People can abandon their baby today. In my county and state, a baby can be left at a hospital or fire station, no questions asked. Back then, in the Azores, they left the baby at the church. Sometimes, they left the baby at someone's door step, but a lot of the time, it was the church.
The reason is probably the same then as it is now. The mother was unwed. She cannot provide for the child (she's too young, she has no means to support the baby) or perhaps her parents made her give the baby up. If your ancestor's parents came forward it would be noted in his baptism margin or in a book of legitimizations. If it's not there, then his parents never claimed him. The city paid a family to raise him for 7 years. At that point, he could chose to remain with the family or make his own way. Many of these children did not live. John Raposo wrote about this a few months ago. You can find his post here https://goo.gl/OyLyJT or you can search the forum/web board archive for "exposto roda" (without the quotes) and you will find a lot about this subject. Cheri Mello Listowner, Azores-Gen Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/azores.
