© Kathy Duncan, 2025
In a previous post, I explored the bastardy bond imposed on John Byrum's mother-in-law, Tabitha Barnes in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in 1836. John Byrum and Treacy Barnes had been married for about four years when that action was taken.
However, it turns out that John Byrum was no saint. In 1832, he was taken to court in a bastardy bond case:
John Byrum appeared on 26 February 1833, where he was ordered to pay Betsey Webb $15 for her lying in expenses and $10 a year for the next six years. In 1833, $15 was equal to about $564 in 2025, and $10 was equal to about $375.
Treacy Barnes and John Byrum had been married for a little over a year. It's impossible to say exactly when Betsey Webb's child was born since no age is provided. At this point, I have not been able to pinpoint the name or gender of that child.
There was more than one Elizabeth Webb in Edgecombe County at this time; however, a strong candidate is Elizabeth Webb, the widow of Willie Webb.
Truly a situation I haven't encountered or even thought about. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't give it much thought before either. It certainly has me scouring for more records. John Byrum's situation became more complicated. That will be covered in my next post.
DeleteI haven't encountered bastardy charges either. I wonder if he kept his child support payments up. I wonder how age 6 was chosen as the end date.
ReplyDeleteThe bastardy bond records of North Carolina are extensive. I think that John Byrum made his child support payments because he did not reappear in court. Men who shirked their responsibilities were hauled back into court. Support for the first six years of the child's life was common. I suspect the brutal truth was that if by the age of six there was no one to support the child, it was bound out. A lot of the children who were bound at the age of six were orphans or illegitimate children. With the help of some Byrum researchers on Facebook, I've been able to trace the daughter of John Byrum and Elizabeth Webb (a different Elizabeth Webb than I originally thought). Her story did not turn end well. That's the next post that I need to get together.
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