This line of discussion has made me wonder if the biggest genealogic fraud of all is
that perpetrated by our own families.  Surely social mores have changed significantly,
but how much of the change is just more openness about what has always been
there?
 
I come from two eminently respectable Ohio families, active Methodists on one side,
no alcohol in the house etc. etc., and Mayflower descendants on the other.  The
parents of my Methodist grandfather turned out to have had their first child about
five months after their marriage (the child died, and no one knew of his existence until
a relative turned him up in the county records).   My Mayflower grandmother I found,
after an close examination of the 1910 census (those little, easily overlooked extra
columns said she had had two children, one living), to have had two children out of
wedlock, with two different men.  A woman working on the new Family History site
found the death certificates of both children (anyone with Ohio connections should
check this out if you don't know about it -- www.familysearchlabs.org -- they have
all the Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1956).  
> Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:08:39 -0500> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: Sperm donors and offspring> To: [log in to unmask]> > There have already been children seeking their sperm donor fathers. A big > write up recently online about some families already being reunited. Not > trying to make it sound warm and fuzzy, but many of these men do want to be > found and several have relationships with their "donor" children. Many do > not want to be found, just as adoption mothers sometimes do not want to be > contacted. And in this vein, there were some "donors" back there in history. > One of our lines, (won't say which to protect a relative) had DNA ran on > his direct line. His ancestor was the first male born to a long and happy > marriage. Many children born to this couple. His DNA came back as matching > another family exactly. He did some quick research with the census and > found his biological family line living next door to his great grandparents. > His paternal grandparent must have known his beloved was impregnated by this > character, we don't know if it was a rape or an indescretion, but, as I said > his grandfather remained married to this lovely lady for over 50 years, > raised all the children as his and we feel sure now, that he knew he married > a very pregnant girl...way back there. She had her first child much short > of 9 months. Now, this sounds like an isolated incident, but same family > other side....the person who started the DNA project and still manages the > site, did his DNA. It came back as totally a different family! Again, some > quick research, and once again, he found the matching biological family > living next door to his grandfather! So lightening struck twice in this > family. So folks when you decide to avail yourself of this new technology, > remember the old say..."Mama's baby, Daddy's maybe". And also remember > during the Civil War there were absent fathers who came home two years later > to find they had a year old child! > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
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