Assignee has nothing to do with binding out, etc.--very roughly, it means the same as "grantee." One person could assign (grant) his right to a piece of property (usually personal property in olden times, but also real estate) to someone else--that person was then his assignee. My genealogy dictionary "A to Zax" (very handy) says this: Assignment: a transfer in writing of the title or interest in any kind of property from one party to another. Assignee: 1) a person to whom an assignment is made, usually used in speaking of personal property; 20 anyone who legally possessed a bounty warrant or donation certificate by purchase or gift; 3) a person who had a warrant, but was not the person to whom it had been issued. From what I have read or found in records, children were bound out for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes they were orphans, sometimes their parents could not support them, and sometimes their parents simply wanted them to learn a trade. I have found a couple of cases where the children of a remarried widow were bound out, possibly to get them out of the house. If it was the Overseer of the Poor doing the binding, however, it was generally orphans or children who were at the public charge for whatever reason--this was a way of providing for them. If you find that website, let us all know! Best wishes, Martha Grenzeback graymatters@alltel.net At 12:35 PM 1/11/2005 -0500, DRKessinger wrote: >In deed verbiage (1700's) what does "assignee" mean, i.e., I've found where >an individual issued his "assignee" a land patent. Is the assignee like an >individual that is in an apprenticeship, a child placed with a guardian, an >individual bound out (another good one - "bind"), an individual brought to >the colonies at another's expense and assigned??? to someone else, what? > >When minute books, etc. state that the "Overseer of the Poor" or another >person of some title was going to bind a child to another adult individual >what does this indicate? Were the parents likely dead or indebted or did >parents do this to their own children? Was it for the purpose of paying >debts, merely teaching a trade, or were these children identified as >unlikely to succeed without intervention - what? > >Someone once gave me a website for definitions of old but I can't seem to >locate it. If you don't know the answers maybe you are familiar with this >site and would be so kind as to point me there. > > > >==== OLD-FREDERICK-CO-VA Mailing List ==== >OLD-FREDERICK-CO-VA LIST ADMINISTRATOR >Old-Frederick-Co-Va-Admin@RootsWeb.com > >============================== >Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for >ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: >http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx