In the response about John Dent it was noted that "I have also received a new tithable list from Loudoun in which my Solomon Hardy had a tithable in 1768. If he was 21 years of age, his birth date would be 1746 or earlier." Does anyone know at what age the young men were considered to be tithable? Years ago I had found a reference in Maryland indicating that in the late 1600s and early 1700s the age was 16. At the same time they had to be 21 to enter into court proceedings. Wasn't 16 considered to be "coming of age" and some fathers entered a cattle mark for them at that age? Is there anything in the early laws or church records to answer these questions?

The age was 16. See Hening's Statutes, 6:40 at: http://www.vagenweb.org/hening/ The later volumes are not yet on-line, but I am certain that had not changed by the 1768 list of your interest. Rick Saunders http://genealogypro.com/fsaunders.html -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.2.0/756 - Release Date: 4/10/2007 10:44 PM