"Fred McKenzie" <fmmck@aol.com> wrote in message news:fmmck-EDD167.13492503012008@nntp.aioe.org... > In article <mailman.1470.1199291084.4586.alt-genealogy@rootsweb.com>, > hlmw <hlmw1@telus.net> wrote: > >> Do you know of a genealogy program that has a place to identify a >> person as 'illegitimate' with a click or would it have to be >> specifically entered somewhere in a program? > > I see that Reunion allows a couple to be listed as "Unmarried", > "Marriage" (with dates) or "Common Law" (with dates). If unmarried, the > offspring would be assumed to be illegitimate. Of course notes that > refer to a legal document might be appropriate. > > Terms like bastard and illegitimate are considered derogatory. It isn't > the child's fault, but the child gets the blame! I don't think use of > these terms are necessary for genealogical purposes. Listing parents as > unmarried should be sufficient. > > Fred I still prefer to use the Notes section to explain things in my Remick program database. If the birth date of a couple's first child is earlier than their date of marriage, I acknowledge this and explain my birth & marriage date sources in Notes for the mother. No need for an "illegitimate" label. If I can determine that a particular Remick female had a child and was not married at the time, I list the child with the mother and explain in Notes what I know about the woman's marital status. If the child did not stay with its mother, I say so under Notes for the child but will continue to follow the child through life. If a Remick male has fathered a child out of wedlock, I will list the child with the man and mention the circumstances in the Notes for the child. I will try to continue to follow the child since it is related to a Remick by blood. As Fred mentions, there probably is no need for an "illegitimate" label per se. Bruce