General Chat

Ooops!

Now you say that Fiona, looking back on OH's tree, we have two men marrying maiden ladies of the same surname.......so it wasn't a brother marrying his deceased brother's wife...... perhaps cousins......

I doubt things were ever much different Barry. Not in rural areas in the early 19th century anyway. Or perhaps that's just my ancestors, lol!

Karen, I was talking to my (now grown up) kids the other day about this. They were saying that one girl they knew now has 5 children all by different fathers. I think some young people do their "doing the rounds thing" experimenting with different relationships, and seem to have children almost as a side effect, not considering what it means to bring another life into the world, and to accept the responsibilities of doing so.

Moonchild ... no ... but I think it's going into meltdown!

Edit: Hey ... it worked! Been having terrible trouble posting!

Has your brain gone into overdrive yet Barry........

There was many a sister who had a child for another sister who couldn't have children. The child never knew who her biological mother was. This happened in the 1900's.

However today's scenario with AID extra could be a future nightmare half brother marrying half sister etc.

Yes, and also......as an example and using no names.....

If Granny C, took on the baby born to her Sister's daughter......Annie Mc.......and changed the babies name to John C.......from John Mc....... and thereafter he grew up as John C.......with cousins as brothers and sisters....... another scenario for you to ponder.....

Its a bit of a minefield, isn't it.....

I think step-fathers still have to adopt their step-children don't they? That is, if they want full parental rights.

In another way Moonchild, I got confused by the "adopted" word. Thought it meant as the more modern meaning of being taken out of one family into another. But I gather that in times past a stepfather was apparently described as adopting his stepchild. Much food for thought I find.

I see what you mean now. I suppose there are scenarios that could still still skew the maternal bloodline, but would require much more deliberate intent to do so - baby swapping etc. Much much less likely one hopes!

Never thought of this...... but I suppose it applies to adoptions.......but then again, my kids are my kids, adopted or not.......but taking DNA in the future might be a puzzle for the forebears.....

This is why the maternal line is often referred to as the 'true' line. I assume this is also the reason that Jewish families lhave always looked to the maternal line for their 'Jewishness'.

Equally, many cultures are extremely insulted when their mother's name is brought into disrepute. 'Son of a bi***' is one that springs to mind.

Finally as my OH heard one old (afro-carribean) man once say, 'Insult my father, whom I believe to be my father, and I will be very upset. Insult my mother, whom I know to be my mother, and I will kill you'.

Very true Berona - I feel a little better about it! Future genearations may find it a bit more daunting though.

Yes, I know it's possible Barry - but not everybody misbehaved. There was a lot less "sleeping around" and a lot more virgin brides in those days. The fear of pregnancy had a lot to do with it - but other factors too - religion and supervision, etc.

Carol,

I need to thnk about that one.

Barry

Berona,

No you wouldn't know, and that's the bit I find a touch unsettling. All that work tracing your history and no way of knowing for sure if it's legitimate or not. But I think this probably results from me being new to this. I guess there has to be some degree of acceptance/faith that what you find out is what you believe in.

Barry

Not sure I'm with you here, but how would you know if it was 'way back?

These days, DNA is used for proof. Previous to that it could only be proved that a man "IS NOT" or "COULD BE" the father, but proof that "HE IS" was not conclusive.

Before that, there was no proof, but it was very prevalent - both ways.
Many a man reared a child as his, not knowing that it was not - and many a person missed out on their titles/inheritance because Dad was a Cad!

I am very like my mother in looks and temperament ,
my mother was I think more like her father in temperament, her mother in looks.
my Mother's mother looked like her mum, my mother's father looked as far as I can ascertain like his father.

Then I would accept that I had it from an unidentified source (...just as I would have done if I had never started looking at my family tree lol) or just come to the realisation that it was a 'part of my make up' genetic or otherwise, that I would live with I suppose.