Cheaper by the Dozen - The Dozen

Mom and Dad were:

Lillian Moller Gilbreth, Born 5/24/1878, Died 1/2/1972

Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Born 7/7/1868, Died 6/14/1924


Here is the list of the dozen:

Anne Moller Gilbreth Barney Born 9/9/1905, Died 2/16/1987

Mary Elizabeth Gilbreth Born 12/13/1906, Died 1/31/1912

Ernestine Moller Gilbreth Carey Born 4/4/1908, Died 11/4/2006

Martha Bunker Gilbreth Tallman Born 11/5/1909, Died 11/15/1968

Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. Born 3/17/1911, Died 2/18/2001 (more obituaries)

William Moller Gilbreth (Bill) Born 12/18/1912, Died 4/14/1990

Lillian Moller Gilbreth Johnson 6/21/1914, Died 6/23/2001

Frederick Moller Gilbreth (Fred) Born 8/12/1916, Still living as of today (that I know of)

Daniel Bunker Gilbreth (Dan) Born 9/17/1917, Died 6/13/2006

John Moller Gilbreth (Jack) born 5/29/1919, Died 12/25/2002

Robert Moller Gilbreth (Bob) Born 7/4/1920, Died 7/24/2007

Jane Moller Gilbreth Heppes Born 6/22/1922, Died 1/10/2006

I mentioned earlier that I got into trouble in sixth grade, the first time I read Cheaper by the Dozen. One of our exam questions was to list the twelve children. I dutifully copied out the information from the book, but kept noticing that Anne was always talking with the "next sister", Ernestine - never with Mary. So, I listed them as "Anne, Ernestine, Mary, Martha..."

Of course, the correct order is "Anne, Mary, Ernestine, Martha...". I ran into difficulty because Mary died of diptheria when she was six years old. Her death was so painful that they never mentioned it at all in Cheaper by the Dozen, or the sequel "Belles on Their Toes."

I explained my thinking to the teacher, and she agreed with my reasoning (I don't remember whether she knew that Mary had died), but she still marked me down.