Have any of the list members had any success in finding information about both parents when a child is born outside of a marriage? I understand that the information was frequently not recorded in church records, for reasons of discretion ... or disapproval. With the guidance of an expert cousin, we researched the will of an older woman, with a different last name, who census records showed was living with the ancestor being studied. Her will noted that she was his mother. The ancestor's last name is fairly common, so even on the assumption that it is the name of his father, it is too difficult to narrow down a possible father. Have any of you ever found record of both parents? Lynne

I have not had reason to look into the PA records but in VA research (which I assume would be similar) you would want to check the Order/Minute Books of the County. In the early Virginia records... --quoted from the book "Apprentices, Poor Children and Bastards Loudoun County, Virginia 1757-1850" by Louisa Skinner Hutchison-- "the mother of the child was fined 500 pounds of tobacco, and cask, or fifty shillings current money payable to the Churchwardens. However, a fine in a like amount was assessed against the person in whose house she was delivered if such person failed to report the birth to the churchwardens before the mother left. Thus, with a suit by the Churchwardens for this amount the defendant could be the mother or the homeowner." In one case in 1811 the court determined that no married woman could be allowed to swear her child to any man so as to bind him to the support of it, that the Act of Assembly only embraced the case of single women. Payments for the support of bastard children were to be paid to the Churchwardens or the Overseers of the Poor, as the case might be, and they in turn were to see the children were provided with necessities. Payments were to be made on a quarterly basis and often suits were brought to enforce collection of overdue amounts. The term of payments was often qualified by ' if the child shall live so long'. This list includes only those who were determined likely to become a burden on the parish or county. I am sure there were those who were raised by grandparents or other relatives and do not appear in the court records." I have also noticed in the early Maryland German Church records children baptized with unmarried parents named. Lynne Ranieri wrote: > Have any of the list members had any success in finding information about >both parents when a child is born outside of a marriage? I understand that >the information was frequently not recorded in church records, for reasons >of discretion ... or disapproval. > > >