The concern was that every person have a means of support and not become a burden of the county. Orphans with property had no problem because someone would take the responsibility in return for the profits from the property. I read that a stud bull was often left to an orphan child because that would be attractive to the local community and someone would agree to be guardian. Children with no property had nothing to attract a guardian but still needed to be housed and fed. They were a charge on the poor house until someone took them. They were bound out to a responsible person who agreed to feed, clothe, house, and sometimes teach a trade, in exchange for their labor until they reached 21 yrs. The person who took the child had to sign for a bond and someone had to stand surety -- to assure that the terms of the bond would be carried out. The child was also bound by the legal document and could not leave or change without permission of the court. Several of my more well-to-do ancestors had orphans bound to them for periods of time. Sometimes the bond was changed and the orphan bound to someone else -- with no evidence of why. Perhaps the orphan was unsuitable for the particular trade, perhaps the adult was no longer able to provide room and board or no longer needed as much help -- his own sons growing old enough. Lynne Hundley ---------- > From: Bob Foster <rlfost@campusnet.org> > To: VABEDFOR-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [VABEDFOR-L] "Bound Out" -- Meaning of the term? > Date: Monday, March 22, 1999 5:19 PM > > Can anyone tell me what precisely the term "bound out" meant, as in to > bind someone over to another in the 1700s? I have a rough idea of what it is, > but I am in the dark about many specifics regarding why and how this process > was conducted. I have seen one example where a young man who had lost his father > was bound over to another to learn a trade, but this seemed to be a remedy for > maltreatment by his step-father. > > Here is the particular example I am currently working with: > > Campbell Co, VA Order Book 1, p. 243 > October 1783 --"Ordered that the Church Wardens of Russell Parish bind > out George Cohorn (who was formerly bound to Alexander Dobbins) to > Christopher Griffith. . ." > > And at what age might this arrangement be expected to be terminated? > > Thanks, Bob Foster > > > ==== VABEDFOR Mailing List ==== > The VAGenWeb's Surname Register is located at URL: > http://people.delphi.com/fspradlin/vasurnam.htm