47 percent of births illegitimate in 5 years

1,797 children born to unwed mothers
2001-2005

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

Second in a series.

An unwed mother two generations ago was taboo in most circles. Today, it’s commonplace in Columbus County among all races.

The rate of illegitimate children born to county residents has ballooned from an average of 7 percent from 1916 through 1946 to an average of 47 percent for the first five years of the 21st Century – 2001 through 2005.

Incomplete numbers for 2006 show the illegitimatcy rate at 63 percent. The statistics do not show births to county residents that took place in surrounding counties, plus South Carolina. These figures have not been released by the State Center for Health Statistics.

A look at sample years from 1916 through 2005 – the years with complete figures – show an steady growth after 1946 when the rate was seven percent to rates of 14 percent, 18 percent, 20 percent, 32 percent, 43 percent and 47 percent.

Almost level rate

The years of 1916, 1926, 1936 and 1946 show a shallow up-and-down rate between six and eight percent.

These numbers are based on hand-counted birth certificates in the Columbus County’s Register of Deeds’ files, plus additional information from state records.

Unfortunately, the numbers are zooming, not just in Columbus County, but also in many other counties across the state. Neighboring counties of Columbus in 2005 had the following rate of illegitimate births:

Bladen 51 percent; Brunswick 41 percent; Cumberland 32 percent; Duplin 52 percent; New Hanover 35 percent; Pender 37 percent; Onslow 21 percent; Robeson 65 percent; and Sampson 47 percent.

Other county rates, all based on state statistics, show Buncombe (Asheville) with 38 percent; Durham 42 percent; Forsyth (Winston-Salem) 43 percent; Guilford (Greensboro) 41 percent; Mecklenburg (Charlotte) 37 percent; and Wake (Raleigh) 28 percent.

Early figures

• Columbus County numbers for 1916 show 1,167 births, with 77 illegitimate. Sixty-four of the mothers were black, and the other 13 white. Forty-seven certificates didn’t show the name or race of the father, another 30 showed black fathers, and no white males were named as the father of an illegitimate child.

One unwed mother was 17, and a married mother was 14.

• The 1926 numbers show 1,163 births, with 89 illegitimate. Seventy-five of the unwed mothers were black, and 14 white. Five white males were named as the fathers of illegitimate children, and 23 black males. Sixty-one of the birth certificates did not show a father’s name or race.

Age of the unwed mothers in 1926 included one girl age 13, another 14, seven age 15, and one 16.

• The 1936 – in the middle of The Great Depression -- numbers show 1,074 births, with 61 illegitimate, a drop from the 1920s. There were 49 black unwed mothers and 12 white. Seven of the illegitimate births listed white fathers, and 33 black males are named.

Age of the unwed mothers in 1936 show one age 15 and another 16. For the third sample in a row, no American Indian illegitimate births are shown.

• The 1946 numbers – first year following World War II – shown a jump in births to 1.328, with 97 illegitimate. There were 81 black unwed mothers, 12 white and four American Indian.

Fathers listed in 1946 included 39 black, just five white, and one American Indian. Again, unwed mothers included one age 14, and another 15.

• The 1956 numbers show 1,306 births with 188 illegitimate. There were 166 black unwed mothers, 10 were white and 11 were American Indian. One illegitimate mother’s race was not shown.

Fathers listed in 1956 showed just three black and one white. There were 173 birth certificates where the father’s name was not shown. Age of the mothers included one at 14, another at 15, and one age 17 who was having her third child.

• The 1966 numbers show 745 births, with 123 illegitimate. There were 112 black unwed mothers, seven white and five American Indian. One mother was 13, two were 14, four were 15 and 10 were 16.

15-year-olds had second child

One unwed mother was 20 and having her fifth child. Another was 21 and having her fifth, and one woman was 22 and having her fourth. Two girls were 15 with their second child.

Another mother was 39 and had her 17th child; another was 37 and had her 16th, and one was 38 and bore her 15th child.

• The 1976 births totaled 515 and 123 were illegitimate. This year was one of the several years when the parents’ race was not available. The state’s birth certificate during this period did not provide a place for the race of the mother and father.

The age of unwed mothers in 1976 included four at 14; five at 15 and 11 girls were 16.

• The 1986 births showed 648 born in this county, and 189 were illegitimate. The breakdown of the unwed mothers included 148 black, 38 white and three American Indian.
The race of the fathers showed 69 were black, 11 white, four were American Indian. One Hispanic was shown as the father of an illegitimate child.

Two births in same year

The same mother in 1986 gave birth to an illegitimate child on Jan. 5, and had another on Dec. 1.

• The 1996 births show 439 born in the county and 220 were illegitimate, a rate of 51 percent. This overall rate dropped to 43 percent when all births to county residents were included.

There were 134 black unwed mothers in 1996, 56 white and 11 were American Indian. Once again, a 14-year-old was a mother that year, plus three were 15 and five were 16 years old.

White fathers were shown on 28 certificates, four were American Indian and 93 were black. Four certificates showed “Refused” for the father’s name.

• The 2006 births, show 440 births here – excluding Hispanics – and 277 were illegitimate. Blacks were the unwed mothers in 169 births, and whites numbered 101. There were six American Indian, one Chinese and one not shown.

The race of the fathers of illegitimate births showed 78 blacks, 46 whites, one Indian, one Chinese, three “Refused” and 147 certificates were left blank.

State statistics

Reports provided by the state show the following:

There were 63 illegitimate births in 1928 out of 1,087 – a rate of 6 percent. The 1938 rate of 8 percent was based on 1,253 births with 94 from unwed mothers.

In 1948 the numbers were 1,531 births, 98 illegitimate and a rate of six percent. In 1958, there were 702 births, 156 were illegitimate and the rate jumped to 22 percent, followed by a rate of 14 percent for 1968 with 128 unwed mothers out of 892 births.

The following years – 1969 through 2005 -- and percent of illegitimate children for Columbus County are from state records:
1969 – 16 percent; 1970 – 15 percent; 1971 – 18 percent; 1972 – 20 percent; 1973 – 19 percent; 1974 – 22 percent; 1975 – 23 percent; 1976 – 20 percent; 1977 – 21 percent; 1978 – 24 percent; 1979 – 27 percent (first year with more than 200 unwed mothers); 1980 – 24 percent.

1981 – 25 percent; 1982 – 25 percent; 1983 – 29 percent; 1984 – 30 percent; 1985 – 29 percent; 1986 – 32 percent; 1987 – 31 percent; 1988 – 35 percent; 1989 – 36 percent; 1990 – 42 percent (first year with more than 300 unwed mothers).

1991 – 43 percent (316 illegitimate births); 1992 – 43 percent (314); 1993 – 46 percent (322); 1994 – 44 percent (329); 1995 – 49 percent (359); 1996 – 43 percent (308); 1997 – 44 percent (341); 1998 – 46 percent (376); 1999 – 44 percent (370); 2000 – 45 percent (362).

2001 – 45 percent (361); 2002 – 45 percent (344); 2003 – 50 percent (375); 2004 – 48 percent (359); and 2005 – 47 percent (352).

The 38 years of state numbers show 30,329 births with 10,077 of them by unwed mothers – a rate of 33 percent. The number of births from Columbus County residents during the 1968-2005 period show a high of 908 in 1971 to a low of 694 in 1988.

The most illegitimate births were 376 in 1998, followed by 375 in 2002, and 370 in 1999. From 1997 through 2005, the number of such births ranged from 376 to 341 for the nine years.

(Next – A look at education programs, and the cost of illegitimate children.)