Robert Shepherd - which one?

[andarah]

I checked and there was no RCE.

However, I have learned a little more.

Jane's sister also had an illegitimate child, 5 years after Robert was born.  Shortly after the birth, she became a live-in housekeeper in a neighbourhood known for poverty and nobody would have been able to afford a housekeeper.  The father in the home was a widower.  8 years later she signed Jane's death certificate using the father in the house's surname.  No wedding took place.

The father died in 1900 and in 1901 the sister is in the 1901 census using the name Shepherd (she would have been using her married name if she had married), so is her son from 1880, but there is also a 4 year old with the father's name.

Later in life they all take on the name of the father and eventually she calls herself his widow.

It would appear as though she took on the identity of his widow and used the name to legitimize the family, even though there may never have even been a relationship.

I am now thinking, that given the family, Robert Shepherd is probably a made-up name on the marriage cert (since that's the first time it appears and the mother had been dead for 12 years).  I am also wondering if the women were mistresses or possibly prostitutes. 

Does anyone know how to trace prostitutes???  I am seriously thinking that DNA is our only option.

[flst]

Hi, don't assume that because a woman had an illegitimate child that she was a prostitutue! The North East of Scotland had a high rate of illegitimacy (and one of the reasons given was the poor work conditions for agricultural labourers and domestic servants). It was common to find an unmarried woman in domestic service, living in, & her children staying with their grandparents. And not always the maternal ones! If you can find the school admission rolls for the children in question you will find out who they were living with ie.relative or guardian. I'm sure I'm not the only rootschatter to come across instances of illegitimate ancestors!
flst

[andarah]

I didn't mean to imply that assumption.  I said it because the occupations she listed are often used as euphamisms for prostitute.  Also, because of the possibility of the family's inclination to take identities.  I am not remotely assuming it - just another possible thread to tug at.

Hope that makes sense.

My best option right now is the poor law application and the historical society will do a search for me once I join the society.  I'll do that shortly.  I am hoping I get something.

If not, I will make the decision about DNA testing.  I do not like to put someone in my tree without strong evidence it's a correct link.  I don't see how I can trust much of what I see at this point.  The DNA will probably tell me nothing that I can use though.

So far we have seen the boys living with the mothers, but I don't know what happened after the mother died.  There is a possibility that he stayed with the distant relatives of the employer of the sister (making a stronger connection to tha fact that there may have been a relationship there).

Also, when I use the word prostitute, I am including women who were `kept' by their men.  I mean the women who were kept comfortable and lived the life a `girlfriend', and saved themselves for the man doing the paying.  These women were not seen as protitutes then and were not necessarily looked down on.  For those women, there would be no record of the men they were involved with. 

I will look for the school records - thanks for the idea.  Maybe they will say `grandparent', etc for who he is living with after his mother died.  However, since he was 12, he may have simply been put to work.  I'll try! 

[flst]

Hi, I have n't come across theses euphamisms before! Please click on this link to read about Scottish irregular marriages.  It's very informative!  You can access the poor relief records via the link I gave you. What society are you referring to? I'm a life member of the Aberdeen & North East Scotland Family History Society and can highly recommend it!

Regards,
flst


http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/marriage/

[andarah]

That is the society.  Thanks for the recommend.  I'll look into it tonight and register.

*Supposedly* prostititutes often put dressmaker, or something related, on the census.  Obviously, that doesn't mean that an assumption can be made when we see dressmaker because chances are very, very good they actually were dressmaker, but it is something that crossed my mind in this particular siutation.

[andarah]

I joined the society - wow!  I wish they had that for Glasgow! 

Thanks for the recommend!