Hi Debbie, I read and remember your post.
Despite what Maurine and Glen Harris, Ancestry's Concise Genealogical Dictionary says, when I see the word natural I will probably not apply their meaning nor take the time to look for the meaning in a dictionary unless it is in some old record, just as I wouldn't look up the meaning of many other terms people apply today. I need to be able to assume the meaning of a number of things or I'd get nothing done except looking things up. It reminds me of the term orphaned. We now apply that to a child who has no living parent, usually through death. In the early 1800s at least, orphaned meant that one parent was deceased, however, in 2004 I wouldn't write that a child was orphaned and expect the reader to look that meaning up and deduct that I mean one parent was deceased. I would expect the reader to understand that in 2004, I mean that both parents are deceased. For instance, my great grandfather always said he was orphaned at 18 months of age. That was passed down and in our generation it was assumed that both of his parents were deceased by the time he was 18 months of age, however, a great great aunt had copies of two letters written to my great grandfather when he was an adult. Research indicated that his mother did indeed die when he was 18 months of age but his father didn't die until he was 38 years of age. You bring up a good point that we need to remember the time period that a record was made and then be sure that we remember that the meaning of words can change over time. Thanks for your information, Debbie. Marie -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Debbie Schnell Woolard Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 8:15 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] Adoption / Natural - Biological I answered this thread when it started, but no one seems to have caught what I wrote. For genealogical purposes (and for some old church records), the term "natural child" means an illegitimate birth. Natural child: a child born to a couple who have either *not* been married or whose marriage has *not* been accepted by a recording agency. Source: Maurine and Glen Harris, *Ancestry's Concise Genealogical Dictionary*, (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1989) --Debbie Schnell Woolard --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.796 / Virus Database: 540 - Release Date: 11/13/2004 Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 11/1/2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 11/1/2004 Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp
