In a message dated 6/4/2007 10:49:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Another thing I've been told by the NJ Archives is that Guardians were usually only appointed when there was a need to "protect" a sizeable estate left by the deceased parents. Since there were no Orphan Courts in the earlier years, this type of "appointment" would have been noted in other records, such as the Will Proving or Land titles. If there was no money or land involved, underage children were just "taken in" by relatives and/or close friends. Carol ----- Carol- I have not found this to always be the case. Just because it wasn't until a 1784 law that Orphans' Courts were established doesn't mean that other courts didn't process the same types of actions before that time. The prerogative court which later became an appelate court handled these matters. I have found many a guardianship record for children of deceased fathers of moderate means. Usually someone was appointed guardian to ensure the financial well-being of the minor children while the mother (provided she was still living) retained the custodial guardianship. There is some basic information about guardianship in the RootsWeb Guide leson 30: http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson30.htm Joan ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.