The child could be an orphan, that is, without two parents. The young widow might find herself in reduced circumstances and want to find a home for her child or children. It is not unusual to find children of three years of age being bound out. A boy could bind himself to a master, usually with the consent of a parent. The Justices of the Peace of the Orphans Court made many such indentures, often naming the mother in the contract, as consenting.
Indentures generally follow the same form.
At the termination, the child was provided with some appropriate tool of the trade, a spinning wheel for girls, and a new suit of clothes. The child agreed not to marry, to obey his master, keep good habits, and be a good apprentice. Indentures terminated when the child became of age, boys at 21, girls at 16. 1998 D. V. Russell. This information is provided by Donna Valley Russell, CG , active Genealogy researcher since 1970.