A lot of this sort of thing went on, still does except it is considered neither a sin nor illegal these days. However, perhaps you have been searching in the wrong places - if as you say the Hawkins who returned to England really abandoned his wife and unborn son, this precludes the possibility that that son was a bastard child. You might want to take a look at the church records concerning this family. Katey married Ballard on or about 8 Mar 1821 (that date is actually the date the bond was issued and may or may not be the marriage date), her child was born in July. Could have been fathered by someone named Hawkins or could have been fathered by John Ballard. Do you know what church they might have attended? Sometimes there is a record of the birth along with comments. The place of their burial might give you a clue to the church they attended. If he was already established in the community, having been previously married and possibly with children, in all probability he continued to live in that place bringing his new wife along to live there also. Their church would have been nearby and usually had its own graveyard. It would also be interesting to know the names of the parents of both John Ballard and Katey Meiers, were there any Hawkins connected to those families? You probably have already searched for any Hawkins who lived in close proximity to the residence of John Ballard, but there may be a clue there if you have not. Hope something here helps and good luck - early research in the south can be a real trial. Agnes C. On 3/8/05 12:00 AM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Joyce Graham <[email protected]> > Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2005 13:44:05 -0500 > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: BALLARD, JOHN FRANKLIN > > Need help. > > <>John Ballard (b.1795) and Katie Meiers (b.1800) married March 8, 1921 > in Lincoln County, NC. They had two sons: John Franklin Ballard (July > 30,1821- June 24, 1898) and Benjamin Hawkins Ballard (April 13, 1827 - > November 5, 1905). Everyone tells me that John Franklin Ballard was > fathered by a man named Hawkins who returned to England, abandoning his > wife and unborn son. What is the basis for this information? I'm not > disputing the fact, just want proof. And, why did she name her second > son Benjamin Hawkins Ballard? > > John Ballard's first wife was Salley Childress (marr November 1, 1815). > Supposedly he married his second wife, Katie(or Catey) Meiers, because > he needed someone to take care of his children and she needed someone to > be the father of her bastard son. Who were his children by Sally Childress? > > The second son, Benjamin Hawkins Ballard, was in the 1900 Lincoln > County, NC, census listed as "brother-in-law to Sallie L McMinn", wife > of John Franklin Ballard. > > Joyce Graham