What was the usual practice for naming an illegitimate child back in the late 1880's? There was never any indication that my great grandmother married the man, but her child carried a different last name from her. My great grandmother later married another man and the child then carried his last name and the last name of her father. This is so difficult to explain. The child was named Martha Viola Parker. The mother was never married to a Parker. At least I have not been able to make a connection. She married a Nazelrod, and the child then assumed his last name, Martha Viola Parker Nazelrod. So my question is: Did they have to be married to the man to give his last name to the child, or am I to assume that a Parker fathered the child and she just gave the child his last name? Good luck trying to figure this out. Carol

in most of my family cases during the period the child had mother's maiden name. if she married the child may take the step father's name. in some cases the child took a 2nd husband's name when mother remarried. s >From: "Carol Digby" <cad@friendlynet.com> >Reply-To: wvhardy@rootsweb.com >To: <WVHARDY-L@rootsweb.com> >Subject: [WVHARDY] last names >Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:46:52 -0400 (Eastern Standard Time) > >What was the usual practice for naming an illegitimate child back in the >late 1880's? >There was never any indication that my great grandmother married the man, >but her child carried a different last name from her. My great grandmother >later married another man and the child then carried his last name and the >last name of her father. >This is so difficult to explain. >The child was named Martha Viola Parker. >The mother was never married to a Parker. At least I have not been able to >make a connection. She married a Nazelrod, and the child then assumed his >last name, Martha Viola Parker Nazelrod. >So my question is: Did they have to be married to the man to give his last >name to the child, or am I to assume that a Parker fathered the child and >she just gave the child his last name? >Good luck trying to figure this out. Carol > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >WVHARDY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes >in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself - download free Windows Live Messenger themes! http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwme0020000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://imagine-msn.com/themes/vibe/default.aspx?locale=en-us&source=hmtagline