Daily AncestorBond
A bond is a written promise to pay a set sum if certain duties are not carried out, as when an administrator posted bond for an estate.
In older records a bond is a promise by a person and his sureties to pay a stated penalty if he fails to perform a duty. Administrators, executors, guardians and officials signed them as a guarantee.
The sureties who signed with the principal may have been relatives or neighbors, so note their names even when the bond says nothing about relationships.
As seen in a recordOpening of an administrator's bond
Know all men by these presents that we, Jno. Hart, Wm. Bell and Saml. Ross, are held and firmly bound
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Daily Ancestor. "Bond." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/bond. Last checked 2026-10-01.