Guardianship records
Jacob Roland {LR7R-C52} my possible great great great grand father. There is a will for jacob Rowland . Will dated August 2, 1785.
it states that 2 orphan children Gasper {MLT1-LV5} and Frena being the children of Jacob deceased.
then on a different source it states that Gasper Rowland {L84K-B6Z}who is Gasper Rowland’s paternal grandfather is named his grand son’s guardian.
i have two problems with this !
- is this said guardianship legitimate.
- all I have is that “A” Gasper and his sister are son and daughter of jacob
. i do not know if this is my Gasper or not all i have are the names no other identifying facts about them.
how do i find i out the answer to the question is this my gasper?
Comments
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It was not unusual for a grandparent to be named guardian for a grandchild, even if the mother is still living. Women had little or no "standing" in the 18th century. However, if the grandson is the same Gasper (son of Jacob) it seems odd that the grandfather is not also the guardian for Frena. It would help if you knew the ages of Gasper and Frena at the time. It looks like Jacob died in 1779 and the will was not proved until 6 years later. Do you know when the guardian was appointed? If Frena was older than Gasper, she may have had some birthdays and reached the age of majority before the appointment of a guardian and, therefore, did not need a guardian.
Do you have the complete will and the complete guardianship order?
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Here is what I have the will and the guardianship.
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@MrYeliab Looking at "Grandpa" John Gasper's page in the tree I am really impressed with the timeline! I don't know if you did all the research, but it is a job well done.
A few observations: You mentioned a will for Jacob, but I can only see the court order of guardianship of his children and an inventory of his estate. Did he have an actual will with mention of his children? Are there any clues to your Gasper's year of birth, other than census records? It seems that since this guardianship record is dated seven years after Jacob's death, that there would be more records in the court of common pleas concerning the initial care of his children. As Robert Wessel commented, mothers did not automatically have guardianship of their children.
Going on the assumption that Jacob is the father of your Gasper, the proof shifts to finding evidence that he was with his grandfather in the years between childhood and his marriage in Kentucky. The 1790 census for grandpa John, does show 3 males under the age of 16 and his own children would have been in their 20's. If your Gasper was born in 1777 he would have come of age to pay taxes in about 1798 and if found on the same tax roll as his grandfather, that would be good evidence. It appears that John moved to Kentucky in about the fall of 1798, so you have more than one place to look for records. I see that you have documented many land deeds. Did your Gasper purchase land in Kentucky? If so, what other Roland's purchased land in the same area, especially adjoining land?
The task ahead of you may be NOT to prove the lineage of Jacob and grandpa John Gasper, but to FAIL to disprove it. I see that there is another possible set of parents for your Gasper. Are there events in their timeline that don't seem to fit with your Gasper? Can you prove that connection wrong?
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