This actually took place in Kentucky in the 1840s, but I thought this VAROOTS list would be the most likely to be of some help. There is a document; actually two documents, one dealing with three children and the other with one child, all four the youngest children in a family of ten or so. The three eldest sons in this family are posting bond, promising to pay so much money to each of these four children who are underage when they come of age. (more to the youngest, who is really an infant). The four are called infant orphans, which I understand just means they are underage. The words are crossed out, as is the reference to their father as deceased. And this is truly the case, because he wasn't deceased, and as far as I can tell, never lived apart from them or gave them up for adoption or deserted the family or anything like that, because they are all found together in subsequent census records. The father did not die until 1864 when he was 80 years old and the child! ren were all adults. The only reason I can come up with for this document is that the father had recently settled some land on each of the three elder boys, who then promised to pay a set amount on each young child when they came of age, and this was simply a way to make sure the younger children were provided for--sort of in lieu of a will. Has anyone else ever encountered a document like this? Your views would be appreciated. Mary Miller