Desiring to know how a person could conclude paternity from a bastardy bond, without the full transcription of the case (which this descendant claimed to possess), I searched for additional information on North Carolina bastardy bonds. In the book of transcriptions written by Betty & Edwin Camin they explain:
The "Bastardy Bonds" of North Carolina contains bonds posted because of the birth or impending birth of a bastard child. These bonds were intended to protect the county or parish from the expense of raising the child. When the pregnancy of a woman or birth of a child was brought to the attention of the court, a warrant was issued and the woman brought into Court. She was examined under oath and asked to declare the name of the child's father. The 'reputed' father was then served a warrant and required to post bond. If the woman refused to name, the father, she, her father or some other interested party would post the bond. In some cases, the mother and reputed father together posted the bond. If the woman refused to post bond or declare the father, she was often sent to jail. The records are indexed by county and complimented by a full-name index at the back of book for easy references.In light of the above information, Amanda Gaskill's specifics were transcribed as:
Carteret County:
Amanda Gaskill July 1829 Bondsman: John N. Hamilton, Bondsman: John H. Styron, Bondsman: James Nelson.
It is possible that she named one of these men . . . the first bondsman listed, as the father of her child; but, it is also possible that these men got together to pay her bond because they had some other interest in the case. Without the full transcription of the case, it is impossible to know for sure.
For more about Betty Camin, see her home page.
My curiosity has led me to request a copy of the bastardy bond and a transcript of the case, if available, from the North Carolina State Archives. I'll keep you posted . . . .
