Duggar Family

Duggar Family
The Duggar family in June of 2018
Family Name	Duggar
Website	http://www.duggarfamily.com/home
Location	Tontitown, AR
Number of Children	19
Number of Grandchildren	19
Featured On	14 Children and Pregnant Again!, Raising 16 Children, 16 Children and Moving In, On the Road with 16 Children, Duggars' Big Family Album, 19 Kids and Counting, Counting On, United Bates of America
Family Members
Parents	Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
Children	Josh Duggar, Jana Duggar, John-David Duggar, Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, Joseph Duggar, Josiah Duggar, Joy-Anna Forsyth, Jedidiah Duggar, Jeremiah Duggar, Jason Duggar, James Duggar, Justin Duggar, Jackson Duggar, Johannah Duggar, Jennifer Duggar, Jordyn-Grace Duggar, Josie Duggar
Grandchildren	Mackynzie Duggar, Michael Duggar, Marcus Duggar, Israel Dillard, Spurgeon Seewald, Meredith Duggar, Henry Seewald, Samuel Dillard, Mason Duggar, Gideon Forsyth, Garrett Duggar, Felicity Vuolo, Ivy Seewald, Addison Duggar, Bella Duggar, Maryella Duggar, Grace Duggar, Evelyn Forsyth, Evangeline Vuolo
Religious Details
Denomination	Baptist
Church	Lighthouse Baptist Church
School Choice	homeschool

The Duggar family has 19 children and 19 grandchildren from parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. They have been the subject of two television shows, 19 Kids and Counting, which aired on TLC from 2008 to 2015 and Counting On, which began airing on TLC in 2015. They have also been the subject of a number of TV specials on various channels. Jim Bob and Michelle raised their children following the teachings of Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles, although many of the married children have started to veer from these teachings with their own families.

Family

Jim Bob and Michelle in September of 2019

Parents

• James Robert "Jim Bob" Duggar - born on July 18, 1965
• Michelle Annette Ruark - born on September 13, 1966

Anniversary: July 21, 1984

Jim Bob and Michelle own commercial and residential real estate and do speaking engagements.

Children

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Joshua James Duggar	March 3, 1988	married to Anna Keller with six children
	Caleb Ryan Duggar	January 23, 1989	miscarriage
2	Jana Marie Duggar	January 12, 1990	fraternal twin to John-David Duggar
3	John-David Duggar	January 12, 1990	fraternal twin to Jana Duggar, married to Abbie Burnett with one child
4	Jill Michelle Dillard	May 17, 1991	married to Derick Dillard with two children
5	Jessa Lauren Seewald	November 4, 1992	married to Ben Seewald with three children
6	Jinger Nicole Vuolo	December 21, 1993	married to Jeremy Vuolo with two children
7	Joseph Garrett Duggar	January 20, 1995	married to Kendra Caldwell with two children
8	Josiah Matthew Duggar	August 28, 1996	married to Lauren Swanson with one child
9	Joy-Anna Forsyth	October 28, 1997	married to Austin Forsyth with two children
10	Jedidiah Robert Duggar	December 30, 1998	fraternal twin to Jeremiah Duggar
11	Jeremiah Robert Duggar	December 30, 1998	fraternal twin to Jedidiah Duggar
12	Jason Michael Duggar	April 21, 2000
13	James Andrew Duggar	July 7, 2001
14	Justin Samuel Duggar	November 15, 2002	engaged to Claire Spivey
15	Jackson Levi Duggar	May 23, 2004	birth featured in Discovery Health special 14 Children and Pregnant Again!
16	Johannah Faith Duggar	October 11, 2005	birth featured in Discovery Health special Raising 16 Children
17	Jennifer Danielle Duggar	August 2, 2007	birth featured in Discovery Health special Duggars' Big Family Album
18	Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar	December 18, 2008	birth featured in 18 Kids and Counting episode "And Baby Makes 18"
19	Josie Brooklyn Duggar	December 10, 2009	birth featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "Special Duggar Delivery"
	Jubilee Shalom Duggar	December 11, 2011	stillborn; funeral featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "A Duggar Loss"

Josh's Family

Josh's family in March of 2020

Anna Renee Keller - born on June 23, 1988

Anniversary: September 26, 2008 (wedding featured in 17 Kids and Counting episode "A Very Duggar Wedding")

Josh runs a used car lot. Anna is a stay-at-home wife and mother.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Mackynzie Renee Duggar	October 8, 2009	birth featured in 18 Kids and Counting episode "First GrandDuggar!"
	Baby Duggar	2010	miscarriage
2	Michael James Duggar	June 15, 2011	birth featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "First Grandson"
3	Marcus Anthony Duggar	June 2, 2013	birth featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "GrandDuggar Makes 3!"
4	Meredith Grace Duggar	July 16, 2015
5	Mason Garrett Duggar	September 12, 2017
6	Maryella Hope Duggar	November 27, 2019

John's Family

John's family in April of 2020

Abbie Grace Burnett - born on April 16, 1992

Anniversary: November 3, 2018 (wedding featured in Counting On webisode "John David & Abbie's Wedding")

John currently works as the elected constable of Washington County, Arkansas. Abbie is currently taking time off from her nursing career to focus on her new baby.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Grace Annette Duggar	January 7, 2020

Jill's Family

Jill's family in February of 2020

Derick Michael Dillard - born on March 9, 1989

Anniversary: June 21, 2014 (wedding featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "Jill's Wedding")

Derick is currently studying law at the University of Arkansas. Jill is currently a stay-at-home wife and mother.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Israel David Dillard	April 6, 2015	birth featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "Jill's Special Delivery"
2	Samuel Scott Dillard	July 8, 2017

Jessa's Family

Jessa's family in April of 2020

Benjamin Michael Seewald - born on May 19, 1995

Anniversary: November 1, 2014 (wedding featured in 19 Kids and Counting episode "Jessa's Wedding")

It is unknown what, if anything, Ben and Jessa do for a living.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Spurgeon Elliot Seewald	November 5, 2015	birth featured in Counting On episode "Counting One More"
2	Henry Wilberforce Seewald	February 6, 2017	birth featured in Counting On episode "A New Baby"
3	Ivy Jane Seewald	May 26, 2019	birth featured in Counting On episode "A Surprise Delivey

Jinger's Family

Jinger's family in November 2020

Jeremy Joseph Vuolo - born on September 5, 1987

Anniversary: November 5, 2016 (wedding featured in Counting On episodes "Jinger's Wedding" and "The Big Day")

Jeremy is currently attending The Master's Seminary. Jinger is currently a stay-at-home wife and mother.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Felicity Nicole Vuolo	July 19, 2018	birth featured on Counting On webisode "Jinger & Jeremy's First Baby"
	Baby Vuolo	November 2019	miscarriage
2	Evangeline Jo Vuolo	November 22, 2020

Joseph's Family

Joe's family in August of 2020

Kendra Renee Caldwell - born on August 11, 1998

Anniversary: September 8, 2017 (wedding featured in Counting On episodes "Joseph's Wedding" and "Joe and Kendra Say I Do")

Joseph currently works at one of his family's used car lots. Kendra is currently a stay-at-home wife and mother

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Garrett David Duggar	June 8, 2018	birth featured on Counting On episode "Kendra Has A Baby"
2	Addison Renee Duggar	November 2, 2019	birth featured on Counting On episode "A Baby Girl for Joe & Kendra"
3	Baby Duggar	due February 2021

Josiah's Family

Josiah's family in April of 2020

Lauren Milagro Swanson - born on May 18, 1999

Anniversary: June 30, 2018 (wedding featured in Counting On webisode "Josiah & Lauren's Wedding")

Josiah currently works at one of his family's used car lots. Lauren is currently a stay-at-home wife and mother.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
	Asa Duggar	October 4, 2018	miscarriage
1	Bella Milagro Duggar	November 8, 2019

Joy's family in August of 2020

Joy-Anna's Family

Austin Martyn Forsyth - born on December 11, 1993

Anniversary: May 26, 2017 (wedding featured in Counting On episodes "Joy's Wedding" and "Joy and Austin Tie the Knot")

Austin and Joy currently work together flipping and selling houses.

	Name	Date of Birth	Notes
1	Gideon Martyn Forsyth	February 23, 2018	birth featured on Counting On episode "A Birth-day and a Birthday"
	Annabell Elise Forsyth	June 2019	miscarriage
2	Evelyn Mae Forsyth	August 21, 2020

Justin's Family

Claire Spivey - born on February 27, 2001

Justin and Claire in November of 2020

Miscarriages

Michelle has had two miscarriages:

• Caleb Ryan Duggar - first-trimester miscarriage on January 23, 1989, between Josh and twins Jana and John David
• Jubilee Shalom Duggar - stillborn on December 11, 2011 weighing 4 oz and measuring 6 cm in length (miscarriage featured on 19 Kids and Counting episode "A Duggar Loss")

Tyler Hutchins

Tyler in November of 2019

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were granted temporary guardianship of Michelle's great-nephew, 8-year-old Tyler Hutchins, on August 26, 2016. This guardianship was made permanent on November 21, 2016. Tyler is the son of Rachel Hutchins, who signed off on the guardianship due to her inability to care for the child. Tyler was born on February 10, 2008.

Family Bios

2006

These are the bios that were shown on the 2006 television special Raising 16 Children.

	Favorite Pastime	Favorite Food	Future Goal
Josh	video production	enchiladas	attorney
Jana	babysitting	chicken noodle soup	midwife
John-David	playing broomball	chicken spaghetti	contractor
Jill	reading	tacos	missionary
Jessa	sewing	pickles	beautician
Jinger	riding horses	lasagna	chef
Joseph	baseball	lasagna	carpenter
Josiah	swimming	lasagna	missionary
Joy-Anna	riding bikes	scrambled eggs	nurse
Jedidiah	playing with dog	pizza	dad
Jeremiah	play on playground	soft pretzels	artist
Jason	riding horses	vanilla ice cream	fireman
James	taking baths	chicken stuffing	policeman
Justin	cleaning playroom	chicken noodle soup	builder
Jackson	taking baths	chicken stuffing	big brother

2014

These are the bios that were posted on the family's website in 2014.

	Favorite Bible Verse	Favorite Bible Character/Story	Favorite Song	Favorite Quote	Favorite episode	Jurisdictions/Occupation	Favorite Food	Favorite Pasttime	Favorite Family Trip	Future Plans
Josh	Joshua 1:9	Joshua	How Great Thou Art		A Very Duggar Wedding	Executive Director, Family Research Council Action	chili frito pie	spending time with wife and kids	Israel	?
Jana	Col. 3	Esther, Job, David, Ruth	To God Be the Glory	“Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me; and sever every tie, but the tie that binds me to Thy service and Thy heart.” - David Livingstone	Duggars Explore Central America	kitchen, meal preparation, mailroom	Italian & Mexican	playing piano and violin, enjoying games with family	girls' book tour (last family trip with everyone before the girls got married)
John-David	2 Timothy 4:7-8	Job	How Great Thou Art		Duggar's Big Thaw	Tontitown firefighter and first responder, Tontitown police, construction	Italian	flying, playing piano	Israel	get married
Jill	Psalm 91	David	It is Well With My Soul	“Lord, stamp on my eyes eternity.” -Jonathan Edwards	Jill's Wedding, Going the Distance for Love	homemaker, wife, mother	Mexican	spending time with husband	Nepal	raising children and missions
Jessa	Acts 4:13	Paul	Come Thou Fount	“Faith is not believing that God will do this or that. It’s believing that whatever He does is right and good—and resting and trusting that."	Jessa's Engagement, Jessa's Wedding, European Honeymoon	wife and family's barber	Mexican food like fajitas, fresh salsa, guacamole, and white queso, also pickles	working out with Ben	Europe honeymoon	outreach in the community, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and adopting lots of children
Jinger	Gal. 2:20	Paul	Until Then	“Seeking greatness for ourselves may bring temporary acclaim, but serving God results in lasting gain.”	Duggars Explore Central America	laundry	Mexican	traveling with the family, photography, playing piano, shopping, cooking	Central America missions trips	to share the gospel in the community and abroad
Joseph	Galatians 6:9	Paul	And Can It Be?		?	real estate maintenance	Italian and Mexican	working out and playing sports	Colorado ski trip	construction, work with youth
Josiah	2 Timothy 2:15	Josiah	How Great Thou Art		World Tour: Duggars Last Stop	real estate maitenance	cheesy chicken spaghetti	videography with brothers	Israel	small business owner
Joy-Anna	Gal 6:9	Joseph	There is a Redeemer	"For God to increase, we must decrease."	Duggars in El Salvador	overseer	chicken and sweet potatoes	visit the Bates	El Salvador	missions, politics, and be a wife and mother some day
Jedidiah	Prov. 7:2	Solomon	I'd Rather Have Jesus		Duggars On a Mission	lawn care, real estate maintenance	steak	basketball	Israel	real estate agent
Jeremiah	Matthew 6:19	Jeremiah	Trust and Obey		Bates vs. Duggars Smackdown	lawn care, handyman	Stouffer's lasagna	football	Israel	graduate from high school
Jason	Matthew 6:33	Joseph	I'll Fly Away		Dishing with the Duggars	living room	hot wings	making videos	Israel	videographer
James	John 3:16	James	Lord, take My Life		Duggars and Bates Reloaded	pantry	stuffing	visiting Jill and Derick	Israel	pilot
Justin	Heb. 4:12	David	Be Thou My Vision		Bates vs. Duggars Smackdown	upstairs trash	tater tot casserole	work on cars	Israel	mechanic
Jackson	Psalm 1	Enoch	All Hail the Power of Jesus Name		A Duggar in the Rough	downstairs trash and kitchen counter	Salvadorian bread and refried beans	spending time with siblings	Japan and China	translator and missionary pilot
Johannah	Matthew 18	Joseph	Amazing Grace		Lights, Cameras, Duggars	cleaning tables and floors	lasagna	playing with siblings and friends	visiting the Bates	doctor
Jennifer	John 3:16	David & Goliath	This is the Golden Rule		Duggars vs. Bates	girls' room	green bean casserole	play with siblings and animals	Silver Dollar City and Little Rock	veterinarian
Jordyn	John 3:16	Jonah	Jesus Loves Me		Josie's First Birthday	organizing the shoes	pancakes	playing with siblings	Fun City	artist
Josie	John 3:16	Jonah	Jesus Loves Me		Duggars on Wheels	gathering the laundry	macaroni and cheese	play with siblings and talk	Chuck E. Cheese	cook

2018

These are the bios for the four youngest girls and Mackynzie that accompanied the release of their album "Happy Hearts".

	Personality Traits	Favorite Activities	Favorite Bible Verse	Favorite Song on the Album	Favorite Place She's Traveled
Johannah Duggar	great leader, naturally skilled at organizing people for projects or cleanup	creative drawing, volleyball, skiing, being outdoors	Joshua 1:9	Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed	Israel
Jennifer Duggar	tender-hearted and gentle, quiet with a fun side, consistent and dependable, helpful	playing with her guinea pig, horseback riding, baking, water activities, playing her violin	Psalm 23	Little Blessings	Australia
Jordyn Duggar	bubbly, conversational, outgoing	gardening, sewing, crafting, playing four-square and board games with her siblings	Romans 12:18	This Little Light of Mine	Ireland
Mackynzie Duggar	sensitive, nurturing, kind	bake cookies, help in kitchen, being outdoors, hiking, enjoying nature	John 3:17	Happy Heart	Japan
Josie Duggar	spunky, energetic, opinionated, bold, good sense of humor	swimming, toting around babies, playing with the family dog	Romans 8:28	The Star-Spangled Banner	Mexico

Beliefs and Practices

Quiverfull

The "quiverfull" movement, whose primary focus is producing as many children as possible and raising them to enter into government and civil service positions, first formed in 1995. The Duggar family joined this movement at some point in its early years. Their first public connection to the movement was in 2001, when QuiverFull posted an article referencing them as a success story. The family's original website in 2005 linked to this article but didn't go any further in depth about the movement. By 2007, any reference to the movement had been removed from their website. The Duggars have not gone on the record discussing this movement.

Institute in Basic Life Principles

The youngest Duggar children in their ATI uniforms for the 2016 conference

14 Children and Pregnant Again features the Duggar family packing up and heading to a homeschool conference in Big Sandy, TX. This conference is one of the biggest gatherings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles' Advanced Training Institute (their homeschool system), and was the first public connection tying the Duggars to this group. The group lists the following goals on their website:

The Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) was established for the purpose of introducing people to the Lord Jesus Christ, and is dedicated to giving individuals, families, churches, schools, communities, governments, and businesses clear instruction and training on how to find success by following God’s principles found in Scripture.

These goals are accomplished primarily through seminars, educational programs, printed literature, and the operation of centers to facilitate training.

You are invited to explore and avail yourself of the resources we offer.

The oldest four Duggar daughters with Priscilla Keller at Journey to the Heart

The Duggars are regularly shown to follow the institute's practices, including only long skirts and long hair on the women, homeschooling the children, limiting access to television and other modern media, and adhering to strict gender roles at all times.

In addition to the ATI conference in Big Sandy, many of the older Duggar children have been seen attending other IBLP functions such as Journey to the Heart and ALERT Training.

Homeschooling

Michelle teaching several of her children in 2004

The Duggars made the decision to homeschool their children when Josh was five years old. In later interviews, they would say that they made this decision because they felt it was "the best way to teach our Christian values". As their oldest children grew old enough to help out, the responsibility of schooling began to be one that Michelle shared with them so that the younger kids could always have someone to help. The Duggars have used a variety of different homeschool curricula over the years, but the Advanced Training Institute is one of the constant presences in their schooling.

Jill going grocery shopping with her buddy team

Buddy System

At some point prior to 2001 the Duggar family implemented a buddy system, where each older child was paired with a younger child to assist in tasks such as dressing, bathing, feeding, and schooling. By 2009, the family had switched over to buddy teams, where each of the oldest four daughters was assigned 2-4 younger buddies.

Debt Free Living

In the early 90s, Jim Bob and Michelle attended a seminar on living debt-free. They implemented many of the practices suggested in this seminar and made it their goal to pay for everything through cash. By 2001 they had begun teaching these seminars out of their home. As indicated by the earliest versions of the family's website, the seminar they attended was Jim Sammons' "Financial Freedom Seminar", which is affiliated with the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

Television Career

Early Specials

The Duggars on 14 Children and Pregnant Again

On September 6, 2004, the first television special about the Duggar family, 14 Children and Pregnant Again aired on Discovery Health Channel. It introduced TV viewers to the Duggar family and their fourteen children, showcasing things like homeschooling, bulk shopping, and the buddy system, before ending with the birth of their fifteenth child, Jackson. In 2006 and 2007 three more specials aired on Discovery Health Channel and TLC. These specials showcased a major vacation in the western US, the construction and completion of the family's new house, and the births of Johannah and Jennifer.

19 Kids and Counting

On September 29, 2008, TLC premiered the first episode of 17 Kids and Counting, a weekly reality program about the lives of the Duggar family. The show ran for ten seasons before being canceled in 2015. The show changed its title to keep up with the number of children the family had, and was known as 19 Kids and Counting from season four onward. This show covered a number of major family events, including the weddings of Josh, Jill, and Jessa, the births of Jordyn, Josie, Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, and Israel, and a number of family trips across four continents.

Counting On

On December 13, 2015, TLC aired the first of a three-part series, Jill & Jessa: Counting On. These specials started with having the adult Duggar children and in-laws discuss their reactions to the two scandals that had rocked the family that summer, and then shifted into showing how the family had moved on through the lens of Jill and Jessa, who were the two Duggar daughters who were married at that time. The show changed its title to Counting On beginning with season two, as the focus expanded to include more of the adult Duggar children. Currently in its seventh season, Counting On has covered several major family events, including the weddings of Jinger, Joy, and Joseph, the births of Spurgeon and Henry, and the Dillards' time as missionaries in Central America.

Scandals

Molestation

See main article: Josh Duggar molestation scandal

On May 21, 2015, the magazine InTouch Weekly published an article with the headline "Bombshell Duggar Police Report: Jim Bob Duggar Didn't Report Son Josh's Alleged Sex Offenses For More Than a Year". This article included a link to a redacted police report the magazine had obtained through the Freedom of Information Act which gave details of Josh Duggar molesting five underaged girls - including four of his sisters - in 2002 and 2003, when he was around fourteen years old. There was much public outrage over how Jim Bob and Michelle had handled the situation, as many people felt that they should have reported the situation to the police and made sure Josh had received proper counseling for the safety of their other daughters. This scandal eventually led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting.

Jessa and Jill on Fox News's The Kelly File

On June 3, 2015, Fox News aired an interview with Jim Bob and Michelle about the scandal, which included a preview for a June 5 interview where Jill and Jessa named themselves as two of Josh's victims.

On May 19, 2017, the identities of the two other Duggar victims were confirmed when Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy filed a lawsuit against InTouch Weekly, Springdale, Arkansas, and Washington County, Arkansas, for breach of privacy. This lawsuit is still ongoing.

Ashley Madison

On July 15, 2015, a group called The Impact Team hacked the database of Avid Life Media. When their demands were not met, they published large caches of data stolen from the website Ashley Madison, which was a service that assisted married people in having affairs. On August 19, 2015, the website Gawker announced that they had discovered records within this data indicating that Josh Duggar had maintained two different paid accounts between February, 2013, and May, 2015. On August 20, 2015, Josh publicly confessed to cheating on his wife, and within the next few days he had checked into a faith-based rehab center in Rockford, IL, where he stayed until March 10, 2016. Since then, Josh has stayed mostly out of the public eye.

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References

http://people.com/tv/josiah-duggar-courting-lauren-swanson/

http://www.duggarfamilyblog.com/2018/01/duggar-courtship-news.html