Is It Possible To Find Illegitimate Father?

[Frankie#88]

Hi everyone,

I have been researching my ancestry for a few year's now and with the help of this forum I have been able to brake a few brick wall's down but now I have come to a wall and i'm not sure if I can brake. I think one of my ancestor's was Illegitimate she was called Rose Fletcher Flint her mother was Ellen Flint which was the family name but there is no mention of her father, I have read that the mother's used to give the name of the father's as middle name's and as there is no other Fletcher in the family. So could Fletcher be her father?
This maybe a stupid thing to ask, I just wanted to know if there was anywhere I could look to see if Fletcher was her father, I know it's a long shot and I may have to give it up but any advice or info into how I can go from here is more then welcome.

Thank you in advance
Frankie

[Peter Goodey]

It may be possible but depends on many factors. Your best bet is to read the book My Ancestor was a Bastard by Ruth Paley published by the Society of Genealogists - see their website where you can order online or try your local library service.

[Frankie#88]

Thank you Peter, I'll have a look out for it.

[smj7290]

I'm an archivist at the LMA, so I'm able to help you. We hold occassional seminars to researchers with illegitimacy in their research, and how to break the brickwalls.

It's more than likely Fletcher is the father's surname or forename, so this is a lead for you to check out. Check the census forms for a Fletcher in the same district as her, this may be a motive. There are many theories as to what may have been going on here, but these are the most likely ones.

[emeltee]

Have you tried looking at Bastardy Bonds for the area? It is possible the mother may have sued the father for the upkeep of the child.

Emeltee

[Wiganexile]

Some years ago I found an 1820 application by the mother for 'filiation and maintenance' from the father of one of my ancestors.

I had had no luck searching by name but found the application when I looked through all the applications for the town, so be aware of possible spelling variations - z instead of s in my particular instance.

This information may be quite irrelevant as you haven't said what year Rose was born.

[Peter Goodey]

He may be talking about the birth registered in the Doncaster registration district in 1899. If so that at least gives us a date and country which wasn't provided in the question. Date and country are two of the factors I had in mind in message #2.

1899 is too late for bastardy bonds. A filiation order is possible. I think it would be petty sessions records. The court would be the one relevant to where the mother lived. The records office could advise. It may be possible to find something in poor law records. It's unlikely that a baptism record for that period would mention the father but it ought to be checked.

But really if it was possible to deal with this subject in half a dozen lines it wouldn't have been necessary to write a book which is why I recommended the book.

[Frankie#88]

Hi Peter,
Yes the Rose Fletcher Flint that was born in 1899, Doncaster is my Rose. Sorry about being so vague I wasn't sure what to put in the initial question. Rose was born in Warmsworth, Doncaster her mother was Ellen Flint born 1880 in Balby Doncaster, she did live in Warmsworth with her parant's George and Fanny Flint.
Thank you again for the valuable info.
Frankie

PS. I don't know if it is relevant or not but in 1891 Ellen lived with her Grandparant's in Sheffield William and Mary Kitson and in 1901 Rose was living with her grandmother Fanny Flint in Warmsworth, Doncaster no mention of Ellen.

[Peter Goodey]

In 1901 I think Ellen is working as a live-in cook in Warmsworth in the Birkinshaw household.
RG13/4405 f 40 p 9

Not that that helps :(