The author of the article in "The Source" is not clear on the exact time period covered. It seems to cover the colonies and states up to 1862, even though she refers to statutes passed by the "states". Very few statutory exceptions were found. Most of the information was taken from "The Law of Baron and Femme......" by Judge Tapping Reed published in 1862. The implication of the table is that the legal age requirements were fairly static and fairly general up to 1862. However, we probably don't need to complicate the issue of ages of legal action by going beyond Colonial Virginia and North Carolina. This is the period and area which would be of greatest use to genealogists on this list. Hopefully, there is someone on the list who is familiar enough with Colonial Virginia law to give us more specific information as to whether the age requirements cited are correct for VA and which ones were simply presumptive and which ones could or would have been routinely waived by a county court. In other words, which ones were generally applied and would help us estimate an age for a person. I don't think many people are particularly interested in the law per se. Among those legal actions possible in the Colony of VA, based on the article, were: At birth: Inherit (also, an unborn child could inherit) At age 5: Attend school At age of discretion (14 male, 12 female): Marry [Subject to parental consent law.] Witness documents Testify in court Choose guardian Serve as apprentice [presumably, below this age, court action was necessary] Show land to processioners (male only) Sign contracts Act as executor At age 16: Be taxed Muster into the militia Procession land Take possession of land holdings At 18: Practice Trade Release guardian (female only) Bequeath personal property by will [Statutory] At 21: Release guardian (male) Own land [Some states allowed females to own land at 18. Not clear if VA was or was not one of them] Devise land by will Full poll responsibility for taxes Plead or sue in court Be naturalized Fill public office Serve on jury Vote Another age that might help us is the minimum age to sign a petition, if there was one. Apparently, it was not 21 as the Library of Congress states on its website. There was at least one complaint from an Anglican that Baptists were having infants [minors] sign their petitions