Help on "hijo natural"

I have learned over the years doing family research is that certain words are used differently in different centuries and locales. For example, people who lived in remote areas without a resident priest didn't wait for one to show in order to "marry". The church did not see any reason to blame people for uniting and having children before seeing a priest for the church ritual. Hence the term "hijo natural" came into use. Once the locale has a resident priest the use of "hijo natural" disappears. I have seen the priests use "hijo ilegitimo" or "hijo bastardo" to identify the child whose parents failed to observe the "rules". I believe it is presumptuous to call a child a bastard if the "hijo natural" label is the result of a priest not being nearby. Some communities went longer than a year without the services of a priest.

The term "hijo legitimo" is usually reserved for those chidren whose parents were married in a church ceremony prior to the childs' birth. One of my ancestors is labeled as "hijo ilicito" and "hijo legitimo" in the same baptism record. The parents were married after the birth in an outlying area. One of my uncles was labeled illegitimate in 1912 New Mexico because his parents married civilly before marrying in a church ceremony.

As for the term "expuesto" (exposed in English), I have seen it used to cover many situations. One ancestor "found" a child "expuesto" in his home. His only daughter got married two years later and the child was raised by her parents. Another ancestor (El Passo del Norte) found a child "expuesto" alongside an irrigation canal. Priests found children on their doorsteps and window sills. In 1870's Aguas Calientes, Ags. I found a record of a priest who answered a knock on his door late one night. A woman thrust a child in his arms and ran away. When he looked at the bundle in his arms he saw the baby covered in blood. The umbilical cord had been cut too short. The child died in his arms that night.

Words are only sounds but they can hurt. It is best, I believe, to observe and record. Using judgemental language to "translate" from Spanish to English is not very helpful. I think we all have a lot to learn about the past.

My apologies if I rambled.

David in Albany, CA

David P. Delgado

David P. Delgado