Daily AncestorWarned out
Warned out meant a New England town had formally told a newcomer to leave, so the town would not have to support them if they became poor.
Warning out was a New England practice from the 1650s to the early 1800s. The selectmen issued a warrant and the constable served it on newcomers who might become a town charge. A warned person was not always forced to leave, but the warning freed the town from the duty to support them, and some families were sent back to their previous town.
Vermont tried to end the practice by law in 1817. For genealogists the warnings are valuable: they often name family members and the town the person came from, and they record poor people and women who left few other traces.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Warned out." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/poor-relief/warned-out. Last checked 2026-10-03.