What does "Reconnaissance" from daughter to father mean

Question

I came across a Quebec, Canada, Notarial record dated June 19, 1833 and the only sentence is: "Reconnaissance de Theotiste Meilleur à J Baptiste Meilleur".  "Reconnaissance" literally translated is recognition daughter Theotiste to father J Baptiste.  My question: What does this mean?  I also noticed Theotiste has a brother J Baptiste who married Adelaide Proulx they married 1834.  Would this be a transaction or exchange?

Answer 1

Reconnaissance means that the child is legitimized from an out of wedlock birth and gives the mother legal standing over the child.

Comments

Am i correct in understanding that she had this child prior to her marriage in 1828 and that this husband may not necessarily be the father?

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He is likely the father but the child was born before they were married. Someone else might know for sure.

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Thank you Doug for your help on this.  Had i left it to my own thinking it would have been a monetary transaction with her father or brother.  Just goes to show anything could happen.  Thanks you again for this information.

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Nope, not in a notarial act it doesn't.  The girl is quite legitimate, born in 1806, parents married in 1790.

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Sorry. My notes are wrong.

Answer 2

Reconnaissance de - à  in a notarial act is normally the recognition of something from  - to , ie without further context hard to say more, but it is used sometimes to denote that a particular prior notarial agreement has been fulfilled.

Doing a few fix-ups on the profile of your girl, place names are anachronistic right now.  Laval was created as a city in the 20th century.