Daily AncestorGuardianship
Guardianship is the legal role of managing a child's person or property, given by a court when a parent has died or cannot act.
A guardian of the person looks after a child's daily care, while a guardian of the estate manages money and property. Courts appointed guardians for minor children who inherited property.
Guardianship files include bonds, annual accounts and the court's orders, and often give the children's names and ages. Later accounts show how the money was spent and when each child came of age.
As seen in a recordCounty court minute book
ordered that Saml. Ross be appointed guardian of Wm., Jas. and Mary Hart, orphans of Jno. Hart
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Guardianship." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/guardianship. Last checked 2026-10-01.