RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: suttontrust on Thursday 15 July 10 12:20 BST (UK)
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Arthur Maister married Esther Thompson in 1771. I knew that Esther's father was John Rickaby, a merchant of Bridlington, and one source said that she was a widow. But an archive document about the marriage describes her as John's "natural daughter". I haven't had the chance to look at this document yet, but I'm wondering whether "natural daughter" would always mean illegitimate. These were not poor people, and it strikes me as odd that an illegitimate child would be acknowledged in this way and married into another well off family.
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As well as meaning illegitimate it also means a biological child as opposed to one that was adopted.
If you do a google there are lots of sites covering this subject.
My 5 x gt grandfather was a natural son who's parents never married. For a while he went by his mothers name then changed to his fathers name. It took me years to track him down.
Carol
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As I understand it, a 'natural' child (in the old-fashioned sense) was one supported and possibly even acknowledged by the father who was often of a higher social class than the mother. He would make himself responsible for the child's education and upbringing.
In Jane Austen's 'Emma', Emma befriends Harriet Smith, the 'natural' daughter of an (at first) unnamed father. Emma jumps to the conclusion that Harriet is the daughter of 'a gentleman' and that therefore her social standing is too high to accept a proposal from Mr Martin, the farmer, or to be friendly with his family. This is one of Emma's well meant but misguided pieces of interference, as the Martins have been very kind to her and Mr Martin is much more mature than Harriet (who is a bit of a dimwit). In the end, it is revealed that Harriet is the daughter of a prosperous tradesman.
It does reveal, though, that a natural child would not be of low status, but might expect to be brought up in a social class reflecting that of the father.
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I have an ancestor who was illegitimate, but was acknowledge by the father in a bastardy bond, and was left a trust fund in the father's will, where he was called his 'natural son'.
The father was a prosperous man (I think he was a widower but I'm not sure) and the mother was poor.
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Illegitimacy isn't always a source of shame and many fathers did acknowledge and provide for their out-of-wedlock offspring.
We are used to the stories of women turning up at the workhouse to have fatherless babies, having been spurned by their lovers/families. But this isn't always the case.
The father may have wanted to provide for a child, especially if it was his only child.
Just as today, some fathers evade the CSA and aren't bothered and other fathers are.
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I claim no expertise on this, but wonder whether the term 'natural' may be as opposed to 'Church recognised', i.e. not the offspring of a couple married in church. It occurs among other instances, in baptisms where the mother only is listed.
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Hi slatedie and welcome to RootsChat
Even today, the term 'natural daughter/son' is taken to mean a child born out of wedlock.
As others have said, some fathers acknowledged their 'natural' children and provided for them.
The adult version of this would be 'birth mother' and 'birth father' both of which are used particularly with adopted children, to differentiate between their legal parents i.e. those who adopted them, and their bloodline parents i.e. those who caused them to be born.
Dawn M
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Back in 1777 the term son-in-law meant what we now refer to as step son. The husbands of daughters and wives of sons were simply referred to as sons and daughters. Thus the term natural daughter was sometimes used to differentiate from spouses of sons who may have the same first names.
David
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My thoughts are that just as a widow marrying today will include her maiden name on the certificate as well as her name by the first marrige, this was the way of doing just that in pre-certificate days, to prove her relationship in the event she becomes entitled to any future inheritance from her natural father.
regards mazi's oh
added-welcome to rootschat from us also, slatedie :)