half a pig and had all the buns and condiments and everyone was invited to bring a dish to pass. It was just great. I did it for about six years.

Sadly most of them are gone now. All of the Uncles and Aunts have passed and many cousins. I just lost another female cousin last week.
I value those cousins that I have left and call them often just to talk or meet them for dinner someplace. Strangely, I had one cousin three years older than me and the rest were all 10 to 15 years younger.(WWII got in the way you see.)

Back in the eighties when I was an Air Traffic Control Supervisor the Facility Chief, (who was a friend), called me to his office and wanted to know if I had arranged a tour without telling him. I said no of course not. Well he said they are here and you get some help and give the tour. OK.

They had all be escorted to a large conference room and when I entered with two trainees to begin the tour I was shocked to see my Mother along with two Aunts and all my Sunday School teachers. They had chartered a tour bus and arranged the tour. (I think my boss was secretly in on it). It was fun. Altogether there were about forty people.

Four of us siblings, one older sister and two younger brothers. We all still live in the Spokane area with my sister returning from Pennsylvania a few years ago. We don’t see each other as much as we should be do so from time to time. If fact this Saturday my niece is having a wedding celebration (she was married a couple of months ago in a small ceremony). So I’ll be able to see my siblings then plus all my nieces and nephews who are too many to count. Looking forward to it.

My brother runs a football pool and my sister and tied for the win last week. She won the tie breaker so I’ll have some stern words for her. She took the $17.00 right out of my hands.

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:48 am

My brother runs a football pool and my sister and tied for the win last week. She won the tie breaker so I’ll have some stern words for her. She took the $17.00 right out of my hands.

Now that's a loving family.

cooperhawk wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:57 am

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:48 am

My brother runs a football pool and my sister and tied for the win last week. She won the tie breaker so I’ll have some stern words for her. She took the $17.00 right out of my hands.

Now that's a loving family.

Don’t even get my started on the family card games of the past……..

cooperhawk wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:32 am

Osakis 1952.jpg
I am front row center and my brother Dave is on my right. My Father is top center in the light jacket.
Grandpa who lived to be 95 is in the plaid jacket with a pipe. He was a nice man.

This was my Dad's family with in laws. Three are missing from the photo. Leslie, Eldon, and Earl.
All but three of the adults were in WWII and my cousin Jerry and I were in VN along with many that
had not been born yet or were too young to be there.

cooperhawk wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:32 am

My Father was second oldest of fifteen children. 9 boys and 5 girls, one died in childhood. My Mother was second oldest of six. That makes 18 Uncles and Aunts and when they married the number doubled to 36. They all had children anywhere from one to eight. Lots of cousins.

When my Dad came back from the war in 1951 his family started a big fishing trip for men and boys only that lasted fifty years. We would take over a resort in Northern Minnesota for a long weekend of card playing, eating, and of course, fishing.

Osakis 1952.jpg
I am front row center and my brother Dave is on my right. My Father is top center in the light jacket.
Grandpa who lived to be 95 is in the plaid jacket with a pipe. He was a nice man.

As you can see I was raised with a very large extended family. Of course we always had one or two siblings that quarreled and wouldn't speak, we ignored it. We played cards, softball, croquet, ect at family gatherings and ignored the differences.

In the nineties I hosted family pig roasts here at the place in the wood and I would have fifty or sixty folks attending. I roasted half a pig and had all the buns and condiments and everyone was invited to bring a dish to pass. It was just great. I did it for about six years.

Sadly most of them are gone now. All of the Uncles and Aunts have passed and many cousins. I just lost another female cousin last week.
I value those cousins that I have left and call them often just to talk or meet them for dinner someplace. Strangely, I had one cousin three years older than me and the rest were all 10 to 15 years younger.(WWII got in the way you see.)

My childhood family was similar to yours, mom had 5 brothers, 3 sisters, dad had about the same so lots of aunts and uncles. Sunday, holiday and birthday dinners were almost always large family affairs, usually on my mom's side. All aunts and uncles have long since passed away, many cousins but only a couple that I see at a very small yearly family reunion.

I only have one brother, 13 years older than me so we were never real close although I did see him quite a lot when I was young and before my father passed. He moved to Texas several years ago along with my only nephew so would be a very long trip for me to see him now, I do have a niece that lives across the state. Never married so no children or grandchildren for me.

I thought your photo was neat in that all the older guys are wearing Fedora type hats and the younger guys are wearing baseball caps.

Was looking for a Fedora years ago and found one at a men's clothing store that had been around a long time, the owner showed me a photo from the 40's of their hat selection, shelves from the floor to the ceiling with just about any style hat made. Now all you can find in town are cowboy and baseball hats.

dave77 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 3:01 pm

I thought your photo was neat in that all the older guys are wearing Fedora type hats and the younger guys are wearing baseball caps.

Was looking for a Fedora years ago and found one at a men's clothing store that had been around a long time, the owner showed me a photo from the 40's of their hat selection, shelves from the floor to the ceiling with just about any style hat made. Now all you can find in town are cowboy and baseball hats.

Everyone in that picture is passed away. I miss all of them.

I still have my Dad's Fedora and wear it once in a while. It's just a little small for me.

Three of those uncles were my mentors hunting deer and fishing.

They youngest brother on the far left had my Brother and I and his BF in a boat fishing for walleyes. We were 10 and 12. He said, "You want a drink of Whiskey?"

Aaahh, sure. Next thing you know we're all swimming naked in the middle of the lake and laughing. He was a character and
like an older brother to me.

The rule however was no alcohol allowed in the camp around the little ones and absolutely no drunkenness. That was strictly enforced
and one guest that had been invited along was escorted out when he got drunk.

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 10:07 am

cooperhawk wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:57 am

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:48 am

My brother runs a football pool and my sister and tied for the win last week. She won the tie breaker so I’ll have some stern words for her. She took the $17.00 right out of my hands.

Now that's a loving family.

Don’t even get my started on the family card games of the past……..

I hear you. When my Dad's family played card for nickels and dimes you would think they hated each other.
Not curse words, but exclamations other endearments, but when the game ended they were all friends again.
It was fun to watch and listen to.