13 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: What's the longest unanswered question in your family's history?
My great-grandmother had a baby out of wedlock (late 1880s) before she married my great-grandfather and she took it to her grave who the father was. It doesn't matter now, but the genealogist in me would love to have that piece of the puzzle in place.
And people used to be so hard on children like that, as if it was their fault for being illegitimate. My grandmother told my mom that this older half-sister of hers "wasn't treated very well in the family" and she ended up being raised by my great-great grandmother instead.
Comment by naked_nomad at 24/02/2025 at 16:07 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
California stamped ILLEGITIMATE across your birth certificate in BIG RED LETTERS when you were born.
Like it was your fault for your parents actions.
Don't know when they stopped.
Quick google search says they quit asking in 1916 but his granddaughter was born in the late 60s.