Identify father of illegitimate child - Merseburg - 1855
Hello!
Are there any records that might identify the father of a child whose baptism record shows she was illegitimate? Were there any records the unwed mother might have filed naming the father? This is for a child born in Merseburg in 1855. The mother married in 1861 and it was noted as the first marriage for the mother. But I don't think the spouse (in 1861) was the father of the child born in 1855. I'll request a search in the archives for other children born to the mother before her 1861 marriage but am hoping there might be another resource for me to identify the father.
Thank you!
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According to a book on canon law in Saxony, published in 1826, the following applies to illegitimate children -
"Illegitimate children (spurii liberi) must not be denied baptism. The clergy must ask for the father's name but should refrain from any inquiries into whether it is true or not; instead, they should follow the mother's declaration and report it to the authorities after the baptism (Gen. Art. 17). If the mother does not name a father at all, the baptism shall still proceed, and the clergy will leave it to the authorities to bring her to confession. Furthermore, at the baptism of illegitimate children, the mother's request must be honored to allow for the naming, as the child is innocent of its illegitimate birth. Additionally, the fees for the baptism of such children must not be increased or doubled, nor should the preacher take the offering for himself, or deny the baptism due to unpaid fees. However, thanksgiving services for the birth of an illegitimate child are not held."
https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/ZgdFAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1p. 171
So the local church books might not have a record of the father, you'd have to find the records of some sort of ecclesiastical court or administrative body at a higher level.
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Thank you, Sylvia! I appreciate the information you've uncovered.
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