Margie,

Infants were bound out when their mother died and the father was unable
to provide a nurse to care for the child.

It was the duty of the parents to train their sons in a trade or to be a
farmer so that they could support themselves when they became adults.
Their daughters were to be trained in domestic arts so they could cook,
make clothing, clean, etc. If the parents could not provide the
training, the Church Wardens during the Colonial Period and the
Overseers of the Poor after we became a state, took over the
responsibility of providing the training and the care of the children.

Older children were bound out when their father died leaving a very
small estate, so that the mother could not support the child.  If their
mother died after her husband, the children were bound out at that time.

I have read at least two wills where the father instructed that their
children be bound as apprentices to specific people to learn a trade.

There is a court order in Elizabeth City County, ordering the children
of a Mr. Frazier be bound out because he was not taking care of them.

Sometimes members of the orphaned child's family took the orphaned child
into their family and raised the child themselves.  There are not any
court records when this occurred. 

You should look in the Henrico County Order Book that covers 1734-1735
to see if you can find a reference to the death of the father or another
reference to the father that explained why he could not care for the
child.

One of Mr. Frazier's children was bound by the Elizabeth City County
Court to a man in Amelia County.  This is the only time I have seen this
happen.  It is possible that it happened on other occasions in other
locations.

Louise Jones 
-----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Margie Puckett Barton
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2011 11:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-ROOTS] Orphan bound by church wardens

I have a copy of the court document from 1735 where the church wardens
of 
Bristol Parish, Henrico County, Va bound a child to his uncle. 

I am kind of new at researching court records and I assume there should
be 
something before the court orderthat made the court do this, but I don't
know 
what to look for.

Thanks,
Margie

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