I have a question about appointing guardians for children in the 1700s when the father died but left a widow. There are a couple cases in my Kent and Queen Anne's families in the 1700's where, with the father already dead, the mother, in her will, designated a guardian for the children. This makes sense since both parents had died. However, in all cases where the father died leaving a widow, no provisions were made in any of these wills for a guardian. My genealogy friends in England tell me that, in England at least, it was customary to name a guardian in this case (that is, even when the mother was still living). Was this true in Maryland at the time? If so, was the guardian usually named in the will or was there a separate judicial process for naming a guardian? If it was not customary to name a guardian when the mother was still living, what rights or powers did she have over properties and monies specifically left to her minor son? I should point out that all of these cases involved bequeaths to minor sons of the fine houses, very large pieces of properties, and substantial amounts of currency. Any information about the relevant customs or laws at the time will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Bruce Bruce L. Nicholson, Professor Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology University of Maine Orono, Maine 04469 USA Tel: 207-581-2800 Fax: 207-581-2801 email: [email protected]