greetings & happy new year, jewishgenners.

i recently received a huge sheaf of family-related documents >from the
archives of Bolechow, a Galician shtetl. I'm a bit confused because I
notice that many of the entries in the birth register for that town are
labelled "illegitimate," even when I know that the parents were married;
sometimes, one of a couple's children will be listed as "legitimate"
whereas another of the SAME couple's children will be listed as
"illegitimate." has anyone got the slightest idea of what this could be
about? (possible clue: the town registry seems to have been administered
in the local church, as the birth record sheets have spaces for "Baptism"
and "godparents" and many of them are in Latin.)

thank you. i'd hate to have to tell my mother we were descended >from a
long line of b--stards! :)


Daniel Mendelsohn
New York, NY

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