Warning out of town facts for kids

Warning out of town was a way that towns in New England, United States, used to manage who lived there. It was a formal notice given to newcomers. This notice told them they might not be allowed to stay or become official residents. The main goal was to prevent new people from becoming a financial burden on the town if they couldn't support themselves.

The first recorded "warning out" happened on June 6, 1654, in Rehoboth, a village in Plymouth Colony. A man named Robert Titus was told to leave with his family. This was because he let people with a bad reputation live in his home. This practice was common during the early Colonial Period. It slowly stopped being used in the early 1800s. For example, the state of Vermont changed its law to end "warning out" in 1817.

Why Towns Used "Warning Out"

Towns in early America had a responsibility to help their residents if they became poor. Because of this, towns felt they had the right to decide who could live there. They wanted to avoid being responsible for people who might not be able to support themselves. Another reason was that if a town had debts, the property of its residents could be used to pay those debts. So, towns wanted to make sure all residents were responsible.

How Residency Worked in Early Towns

Before "warning out" became common, new people often needed a vote from current residents or the Board of Selectmen to live in a town. As towns grew, it became hard to get approval for every new person. So, towns started to separate "residency" (just living there) from "inhabitancy" (being an official, full member of the town).

People who were residents but not official inhabitants could be "warned out." This meant the town would not be responsible for them if they became poor. Sometimes, if a resident stayed for a certain amount of time without being warned out, they would automatically become an official inhabitant.