Daily AncestorFather-in-law
Father-in-law could mean stepfather in older records, the mother's later husband, as well as a spouse's father.
Father-in-law today means the father of one's spouse. An older meaning, still listed in dictionaries, is stepfather: the man one's mother married after the father died.
When a child under age names a father-in-law, or an orphan's guardian is called father-in-law, read it as stepfather and look for the mother's remarriage.
As seen in a recordCounty court minutes, 1800s
Appeared Jas. Moore, father-in-law and guardian of the minor children of Wm. Pitt decd.
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Daily Ancestor. "Father-in-law." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/father-in-law. Last checked 2026-10-01.