Below are Bastary Bond laws as incorporated in the Statutes and Common Law of North Carolina: 1. Any single woman being with child, or having been delivered of a child, may be brought before two Justices for examination. If she refuses to declare (name) the father, she must pay a fine of five dollars, and give security to keep the child off of the county, or be committed to jail. If she declares the father, he shall enter into recognizance with good security for his appearance at the next County Court or be committed. 2. If the child be not born, the Justices may bind the reputed father to the next Court, at their discretion. 3. When the reputed father cannot be taken, or shall not appear according to his recognizance, the County Court may order a capias to any county in the State, or may issue an attachment against his estate. 4. The defendant may have an issue made up to be tried by a jury whether he be the father. And if the issue is decided against him, or if he shall not make up such issue, he is to be adjudged the reputed father, and in the case of neglect or refusal to enter into bond for maintance , etc. is to be committed to jail. 5. In the trail of this issue, the counsel for the State may appeal to the Superior Court. 6. Examination must be made within three years from the birth. 7. If the allowance made by the County Court be not paid, execution may issue for the same; provided the defendant have ten days notice, or cannot be found to receive notice. 8. The putative father may cause the child or children to be legitimated by the County or Superior Court on petition in writing, provided he shows that he has married the mother, or that she resides out of State, or that she is married to another person, or is dead. 9. The effect of such legitimation shall extend only so far as to impose on the father such duties toward the child as are due to children born out of wedlock; and also to enable the child to inherit from the father real and personal estate; and to cause the estate of such child, in case of intestacy, to be distributed to his or her next of kin. 10. The Clerk of the Court is to record the decree of the Court, and receive from the petitioner one dollar for his services. Forms (used by the State) Warrant against the Woman 1. Examination of the Woman 2. Warrant against the reputed father 3. Recognizance 4. Mittimus in case of refusal or neglect to give security 5. Bastardy Bond Sample of Bastardy Bond: State of North Carolina Wilkes County Know All Men by these Presents, That we, Adolphus Nance, B. A. Nance and Marion Nance are held and firmly bound unto the State of North Carolina in the sum of Two Hundred Dollars, for which payment we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally. Signed, and sealed this 18th day of Sept., A.D. 18_1 Whereas, The said Adolphus Nance stands charged with the maintenance of a bastard child, begotten by him upon the body of Martha Queen of said County: Now the Condition of the above Obligation is such, That if the said Adolphus Nance shall perform the order of the Superior Court of said County concerning the maintenance of said child, and indemnify the Said County from any and all charges for the maintenance of the same, then the above obi ligation is to be void: otherwise to remain in full force and virtue. Adolphus (his x mark) Nance, Seal B. A. (his x mark) Nance, Seal Marion (his x mark) Nance, Seal Test: Geo. W. Brown - ------------------------------------ The Bastardy Bonds for Wilkes County, NC (1881-1883) at located on our web site at http://users.erols.com/fmoran/wilkes/wilkb.html Bastardy Bonds for Forsyth County, NC (1849-1878) have been transcribed and published by me. If you are interested in those bonds, please contact me privately. There are Bastardy Bonds for Forsyth County during the years 1915-1927, but I did not publish those for the privacy of any living person. Best regards, Faye At 03:33 PM 2/26/00 -0600, judith wrote: >Sue, or List, does anyone know what the rules were concerning these >bastardy bonds? we have court record of ancestor, Peter vincent, >Granville co. NC who took on 9 year old Thornton Taylor, "base born >child of Elizabeth Taylor" to raise and "teach to be a planter until age >18." Heard it was usually the father or family of father who did such. >aparently he was something of a member of the family. he went with them >to TN well after he was grown. who was responsible for putting up these >bonds, or taking on the responsibility of raising? Judith Vinson > >Sue wrote: >> >> Hello List, >> The Bastardy Bonds ended about 1878, according to Betty J. and Edwin A. >> Camin, the authors of the only book on Bastardy Bonds of N.C., that I am >> aware of. >> Helen Leary, who wrote "North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local >> History " says that "the power to legitimate was exercised by the >> General Assembly until 1835. and beginning in 1806, this authority was >> shared with the county inferior and superior courts; after 1868 county >> superior courts had sole authority." >> Most of the bonds and records of bastardy are in the State Archives, >> where they are usually filed chronologically. >> (my note: Many of these records are in the county court minutes.) >> Sue Ashby >> CC: Chatham Co., N.C. >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncchatha/chatham.htm >> listowner: >> ASHBY-L@rootsweb.com >> NCWAKE-L@rootsweb.com >