Can someone tell me about the mothers of illegitimate children-not the ones who later marry the father but the ones who usually never marry. Why did they never get married? Was it because of the stigma of an illegitimate child? Were they mentally or physically disabled and easily taken advantage of? Were they short of morals and didn't care if they had an illegitimate child?Some other reason? I have several ancestors who were illegitimate and am trying to get a better understanding of what their life might have been like. Karen

15 Feb 2003 17:00:58 GMT, in soc.genealogy.nordic, [email protected] (Kck43) wrote: >Can someone tell me about the mothers of illegitimate children-not the ones who >later marry the father but the ones who usually never marry. Why did they never >get married? Was it because of the stigma of an illegitimate child? Were they >mentally or physically disabled and easily taken advantage of? Were they short >of morals and didn't care if they had an illegitimate child?Some other reason? >I have several ancestors who were illegitimate and am trying to get a better >understanding of what their life might have been like. > What about if the father allready was a married man? And the question is where in the Nordic countries you are? -- Otto Jørgensen http://home.online.no/~otjoerge/ http://home.online.no/~otjoerge/bk/ All email is checked by NORTON

Kck43 wrote: > Can someone tell me about the mothers of illegitimate children-not > the ones who later marry the father but the ones who usually never > marry. Why did they never get married? Was it because of the stigma > of an illegitimate child? Were they mentally or physically disabled > and easily taken advantage of? Were they short of morals and didn't > care if they had an illegitimate child?Some other reason? I have > several ancestors who were illegitimate and am trying to get a better > understanding of what their life might have been like. > They could have been all of what you suggest, but also normal, nice girls who, much like today, were not able to say no to a persistent lover. But - unlike today - they had to face the result and take whatever came. -- MVH Inger (Remove .spam and .thanks from my address to reply)

"Kck43" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected] > Can someone tell me about the mothers of illegitimate children-not the ones who > later marry the father but the ones who usually never marry. Why did they never > get married? Was it because of the stigma of an illegitimate child? Were they > mentally or physically disabled and easily taken advantage of? Were they short > of morals and didn't care if they had an illegitimate child?Some other reason? > I have several ancestors who were illegitimate and am trying to get a better > understanding of what their life might have been like. In Funen where I come from the girls should always have said "the night is our own", and itŽs well known that there were many illegtimate children born in this island. When there in other parts of the country was for instance 1 illeg. child a year in one parish, there were several - 2 or 3 in Funen in a parish almost the same size. But why it was so I do not know. Ill. children were most common amongst "ordinary people", not very common in the higher societies. Børge Askholm

Loiten Prestegjelds Hedmark Norway Looking for help in Loitens Prestegjelds with Martine Olsdatter Matthisrud. She was born May 8, 1845. It says that her mother is Loia (Olia?) Ingebretson and her father is Ole Olson Matthisrud. Says that she came to America in September 1870 and went directly to Waco, Texas, where she lived for 2 1/2 years. When she left Texas, she went to St. Peter, Minnesota for awhile. Then on to Hawley, Minnesota in Clay County. There she homesteaded in Eglon Township as a single woman. On July 25, 1880 she was married to Carl Johan Knutson. Looking for more information in Hedmark on her parents if possible. Are there any bygdebok's for the area? I do not know if her parents came to America, but I do know she had a sister Eline, who also lived at Hawley, Minnesota and was married to Ernest Christiansen Grue. Thanks for any direction or help. Margit

Ill. children were most common amongst "ordinary people", not very common in the higher societies. I am not so sure about that. Regards Hedvig

[email protected] (Kck43) writes: > Can someone tell me about the mothers of illegitimate children-not > the ones who later marry the father but the ones who usually never > marry. Why did they never get married? Was it because of the stigma > of an illegitimate child? Were they mentally or physically disabled > and easily taken advantage of? Were they short of morals and didn't > care if they had an illegitimate child?Some other reason? I have > several ancestors who were illegitimate and am trying to get a > better understanding of what their life might have been like. > > Karen Some of them may also have been poor peoples children, living as tenants in wealthier households, with little chance to defend themselves against abuse. But as someone else pointed out, precisely how their lives might have been, will vary. -- Regnor : PGP Key ID 2B36C9DE (ruoktu/home)