Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
1870 custody question?
If a man were to get custody over a child he didn't know he had in 1870, how would it be done? In the book I'm writing the man had gone to prison for like, a week over a crime i'm not sure of yet, and he finds out the chimney sweep boy he became friends with is actually his son. How would he get custody of him if he had gone to jail and the boy is an apprentice of a master chimney sweep? thank you :)
4 Answers
- Madame MLv 74 years agoFavorite Answer
"Custody" I think is kind of a new concept. The guy might convince his son to run away from his master, and they start a new life in a new town. Nobody would really be checking up on these things. What can the guy offer the kid that the chimney cleaner can not? It sounds like a dumb question, but if the guy has been in prison and isn't a model citizen, the kid might be better off with real employment rather than bumming around with some guy who says he's the father.
How does the guy even know the kid is his?
The guy could also pay off the master, if he's got the money. Guys who have employed chimney sweeps didn't really have a literary reputation for being kind, taking care of their charges and protecting them from strangers with money . . . .
- 4 years ago
I'm not going to do the research for you, but I want to point out that the answer depends a lot on which jurisdiction the story happens in.
