In a message dated 04/22/2001 9:35:58 PM Central Daylight Time, jleehunt1@aol.com writes: > We have been talking about evidence this weekend, Hope this discussion will permit one more story of bastardy. My 5th great grandmother Lydia Dugger was summoned before the VA court three times and fined for deliverying a child out of wedlock. One of those sessions was in 1749. When John Dugger applied for a pension for his RW service, he stated that he was born in 1749 in Surry County. No further information was located relating to Lydia until 13 April 1762 when Marmaduke Cheatham wrote his will in Surry County, Virginia. Marmaduke gave his wife Susannah her maintenance "if she will come and live at home" and made bequests to his other children. He named four sons and three daughters in his will and mentioned several grandchildren by name. His last bequest was to John Dugger, son of Lydia Dugger deceased and he left him one cow and a calf. He did not state his relationship to John or Lydia Dugger. Was Marmaduke the father of John? Perhaps, but if Lydia refused to name him in 1749, I hesitate to do so now. I present the evidence in my file and let the reader draw his own conclusions. Joyce