In my experience, and it's only in VA records, the legal name of an 
illegitimate child was always that of his/her mother. The father's name may 
have been used in daily life but hardly ever on legal records. The only 
exception that I've found was when the individual moved to another location 
where the circumstances of his/her birth were not known. The practice seemed 
to be reversing  during the 2nd half of the 1800s. I'm sure there were cases 
where this didn't apply, but I'm speaking of records in general.

Ann
---
Ann Avery Hunter
Winston-Salem, NC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carole D. Bryant" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2011 1:20 PM
Subject: [VA-ROOTS] surname of illegitimate child ?


> In the early 1800s, what seems to have been the policy or practice of
> naming an illegitimate child?  Would he or she take his natural father's
> surname or that of his mother? If this policy or practice reversed at 
> some point
> in time, approximately when did the change occur?
>
> Thanks for the help !
>    Carole

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