The Dionne quintuplets (born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy. They are the only female identical set of five ever recorded. The sisters were born just outside Callander, Ontario, Canada near the village of Corbeil.
The Dionne girls were born three months premature. After four months with their family, they were made wards of the King for the next nine years under the Dionne Quintuplets' Guardianship Act, 1935 . The government and those around them began to profit by making them a significant tourist attraction in Ontario.
The quintuplets
The identical quintuplet sisters were (in order of birth):
- Yvonne Edouilda Marie Dionne (died June 23, 2001 (aged 67) of cancer)
- Annette Lillianne Marie Dionne (Allard) (age 75)
- Cécile Marie Emilda Dionne (Langlois) (age 75)
- Émilie Marie Jeanne Dionne (died August 6, 1954 (aged 20) of accidental suffocation during an epileptic seizure at her convent)
- Marie Reine Alma Dionne (Houle) (died February 27, 1970 (aged 35) of an apparent blood clot of the brain in Montreal)
Emilie had a series of seizures while she was a postulant at a convent. She had asked not to be left unattended but the nun who was supposed to be watching her thought she was asleep and went to Mass. Emilie had another seizure, rolled onto her stomach and, unable to raise her face from a pillow, accidentally suffocated.Marie was living alone in an apartment and her sisters were worried because they hadn't heard from her in several days. One of the other sisters' husbands broke down the window and found Marie who had been dead for days. The coroner determined it was a blood clot in the brain.
Biography
The Dionne family
The family, headed by father Oliva and mother Elzire Dionne, . They married on September 15, 1926. They lived just outside of Corbeil, in a farmhouse in unregistered territory. Oliva, through his father, was a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier. The Dionnes were a farming family with five previous children named Ernest, Rose Marie, Therese, Daniel, and Pauline who was only eleven months older than the quints, (a sixth, son Léo, died of pneumonia shortly after birth).
The Dionnes also had 3 sons after the quintuplets. Oliva Jr., Victor, and Claude (the last son born when the quintuplets were 12.)
Birth
Elzire suspected she was carrying twins, but no one was aware that quintuplets were even possible. The quintuplets were born two months premature. Later genetic tests showed that the girls were identical and were created from one single egg cell. Elzire reported having had cramps in her third month and passing a strange object which may have been a sixth fetus.
Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe is credited with the birth of the quintuplets. Originally, he diagnosed Elzire with a "fetal abnormality". He delivered the babies with the help of two midwives, Aunt Donalda and Madam Benoit Lebel, who were summoned by Oliva Dionne in the middle of the night.
The births were registered in nearby Corbeil. Their birth order, weight and measurement were not recorded; all that is known is that the three bigger ones were born first. The quintuplets were immediately wrapped in cotton sheets and old napkins and laid in the corner of the bed. Dr. Dafoe was certain none of the babies could live. Shortly after the births were completed, Elzire went into shock and Dafoe thought she would die as well, but she recovered in two hours.
The babies were kept in an ordinary wicker basket borrowed from the neighbors, with heated blankets. They were brought into the kitchen and set by the open door of the stove to keep warm. One by one, they were taken out of the basket and massaged with olive oil. Every two hours, for the first twenty-four, they were fed water sweetened with corn syrup. By the second day they were moved to a slightly larger laundry basket, and kept warm with hot-water bottles. They were watched constantly and often had to be roused. They were then fed with "seven-twenty" formula; that is, cow's milk, boiled water, two spoonfuls of corn syrup, and one or two drops of rum for a stimulant.
The news of the unusual birth spread quickly, sparked by Dafoe's joking remark to the local newspaper editor about how much he would charge for an announcement of five babies at a single birth. Before long, people all over North America were offering assistance. Individuals sent supplies and well-meant advice (a famous letter from Appalachia recommends tiny doses of burnt rye whiskey to prevent diarrhea); one hospital sent two incubators.
At the Dafoe Nursery
Four months after the birth of the sisters, the Ontario government intervened and, in an unprecedented fashion, found the parents to be unfit for the quintuplets, and custody of the five babies was withdrawn from their parents by the Ontario government of Mitchell Hepburn in 1935, originally for a guardianship of two years. Although Oliva Dionne remained part of the guardianship, they were put under the guidance of Dr. Dafoe and two other guardians. The stated reason for removing the quintuplets from their parents' legal custody was to ensure their survival into healthy toddlers. The government realized the massive interest in the sisters and proceeded to engender a tourist industry around them. The girls were made wards of the provincial crown, planned until they reached the age of 18.
Across the road from their birthplace, the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery was built for the five girls and their new caregivers. The girls were moved from the farmhouse to this nursery at the end of September. The compound had an outdoor playground designed to be a public observation area. It was surrounded by a covered arcade that allowed tourists to observe the sisters behind one-way screens. The facility was funded by a Red Cross fundraiser. It was a nine-room nursery with a staff house nearby. The staff house held the three nurses and the three policemen in charge of guarding them. A housekeeper and two maids lived in the main building with the quintuplets. The buildings were surrounded by a seven foot barbed wire fence. The sisters were brought to play there for 30 minutes two or three times a day. They were constantly being tested, studied, and examined with tedious records taken of everything. The Dionne sisters, while living at the compound, had a somewhat rigid lifestyle. They were not required to participate in chores. They were privately tutored in the same building as they lived, and had occasional contact with their parents and siblings across the road. Cared for primarily by nurses, the children had limited exposure to the world outside the boundaries of the compound except for the daily rounds of tourists, who, from the sisters' point of view, were generally heard but not seen. Every morning they dressed together in a big bathroom, had doses of orange juice and cod-liver oil, and then went to have their hair curled. They said a prayer before breakfast, a gong was sounded, and they ate breakfast in the dining room. After thirty minutes, they had to clear the table, even if they weren't done. Then, they went and played in the sunroom for thirty, took a fifteen minute break and at nine o'clock was their morning inspection with Dr. Dafoe. Every month they had a different timetable of activities to do. They bathed every day before dinner and put on their pajamas. Dinner was served at precisely six o'clock. Then, they went into the quiet playroom to say their evening prayers. Each girl had a color and a symbol to mark what was hers. Annette's color was red with a maple leaf. Cecile's color was green and her design a turkey. Emilie had white and a tulip, while Marie had blue and a teddy bear, and Yvonne had pink and a bluebird.
Approximately 6,000 people per day visited the observation gallery that surrounded an outdoor playground to view the Dionne sisters. Ample parking was provided and almost 3,000,000 people walked through the gallery between 1936 and 1943. Oliva Dionne ran a souvenir shop and a concession store opposite the nursery and the area acquired the name "Quintland". The souvenirs pictured the five sisters. There were spoons, cups, plates, plaques, candy bars, books, postcards, dolls, and much more at this shop. Oliva Dionne also sold stones from the Dionne farm for $0.50 that were supposed to have some magical power of fertility. They sold autographs and framed photographs. Midwives, Madam LeGros and Madame LeBelle opened up their own souvenir and dining stand.. In 1934, the Quintuplets brought in about $1 million, and they attracted in total about $51 million of tourist revenue to Ontario. Quintland became Ontario's biggest tourist attraction of the era, at the time surpassing the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It was only rivaled by Radio City, Mount Vernon, and Gettysburg of the United States. Hollywood stars who came to Callander to visit the Quints include Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bette Davis, James Cagney and Mae West. Amelia Earhart also visited Callander just six weeks before her ill-fated flight in 1937.
The sisters, and their likenesses and images, along with Dr. Dafoe, were used to publicize comme
Kids Bedding by Olive Kids, Toddler Bedding & Personalized Gifts for ...
Kids Bedding by Olive Kids: Colorful, fun kids bedding, toddler bedding, bedding accessories & personalized gifts for boys & girls.
Toddler Bedding by Olive Kids
Olive Kids toddler bedding with coordinating toddler bedding accessories!
Olive Kids bedding, childrens bedding, toddler bedding, girls bedding ...
Affordable Olive Kids childrens bedding and toddler bedding designs with coordinating kids bedroom accessories to decorate boys and girls rooms
eBay Store - Olive Kids Bedding: comforter sets, dinosaur toddler bed ...
Buy comforter sets and dinosaur toddler bed sets items from Olive Kids Bedding eBay Store. We also sell kids comforter, pirate sheet sets items on eBay.
boys toddler bedding olive kids sheets
Our kids sheets are 100% cotton and super soft. Our olive kids toddler bedding is high quality and comfortable for your child.
Olive Kids Toddler Bedding - FamilyBedding.com
Call 866-925-6650 children kids toddler infant baby crib teen tween bedding, custom colorful cotton bedding, room decor and accessories
Bedspreads And Comforters For Kids - Children's Queen Bedding
Olive Kids Queen Train Bedding Comforter Set: 05. Olive Kids Twin Train Bedding Comforter Set: 06. Train Boys Toddler Bedding kids ... Visit our Blog. friends. Brianna's Bedding and Beyond ...
Discount baby, toddler, & kids bedding w/Olive Kids Bedroom Decor ...
Uncover unusual birthday & baby shower gift ideas. Find discount baby, toddler, & kids bedroom dC)cor for girls & boys. Decorate your kids bedroom with our matching Olive Kids ...
Olive Kids Boys Bedding - Boys Bedding
Shop for quality and affordable Olive Kids Boys Bedding Sets. Easy care and many cute patterns available. Call 888-580-7048 for easy Kids Bedding Sets for Boys. Free Shipping on ...
Olive Kids Bedding, toddler bedding, kids wall art & kids bedding ...
Welcome to Olive Kids Bedding Store! We are happy to offer Olive Kids Bedding and accessories! We specialize in Kids Bedding, Toddler Bedding, Kids Clocks, Kids Rugs, Placemats ...