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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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A child was not thought to be an adult until he/she reached 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 2 children, Seth, born in1787, and Polly, born in 1794. It is important to note that this was seen as a financial rather than an emotional relationship. The widow needed the official proof even if she was the children's real mother; it was not odd to appoint a male relative of the dead father as guardian.

 

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Guardianship Appointment to Persis Sheldon

creator   Samuel Henshaw
date   Jan 6, 1807
location   Deerfield, Massachusetts
height   5.5"
width   7.75"
process/materials   printed paper, ink with manuscript
item type   Legal Documents/Government/Society Records
accession #   #L99.176


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See Also...

Letter to Widow Persis Hoyt Sheldon

Will of Persis Sheldon

Silhouette of Persis Sheldon (1785-1804)


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