Janet, this is another one of those "bugaboos" that's hard to decipher. A person was considered an "orphan" if their father was dead, but their mother was still living. Therefore, they were appointed(or they could choose after a certain age) a male guardian. Your ancestor's guardian was probably her step father, and he may have received an allowance from her deceased father's estate to help support her. And he may not have been legally entitled to it until after 1814. ???? It's anybody's guess. B. MacKie