My family lived in an area in southern Illinois where everything got put in 
the paper...A cousin of my Grandfather King said her Grandmother had 
unburdened herself at her death, letting her family know her first born was 
the result of a rape. We all said "Oh sure" wink, wink.  Well folks, in the 
local paper of 1879, an article said, Julia King had filed bastardry charges 
against I.J. Pitt.  The paper commented : "And the young man went west to 
grow up with his country!".  In researching this incident, it turned out I. 
J. Pitt was 48 years old and married to Julia's mother's sister.  Julia was 
16 years old and was the orphaned child of Lucinda and James King and was 
living with her aunt when the rape occurred.  The bastardry charge was the 
only way she could charge him with anything...and of course society didn't 
much value women back then so the newspaper thought it appropriate to make a 
joke about the tragedy.  To this day, the descendants of this ill-conceived 
child will not correspond with me about their family line because of her 
humiliating beginnings.  History is sometimes not pleasant and sometimes the 
wounds or sins  last unto the children and the grandchildren.  I still 
remember how indignant I felt and how I cried for Julia 115 years after the 
fact.  I still tear up thinking of what she must have endured until a 
wonderful man married her and concealed her secret.  She had many children 
who grew up to be well respected. 

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html