In my own research in SE Pennsylvania I have found that more frequently underage "half-orphans" (as the query called them) were put in an orphanage when their mothers died because the father had to work and could not care for the children. In my own research, when fathers died I have more frequently seen underage children that a mother could not care for were sent to live with siblings or cousins of the father or the mother rather than to an orphanage. These observations may just happen to be true for the families I have researched and I am not implying that a generalization should be made from the circumstances I've observed. Nelson R. Sulouff ////////////////////////////// ----- Original Message ----- From: Sahara346@aol.com To: PALANCAS-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 2:56 PM Subject: Re: [PALANCAS] Orphan Court question Early laws were such that if the father died, the children were orphans, whether the mother was still living or not. I have a Gish family that shows up in Orphan's Court pre 1850, but the mother was still alive in the 1880s. Karen