Cindy,
 
Actually there are several reasons why someone would report this to a judicial court. One example would be when a man married a woman and then found out she was already expecting a child after they were married. Of course this was kept quite hush, hush in the 1600's. However, if the mother then passed away, or the marriage dissolved [another big no-no] the husband, who had previously given her child his name, but who did not want the child to now be made heir to his estate would, in fact, report the child for bastardy, thus making the child inelligible for any claim on his estate or further support.
 
In Quaker communities, this would have been an offense through the third generation! The mother, the child, and the child's child would all suffer for the fact. They would be shunned and at times, even cast out from the community.
 
There are, in fact, several reports of outcasts who were "adopted" by Indian tribes on the Eastern seacoast. However, sadly, most were left to fend for themselves, and did, in fact, perish.
 
It was, indeed, a harsh New World!
 
Cyndi Beane Henry
Mountain Genealogists
 > Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:30:50 -0500> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: [VA-ROOTS] Informing of Bastardy> To: [log in to unmask]> > Why would someone inform the court of a woman's bastardy? Would there be> any implication of paternity? I have found this reference:> > 15 November 1693--Katherine Barroch for Bastardy; informer, Nicholas> Cornewell.> > Source: Somerset Judicial Records, 1692-96, Abstracts with Selected> Transcriptions as found on Archives of Maryland Online> > As you can see, this reference is from Maryland, but I know so many of you> are so knowledgeable about colonial matters that I thought you might be able> to help. I also believe this may relate to my Virginia Cornwell family. Why> would Nicholas Cornewell have been the informer? Would he have some> relationship to Katherine?> > Cindy> > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
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