There's been some confusion RE: the legal status of Yaba's kids, which I believe follows from poor reading comprehension. This is
not a knock against my fellow farmers; rather, I think this is what happens when our sweet, sweet milk flows out onto Twitter and YouTube.
Let's start with a recent status update from Gina (below), which coinceded with Sam saying we ought to "put some respect" on the name of Jessie's widow:
View attachment 5779888
Seems Indiana does not recognize common law marriage (e.g,
link), which means Jessie has no widow.
By extension, Jessie's children are bastards (i.e., no Indiana marriage record -- Gina, Yaba, etc.)
Per Indiana law, if you are listed as the father on the birth certificate (and ONLY if), the children get to take your surname -- hence, Yaba;s kids (
here -- thanks, Yaba!)
This does not, however, constitute a financial obligation. You want the father to be financially responsible? Marry him prior to the relevant child's birth or fill out a paternal affidavit.
Failing that? Take the purported father to court. Which Yaba did. Then dropped the claim. Would love to know why.
Also interesting that prior to Jessie's death Gina was just "the girlfriend," which ain't a great way to describe your ex's common law wife (for the record, very superficial scan of streams prior to Jessie's death).