Guardianships

Guardianship - it is important to know:

infants were children under age - not necessarily young children

orphan meant the minor child of a deceased father

In early times a guardian was the guardian of an inheritance; not necessarily in charge of the children - this means poor fathers who had nothing to leave their children will not be in guardianship records untill later in the 19th century. Guardian's might also be referred to as a curator

wives could be appointed guardians for their children but just as common were some sort of male relative who would give account for expenses paid out of the inheritance

husbands could be appointed guardians of their wives if she had an inheritance coming to her when reaching a certain age

poor children who had no inheritance were often bound out - these may be found in guardianship books, orphans court records, county court minutes and sometimes even in deed books.

In many counties quarterly or yearly reports were required of guardians to account for any money spent on the children's behalf out of their inheritance