For what it's worth...I have a case where the father was severely reprimanded and rebuked by the Kirk Session. The process started in May and didn't get put away until almost Dec. They did marry a few weeks before the babe was born. I say babe...Kirk Session got their justice when the babe was baptised but wasn't mentioned as a "manchild', or 'womanchild'...no given name then the word witness....left blank. This if off the OPR and the Kirk Session Minutes. He was cited for Antinuptial fornication. It is my brick wall. But I suspect when the Kirk Session folks didn't like what went on they 'got their grain of salt' in other ways as well as monetary. Nothing I can do about it or do to change it, just strikes me as odd that the folks who sat in judgment on others took it out on the innocent babe. My opinion for what it's worth. Another case I have is also an illegitimate child, which I can't prove. She turns up in some family history someone else did and when I found her, I thought I must have missed someone somewhere along the line. So I back tracked several times, and couldn't come up with the girl. The only logical explanation is that she belonged to my GG grandmother before she married my GG grandfather and I know she was raised by GG Grandmother's parents, from the census info. She carries that families surname. And of course, for us overseas, unless we actually could go and see the Kirk Session Minutes or hire a Researcher, we are 'hooped' as we say here, to prove it. And even then, maybe couldn't prove it. I think one of the hardest things I had to get thru my beanie, and there was lots of them when I began this searching, was to understand the OPR's. Some give so much info, some just a list of children's names and marriages. No conformity, I guess is what I am trying to say here. And I suspect it is the same for others who are starting out as well. And also, we sometimes forget the Church may have burned or the records eaten by mice when we can't find what we 'think' we should find. I tell people I am able to help to keep thinking outside of the box. Just because you think it should be that way, doesn't make it so. But I want also want to add this conversation on Illegitimacy and records, et all, has been most informative. Goldie -----Original Message----- From: Janet Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 2:42 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Poor Law payments I agree its worth checking local records. A baptismal record may be found for an illegitimate child perhaps. I understand strenuous efforts were made to discover the identity of the putative father because the Parish Official could extract a payment from him. Before the Poor Law of 1835/37 did Scotland have a Bastardy Bond or Order which served as an Affiliation Order where the father had been found, as they did in England & Wales? Janet ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Hardy" <[email protected]> To: "Aberdeen Roots Web" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 02, 2013 8:28 AM Subject: [ABERDEEN] Poor Law payments > Janet & Goldie > "Poor Law payments? I learned a while back that Inland Revenue and > Pensions records are destroyed when the subject dies so its not > worth checking to see if maintenance had been declared." > If you can get to Edinburgh one source is the Sheriff Court Records - > those > responsible for administering the Poor Law would try to find someone else > or another parish to pay the costs of support. Often this meant getting > the > mother to sue the putative father for inlying expenses and maintenance of > the child until the age of 12, and the expenses of the process. The case > would be under the name of the mother - "Poor ..". These cases are > relatively common from the late 1790s, though I suspect that often the > families made their own private arrangements. Whether the father paid is a > different matter. > Poor Law records are local rather than national records and have often > survived. > > John ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message