Split Up When One Parent Died?

In some families the death of one parent may have left the surviving parent with more children than they could handle. Younger children may have gone to live with relatives; older ones may have gone to work nearby as a hired laborers, housekeepers, apprentices, etc.; others may have simply run off if there were too many mouths to feed.

In families that lived hand-to-mouth, the death of one parent may have sent the family into a tailspin.