Great Stork Derby
Encyclopedia
The Great Stork Derby was a contest during the period from 1926 to 1936, where women in Toronto
, Canada
, competed to produce the most babies in order to qualify for an unusual bequest in a will
.
The race was the product of a scheme by Toronto lawyer, financier and practical joker Charles Vance Millar
, who bequeathed the residue of his significant estate to the woman in Toronto who could produce the most children in a ten year period after his death. The winning mothers were Annie Katherine Smith, Kathleen Ellen Nagle, Lucy Alice Timleck and Isabel Mary Maclean. Each of them received $125,000 for their nine children. Two others each received $12,500 out of court: Lillian Kenny (ten children, but two stillborn) and Pauline Mae Clarke (ten children - five set of twins, but several bastard). Some of the estate was also paid to the Toronto Welfare Department.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, competed to produce the most babies in order to qualify for an unusual bequest in a will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
.
The race was the product of a scheme by Toronto lawyer, financier and practical joker Charles Vance Millar
Charles Vance Millar
Charles Vance Millar was a Canadian lawyer and financier. However, he is now best known for his penchant for practical jokes and his unusual will which reflected that sense of humor.-Early years:...
, who bequeathed the residue of his significant estate to the woman in Toronto who could produce the most children in a ten year period after his death. The winning mothers were Annie Katherine Smith, Kathleen Ellen Nagle, Lucy Alice Timleck and Isabel Mary Maclean. Each of them received $125,000 for their nine children. Two others each received $12,500 out of court: Lillian Kenny (ten children, but two stillborn) and Pauline Mae Clarke (ten children - five set of twins, but several bastard). Some of the estate was also paid to the Toronto Welfare Department.