What does the term "stag child" mean?

Question:

What does the term "stag child" mean?

My boyfriend's mother is trying to work on creating a family tree and they went to some gravestones to verify some info and came across one with a name, the date under it, another name, and the words "stag child." The top name was that of a man - James, and the bottom name was ambiguous - Willie. If anyone has any ideas about this that would be great. Thanks for your help.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I had not heard this term, so I got curious and did some checking. It may be an obsolete reference. There are quite a few unusual notations on gravestones that were clearly understandable at the time. AE72, for example, means the person was age 72 when they died. GAR stands for Grand Old Republic, a popular post-Civil War organization. And C.S.A. markers can be distinguished from Union troop markers ( American Civil War) by the shapes of the tops. The Rebel markers have pointed tops "so the Yankees can't sit on them".

I found a few vague references to a stag child being the first-born child or being an unmarried child.
I also found this German law: Nationality Act (Staatsangeh㶲igkeitsgesetz, StAG). Could your boyfriend's mother have German ancestry? This law (above) was passed in 1913 and refers to a naturalized citizen.

Sorry, I can't find anything more definitive for you. You might check with your local historical society or the library for meanings of cemetery symbols.