The term guardian accounts can be misleading. These records span a greater range of human activity than one might envision. The fact that a child has lost his father creates records which reveal older siblings, widows and their new husbands, uncles, aunts, division of land, questions of guardian abuse, spouses of the older children – all the stuff that genealogy is made of!
These records are filled with genealogical information covering a period in which there is a scarcity of data – from the 1750s to the 1850s. Information on relationships between parties is often revealed (stated or implied). Ages are evident, sometimes exact and other times approximate. Approximate dates of death can also be inferred. Clues to relative wealth are interspersed throughout. Names of court officials in the proceedings have been omitted for purposes of economy. Records are grouped by the decedent’s surname.
Mary Marshall Brewer has gleaned a myriad of records, condensing and re-arranging them in a most useable package. An index to full-names and places adds to the value of this work.