What is interesting is that neither the Major family nor the public seem to find this embarassing or unusual. It is simply family history. The heartwarming aspects of Major's relationship with his new sister were emphasized. In fact, almost all genealogical software sold nowadays has alternative ways of describing the relations of parents in any family. Family Tree Maker , which I use, offers married, friends, partners, single as possibilities, as well as 'private' and 'unknown'.
Researchers are sorry to think that the last is too often the case.
The solution in the query above would be to put the wife's children down in the 'married' category and the other eight in the 'partners' category. Separate family charts would have to be made for each group, but any listing of the man's children would include everyone. I cannot help but think that the relaxing of attitudes about children born out of wedlock is a good thing. Hardline thinking on this subject has been the cause of much grief over the years, which could be tranferred into permanent print when people were excluded from family histories. It is much better to be able to tell the truth without hurting anyone.