An apprentice in colonial North Carolina does not fit our modern notion of apprenticing. In most cases, very young children from poor families were bound out to other families in service until they came of age. Young women were often apprenticed to work as servants in wealthier homes. These apprenticed women were sometimes afforded more protection from abuse than indentured servants since they were often known in the community and had family connections that were interested in her welfare. However the life of a female apprentice was in most ways the same as that of an indentured servant. There are records of children younger than 5 years old being bound out as apprentices during this time period.