Jon and Douglas make good points about the social context of these kinds
of indentures or other arrangements.  I believe young women were also put
into other homes to do domestic service -- and no doubt as this kind of
aid to parenting: John Demos's discussion of the origins of the Salem
witchcraze pointed to the inter-generational strife among females in the
community as one source and explanation for witchcraft accusations.
Obviously in Salem, the strife was taken to extremes, but one might
assume that it was common everywhere.

But that aside, I still stand by my original point that such indentures,
or household service arrangements, or "service in husbandry" were not
like adoption because there was no transferal of parental--and especially
paternal--rights.


David Kiracofe

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