In the court records for my ancestor, Mary Bowden, she was identified as 
Mulatto (Westmoreland County 1737). In the court records for my ancestors 
Charles and Ambrose Lewis (King George County, 1771), they were called, 
"Mulatto Bastards", and ordered to serve indentures to a Mr. Buckham. The 
courts were not involved for the welfare of the child, the intent was to put 
some form of servitude on Mulatto offspring. You should check out Hennings 
Statutes at Large, which outlined the laws as they pertained to Mulatto 
children.  If it was for the welfare of the children why would the indenture 
be for thirty years for females & twenty years for males? Also the mothers, 
if they were free, were usually run out of the county. This was a punishment 
that was not afforded to white fathers.

Maybe we are referring to different types of indentures.

Abuta

>From: Paul Heinegg <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history         
>      <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Indian servants & the Courts
>Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:07:56 -0500
>
>Usually the court ordered the churchwardens or overseers of the poor to 
>bind out children of single women (or even parents the court thought 
>weren't doing a good job). As I understand the records, it was not a matter 
>of choice. The churchwardens probably took into some consideration the 
>wishes of those indentured, and the court would order the churchwardens to 
>bind the child out to someone else if abuse was indicated.
>Paul

_________________________________________________________________
Picture this – share your photos and you could win big!  
http://www.GETREALPhotoContest.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM&loc=us