What Does 'natural Child' Mean?

Coppit | 18:45 Fri 17th Jul 2015 | Genealogy

3 Answers

When an early 19C will by widow Mary Smith mentions my natural child John Jones it seems reasonable to assume that the child is illegitimate? Do you agree?

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Ancestryuk

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woofgang

yes "natural" child is quite a common euphemism

DJHawkes

Not necessarily. It may well be that the child was the son of her late husband but was born before she married him. Until the introduction of civil registration in england and wales in 1837, children were not legitimised on the marriage of the parents post-birth registration. Have you found a baptism that includes both parents or is the child baptised as base born?

Coppit

Question Author

Thanks. I have only just discovered this doc so will now dig deeper.

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