A child was considered a minor until he/she attained the age of 21. When John Sheldon died in August of 1806, the court of Massachusetts, on January 6, 1807, appointed his widow, Persis, to be the legal guardian of their two minor children, Seth, born in 1787, and Polly, born in 1794. It is important to note that guardianship was understood as a financial, rather than an emotional, relationship. The widow needed the official warrant even if she was the children’s biological mother; it was not uncommon to appoint a male relative of the deceased father as guardian.
Henshaw, Samuel. Guardianship Appointment to Persis Sheldon. January 6, 1807. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l99-176/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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