A new new article on Illegitimacy Documents has just gone online at MadAboutGenealogy’s sister site http://www.teachyourselffamilyhistory.com/.

Everyone is going to have at least one of their family lines come to an abrupt halt because of an illegitimate birth, Mark Herber in his book “Ancestral Trails” gives a figure of 2% of all birth in the early 18th century were illegitimate. However all is not lost because such an event can lead to a paper trail generated by officials as they attempt to locate the father and have him pay towards the upkeep of the child rather than the mother & child be supported from the poor rate. All of this creates documents that can be of great help in researching your family history.

To learn more head over to …. http://www.teachyourselffamilyhistory.com/taking-it-further/poor-law-the-workhouse/illegitimacy-documents/