Mining the Census: Are You Finding Every Clue? ), Baptized William Smith, son of Sarah Smith and the imputed son of William Brown., This means that William Brown does not accept the child as his.[4]. Many times, if their ancestors came from North Carolina, they will find a name theyve been searching. Bonds for money decrees 1816 0.00 cubic ft. (partial container) L 54020 Court of Equity (Pinckney District) Fieri facias executions 1811-1819 My Vimeo ON Demand video page lists six videos you can choose from to watch for 3 months ($15 each): -Finding the Last Slaveowner: Guidance and Case Studies, -Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People, -Using Deed Records to Uncover Your Family, -Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You've Done and, -More Than Just a Name: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research. Bastardy bonds, 1837. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. Sometimes family members can be appointed to be the childs guardian, and it will be included in guardianship records in the county. North Carolina. An illegitimate child often used the mothers surname and was frequently prohibited from inheriting property.[2]. An example of possible illegitimacy is when theres a household in the census with all sons aged 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 13, and 2. You never know what you will uncover next! The bastardy bonds are not likely online for every county. The bond indemnified or compensated the parish against any future costs until the child was thirteen years of age or had been apprenticed out. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! To get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or install another browser. If the childs named parent is the mother, then the child could likely have been born out of wedlock. I wonder how they established paternity back then? But as the census is analyzed carefully, there is no ditto marks for Roswell concerning his last name. In fact, it's not even past." I also have a Slavery and Freedom Collection available for $20. Value? the expense of raising the child. View this catalog record in WorldCat for other possible copy locations. This is because the person will be disowned and no longer part of the Quakers religion if they have an illegitimate child. Was it a local official? I have gotten so many requests over the years from those who couldn't make the live webinars so I hope you enjoy this new feature. VII, No. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Sallie, Parker, Cynthia, and Mildred all received ditto marks for their last name. This series consists of a bastardy or indemnity bond taken against the parents of an illegitimate child as insurance against that child becoming a charge of the district. "While African-American genealogical research in many ways is like all genealogical research, the era of slavery makes the task especially challenging. It is important to use multiple records to learn if someone was illegitimate. 30 January 2022, [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join special guest genealogist Taneya Y. Koonce and I as we present our joint Zoom webinar, Organize Your Genealogy! The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. Reasons why microfilms may not yet be available digitally on FamilySearch.org include: FamilySearch Terms of Use (Updated 2021-09-27) | Privacy Notice (Updated 2021-04-06), 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. The records that are needed may be in the courthouse in the county that youre researching in and will not be available online. The microfilm may be scheduled for future scanning. Depending on the area, each apprentice record could be different. Bastardy bonds placed the ultimate burden of support for a bastard child upon the father should the mother become unable to provide proper support. From about 1700 up to about 1850, the counties had no method of caring for those individuals who needed support in their growing up days. 13,000 places. Blacks Law Dictionary defines bastardy proceedings as legal action that is taken to compel the father to support his illegitimate child. Blacks defines bastardy as the offense of begetting.. 1, March 1990 (I can't explain the absence of 1989 issues) State vs. William WOFFORD/Judah WRIGHT A bond was signed before Saml Lancaster, Justice of the Peace, on March 22, 1804 by William WOFFORD, John WOFFORD Sr. and James WOFFORD in the matter of Judah WRIGHT who had given birth to an illegitimate female. It is well known that many in the royal lines of any country are from these situations. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. It depends on what information was given to the recorder. After payment is received, you will receive an email from Southern Genealogy Books. Origin: Clerk of Superior Court; Clerk of Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions; Register of Deeds. Its not expected that the informant would know who the father was if the child was illegitimate. Each is present in your body. ", "No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished? They are more typically found in court records. All of them are alive in this moment. Join the community of family history enthusiasts and FamilySearch employees to ask questions and discuss potential product enhancements. College, Advanced AA Gen. Class, September 2009, Alice, Robyn and Lajoye, CM AAHGS, September 2017, Robyn and Andrea, NGS Conference, May 2014, I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2a15e9cac799df ", Follow the Witness: They May Have the Answer. Information includes the names of the parents (Mary Masters and Henry Sims), amount of the bond ($250.00), conditions of the bond, date, and signatures of involved parties Some states required each county to have a separate book for the Bastards in the county, or in many cases, the county makes references to them in their county minute book. If the woman refused to name. For descendants, I would add the substantial emotional impact of seeing an ancestor's name attached to a dollar value, or being valued in a list with silverware and cattle. A camera icon indicates items that are digitally available online. Generally, catalog entries are written in the same language as the original record they describe. Uploaded by Division of Archives and History (Main Author) Format: Manuscript/Manuscript on Film Language: English Publication: Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1995-1996 Physical: 70 microfilm reels ; 35 mm. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The, For descendants, I would add the substantial emotional impact of seeing an ancestor's name attached to a dollar value, or being valued in a list with silverware and cattle. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? Just take me to the search page . Fredericksburg, Virginia Apprentice Records, Your Guide to Finding and Using Apprenticeship (Guild) and Indenture Records for Genealogical Research. If the woman refused to name the father, she, her father or some other interested party would post the bond. Know all men by these presents that we Wilson Wright and James Heath are held and firmly bound unto the State of North Carolina in the sum of Two Hundred Dollars to payment of which we bind ourselves our heirs and assigns jointly & severally sealed with our seals and dated Jan'y 11, 1871. Lets look at the situation a little bit before we jump to conclusions. It is highly recommended to check the county information in the catalog to ensure that we have bastardy bonds from the time period before placing your order. The poster on each page *provides the link to the handout* for that lecture, so be sure to copy it. Bastards were persons whose parents were not married to one another at the time of birth. There are various court records available that could indicate more information about an illegitimate child. FamilySearch makes every effort to enable access dependent on decisions of record custodians and applicable laws. ", "The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never ever introduce yourself to had life not done it for you. Death records are similar to birth records, as it is not likely that both parents names would be listed. I call these records yesteryears version of child support. Wilkes County, North Carolina Bastardy Bonds 1871-1883 Microfilm Roll C.104.10002 1999, Faye Jarvis Moran, Alexandria, Virginia. "Illegitimate Ancestors," Who Do You Think You Are Magazine, accessed July 03, 2018. Birth records were not as consistent as Quaker monthly minutes, but both places should be searched. A bond was signed on March 25, 1826, before James Hammett, Justice of the Quorum, by Alexander PREWETT, Isaac WOFFORD Jr. and John WOFFORD.The case involved Clarendy BETTERTON "now Clarindy RAMPLEY, wife of William RAMPLEY".Clarendy had given birth to an illegitimate male, born on October 15, 1818. To get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or install another browser. If the father does not help financially or is not in the picture, the mother could have had a hard time supporting her children. A nosy neighbor? Summary: This series consists of a bastardy or indemnity bond taken against the parents of an illegitimate child as insurance against that child becoming a charge of the district. for Spartanburg County.The compiler stated that these were loose papers and were file in no particular order, thus the dates skip around all over the place. A service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Insurance Broker Bond. To see what is available on the Catalog, a keyword search of apprentice or apprenticeship with the state youre researching as the place category will narrow down your research. An illegitimate child can be recognized in birth records and when they seem out of place in the census records. Genealogical selections from the acts of the Louisiana legislature, 1804-1879. -George Burns, "Where does the family start? No superior alternative has yet been found. Now if we reach this point, then we have to dig a lot deeper into the lives of our ancestors. L 54001 Pinckney District (S.C.). The 1894 Bastardy record below names all four of Sank Summerlins children and provides their ages: And lastly, the 1899 Bastardy record below shows that some men denied the charges. The father is usually not specified. The Bastardy Bonds of North Carolina contains bonds posted because of the birth or impending, birth of a bastard child. Scope/Contents: Includes volumes & boxes of bastardy bonds, arranged chronologically. United States & Canada 2nd Floor Film. Another case is when the mother chooses to keep the child born out of wedlock. The laws were created to encourage conventional morality and to protect property from "hidden heirs." The laws also protected the county's budget. Immediately you react like most people when I take the North Carolina Bastardy Bonds by Betty J. and Edwin A. Camin out to workshops. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. It is more likely that the fathers name would not be included in the birth record if the child was illegitimate. The agreement may include a grant of money, clothing, and/or property upon completion of the term. No superior alternative has yet been found." The required bond amount is between $50,000 and $250,000. If that child was your ancestor, youd have an exact birthdate pre-dating the statewide birth records. When an unmarried woman was found to be with child, she was examined and required to provide the name of the father of the child. Petitions to be excused from jury duty . Bond posted by Adolphus NANCE, (J . Linda Gordon, "Single Mothers and Child Neglect, 1880-1920." American Quarterly 37, no. They may be found in person at the county courthouses, if still preserved. 164.132.169.30 the father, she, her father or some other interested party would post the bond. North Carolina has extensive records of bastardy bonds for each county. 26 September 2021 [PAST EVENT]: Acclaimed genealogist Melvin Collier and I will be presenting an all-new 2-hour lecture titled More Than Just Names: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research from 1:00-3:30 EST (please note it is Eastern Standard Time). Bonds - MunicipalBonds.com Municipalbonds.com Go Premium for Free Log In Home News Market Activity Screener Education Bond Insurance My Bonds Invest In Munis 2 State vs. Wm. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1995-1996, High Density: {{copy.hd_shelf}}, {{copy.hd_shelfmark}}. multiplesons1.5294187457446106E12 . Mountain Press and Southern Genealogy Books. This type of situation occurs frequently when one finds they are descendants from royalty. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. That gives us two people to add to Dennis clusterthey are likely close friends or family members. It is also possible that it would include the word illegitimate alongside the birth information. Slavery's reach is still with us, and part of the gift of doing African-American genealogy, "The past is not dead. The microfilm may be scheduled for future scanning. There is no one specific record type that will guarantee to have the information about the father. Who is the person? Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. is for you. This screen shows the complete catalog entry of the title you selected. College, Advanced AA Gen Class, September 2011, AAHGS Annual Genealogy Conference, November 2008, Howard Comm. South Carolina Department of Archives and History Henderson County North Carolina Bastardy Bonds 1830 - 1870. It is likely for them to be entwined with other court records, as it was uncommon for the court to have a separate book for these records. Other states have bastardy bonds, but they are not as extensive. When the pregnancy of a woman or birth of a child was. ", "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Williford and Saml. In other words, the father was paying for the childs support for a certain length of time, so the county would not be responsible for the childs upkeep. {I've specifically dealt with the ones in North Carolina and cannot vouch for the other colonies.} North Carolina 1736-1957 Bastardy bonds and records, Cleburne County, Alabama 1884-1950 Miscellaneous loose files, Chatham County, Georgia 1890-1950 Miscellaneous bonds (bastardy etc), Tattnall County, Georgia 1801-1870 loose papers, Jefferson County, Tennessee Maintenance (bastardy) 1807-1857), Nineteenth century Tennessee: adoptions, legitimations, and name changes, Pendleton County, West Virginia 1866-1925 bonds (including bastardy), Findmypast.com - Apprentices in Education and Work, United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records, 1865-1872, District of Columbia 1812-1893 Indentures of apprenticeship, Washington County, District of Columbia 1802-1811 Indentures of apprenticeship recorded in the Orphans Court, Burke County, Georgia 1867-1919 Indenture and apprenticeship records, Allen County, Indiana 1824-1912 Business records including apprenticeships, Todd County, Kentucky 1820-1888 Indentures of apprenticeship, Carroll County, Mississippi freedmen apprenticeship records, New Madrid County, Missouri 1810-1910 apprenticeship bonds containing names of heirs, Fredericksburg, Virginia Apprentice Records, http://www.moonfleetonline.co.uk/history/illegitimacy/, https://lisalisson.com/2017/10/16/how-to-research-your-illegitimate-ancestors, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Illegitimacy_in_the_United_States&oldid=4742210. Family History Library. One of thehidden gems inside court records are the aptly named Bastardy Bonds. These records, like much in genealogy, are another reminder that human behavior hasnt changed much. PINCKNEY DISTRICT Clerk of Court . South Carolina Archives Summary Guide. 20 August 2022, 1-3:30 pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join me for a two-hour lecture and workshop on Using Deed Records. web pages These bonds were intended to protect the county or parish from. It is important to analyze relationships when no relationships to head of household were given. Money Transmitter Bond. It is not a guarantee, but it is possible that it may mention that a person raised their niece or nephew. The first person through the booth will pick it up and say, My folks cant be in here! Cradling the book, they look around to see if anyone is watching them and then turn to the index. WOFFORD A bond, date not given, was signed in the presence of Britn. associate-caitlin-crowley A bastardy bond is defined as a promise to pay a certain sum of money given by the father of an illegitimate child to ensure that no public monies would have to be spent on the child. Search the history of over 797 billion In the comments, my readers, tell me in what other states you have seen these records? In some cases, the record coverage may be very low and may not have any records to look through. The bonds below were abstracted from files located in the NC State Archives, Raleigh, NC. Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. 375,000 names. Bastardy bonds (1 unlabeled volume) 1873-1878. -Kendall Hailey, "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. As seen in the image above this post, newspapers are a great place to look for cases of people charged with bastardy. Otherwise, youll want to check through the county court records. Google can also be a beneficial way to see if they are available in the area youre researching. Other names for illegitimate children are natural born, bastard, and base-born. Vol. The record also associates Wesley Hall and Levin H. Waters with Dennis Waters, since they secured the bond of $80. What did they feel? Information includes the names of the parents (Mary Masters and Henry Sims), amount of the bond ($250.00 . This English bond system was carried forward when North Carolina became a state in 1789. These bonds were intended to protect the county or parish from, the expense of raising the child. Examples: Baptized William Smith, son of Sara Smith and the reputed son of William Brown., This means that William Brown admits the child is his (or it has been proved to be his. Use the form below to get in touch with me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Since illegitimate children often did not obtain inheritance, there is a possibility that the child may be mentioned in wills that they were a natural or base-born child. Also, this record is indexed under the name of Dennis Waters. And please do share posts that interest you. The less common words used were spurious, imputed, reputed, and misbegotten. I hope youll sign up to receive my postsif you do, youll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! This item is available on microfilm at this FamilySearch center. Bastardy Bonds This bond of indemnification or bastardy bond ensured that the father was responsible for the child. An illegitimate child is when the mother and father were not married at the time of the childs birth. Every genealogist begins their research looking for birth-death-marriage records. The series continued but I don't have any more issues. Its possible that someone could quickly assume that Elliott was Roswells middle name and he would still have the surname of Blair. Also, Ive always wondered is who brought the action? The county did not want to be held financially responsible for those children. 2023 State Archives of North Carolina Store, Descriptions of original bastardy bonds and records held by the State Archives are summarized in the, Cohabitation Bonds and Records, 1866-1867, Minutes of the Courts of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1738-1868. These records for Maryland were recorded (oddly) in the deed records. https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/lett/2269/, https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/lett/2519/, https://www.genealogy.com/articles/research/52_donna.html, https://lisalisson.com/2017/10/16/how-to-research-your-illegitimate-ancestors/, http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/miscellaneous/illegitimate-ancestors. The courts then will go to her family and require them to get a number of signatures of men who state they will see to it that the child is cared for until it becomes of age. Vol. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. Lisa Lisson, "How To Research Your Illegitimate Ancestors," Are You My Cousin? brought to the attention of the court, a warrant was issued and the woman brought into Court. North Carolina has one of the best collections of bastardy records. In this latter case, then you have to search until you find something. Microfilm of originals in the North Carolina State Division of Archives and History in Raleigh, North Carolina. Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Bertie, Brunswick, Buncomb, Burke, Bute, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cherokee, Chowan, Clay, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Granville, Moore, New Hanover, Rowan, Rutherford, Surry, and Wake. -Winston Churchill, "The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never ever introduce yourself to had life not done it for you." Happy Hunting! I recently came across some old copies of "Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History", a quarterly publication of the Piedmont Historical Society.In December of 1988, they began running a series of abstracts of Bastardy Processes [ sorry folks, that's what they were called!] In many states, the fathers of these children had to post bond that they would care for the child. Another way to find court records is to go to your local public library and log onto WorldCat.org to see what records are available for the area you are researching. 2 (1985): 174. doi:10.2307/2712897. Fora long time, this caused shame to be heaped upon both mother and child (though oddly, not the man. Superior Court (Watauga County), United States, North Carolina, Watauga - Probate records, FamilySearch Terms of Use (Updated 2021-09-27), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. -Elbert Hubbard, "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts." The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers. This screen shows the complete catalog entry of the title you selected. Ideally, they would list the names of the parents or guardian. Sherri Abromavage, "Bastardy Bonds in General," Genealogy.com, accessed July 03, 2018. Cohabitation bonds and records document the efforts of freedmen to register and legalize their marital status with the county after emancipation at the end of the Civil War. The reputed. Descriptions of original bastardy bonds and records held by the State Archives are summarized in the catalog. Join the community of family history enthusiasts and FamilySearch employees to ask questions and discuss potential product enhancements. Vol. Item 1. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. This should cause a red flag, especially if the mother is beyond child-bearing age and there were no daughters that might be the potential mother.[3]. Lancaster, J.P., by Rachel WEST, James WOFFORD and James WEST.The mother was Rachel WEST who had given birth to an illegitimate female child. If you are researching another state, then several things may be in play. By doing this you will not get apprenticeship records outside of the United States. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. The "Bastardy Bonds" of North Carolina contains bonds posted because of the birth or impending. MOTHER: DATE OF BOND: FATHER: Allen, Mary : 1851 : Mc Cawl, Ezekial: Ashworth, Elizabeth ## 1830? Bastardy bonds and records may also be available on third party websites. Burke County, Georgia 1867-1919 Indenture and apprenticeship records Just like vital records, the church records may not list the fathers name, which would indicate illegitimacy. Nineteenth century Tennessee: adoptions, legitimations, and name changes College Advanced AA Gen. Class, November 2012, Robyn, Aaron, Karen, Katherine and Michael, October 2014, African-American Family History Conference, February 2015, African-American Genealogy Group Conference, October 2016, Central Maryland AAHGS, with Alice Harris, September 2015, Howard Comm. Todd County, Kentucky 1820-1888 Indentures of apprenticeship Newspapers can be searched to find obituaries of the people who took the illegitimate child in. This cannot be assured, but it sometimes does raise doubt. Raleigh, North Carolina : Filmed by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1970, High Density: {{copy.hd_shelf}}, {{copy.hd_shelfmark}}. This blog is where I share family history methods, resources, tips and advice, with an emphasis on slave research, slavery and its aftermath. The answer may not be found online or in a microfilm. In doing genealogical research, we often ignore the sources where we will find the information because we think it is too Mountain Press, Signal Mountain, TN 37377, Beyond the Birth, Marriage and Death Dates, Finding Family History in Federal Records. maybe.. Another clue that a child is illegitimate is if the child has the mothers maiden name given in the record instead of the fathers surname. Anything that happens now also happened in the past. Its not like they had DNA tests: Ive seen these records in Maryland, Tennessee andNorth Carolina, but Im sure they appear in the records of other states. Some FamilySearch centers and affiliate libraries maintain collections of previously loaned microfilms or microfiche. New Madrid County, Missouri 1810-1910 apprenticeship bonds containing names of heirs Using indirect and direct evidence will help conclude the legitimacy (or illegitimacy) of a person. There in the thousands of names listed they will frequently find a name that rings a bell for them. ", Sacket and Snider family papers, 1836-1848. Think? This event is $20. Archibald by Elizabeth WILLIAMS and Wm. In fact, it's not even past. Genealogical selections from the acts of the Louisiana legislature, 1804-1879 VII, No. Commissioners of the Poor. Bastardy bonds are not always available depending on the area but can be a good resource. If you are searching for bonds in Western North Carolina counties,I can save you some time searching. We go to the courthouses, libraries and other sources of information to find out more about the individuals.