To all:  The long and the short of the discussion re illegitimacy and inheritance is that one may bequeath or devise ANY of one's property to ANYBODY, and to my knowledge no law has ever declared that someone who was illegitimate could not inherit or be named as a "child", "surviving child", "surviving issue", or "descendant"  by any parent.  As pointed up by one of the able contributors, the bottom line is in determining from his past actions and statements the intention of a testator when he used the expression "my surviving children".   Thanks to all for the discussion.  

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