Virginia Probate Records

United States   Virginia    Probate Records

Record Synopsis
Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence. They may also include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. For further information about the probate process, types of probate records, analyzing probate records, and to access a glossary of probate terms, see United States Probate Records.

Probate records have been kept at the county level in Virginia by the general court and by the county and circuit courts. For the colonial period, dozens of Virginia wills were proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London, England. In independent cities, probates are now kept by the clerks' offices of the circuit courts.

In probate case files you may find wills, inventories, appraisals, accounts, and bonds. Probate records may also be included in deed books and court order books.

The original probate records are at the county courthouses or at the Library of Virginia. The Family History Library and the Library of Virginia have microfilm copies of many probate records for most of the counties in Virginia. These include wills up to the 1860s and 1870s and indexes up to the 1940s and 1950s. For example, from Fairfax County the library has administration bonds (1752-82), will books (1742-1866), and a will index (1742-1951).

Proved in Virginia
Excellent printed indexes to Virginia's wills and administrations are available for the period for the early 1600s to 1865:


 * Torrence, Clayton. Virginia Wills and Administrations, 1632-1800. 1930; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985. ; A revised and updated edition is available for free online at the Library of Virginia's website.
 * Pippenger, Wesley E. Index to Virginia Estates, 1800-1865. 10 vols. Richmond, Va.: Virginia Genealogical Society, 2001-2008.

Pippenger's book references all types of probate records, including inventories, accounts, etc.

Proved in London
Virginia wills and administrations proved in London have been abstracted and published multiple times. Each edition is listed here, as some are available online, while others are not. In addition, publishers included more detailed abstracts in some editions than others. The 2007 edition includes a place-name index that enables users to pluck out Virginia references:


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1610-1699. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1700-1799. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. Digital version of 1991 reprint available at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1800-1858. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. American Wills &amp; Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1610-1857. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1989. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. American Wills Proved in London, 1611-1775. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London, 1611-1857. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007.

If you find a will abstact that interests you in Coldham's books, it is now possible to view digital images of the original Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills online at two United Kingdom pay-per-view websites:


 * Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills (1384-1858), courtesy: The National Archives, UK.
 * PCC Wills Index and Images (1384-1858), courtesy: The Genealogist. (in progress)

Proved in Edinburgh
The wills of some Virginia residents were proved in Edinburgh, Scotland, see:


 * Dobson, David. Scottish-American Wills, 1650-1900. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1991. Over 2,000 citations including name, occupation, residence, and date.

Most of these references were taken from the Commissariat Court of Edinburgh (now the Sheriff Court of Edinburgh) and the Index to Personal Estates of Defuncts, 1846-1866. If you find a will abstact that interests you in Dobson's book, it is now possible to view digital images of the original records online at a United Kingdom pay-per-view website:


 * Wills &amp; Testaments (1513-1901), courtesy: Scotlands People

Published Abstracts
For abstracts of early Virginia wills, the following reference books are available:


 * Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in the Virginia Wills and Administrations, 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987.
 * Currer-Briggs, Noel. Virginia Settlers and English Adventurers, Abstracts of Wills, 1484-1798, and Legal Proceedings, 1560-1700, Relating to Early Virginia Families. Three volumes in one. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1970.
 * McGhan, Judith. Virginia Will Records. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1982. Excerpted and reprinted from The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary Quarterly Historical Magazine, and Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine.

Statewide Record Collections
A helpful inventory of probate records at the Library of Virginia is:


 * Vogt, John, and T. William Kethley, Jr. Will and Estate Records in the Virginia State Library: A Researcher's Guide. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Publishing Company, 1987.
 * Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 database, Ancestry. (http://ancestry.com) includes wills from the counties of Augusta, Isle of Wight, and Norfolk.

Online Resources

 * Index to Wills and Administrations to 1800, courtesy: Library of Virginia.
 * Probate Inventory Database: Virginia and Maryland Probate Inventories 300+ Transcriptions Recorded 1740 - 1810, courtesy: Gunston Hall Plantation.
 * Chancery Records Index (search online database with digital images)

In addition, as mentioned above, many of the standard works on Virginia probate records are now available on the subscription website Ancestry.com.

Web Sites
The Library Of Virginia Archives And Research Services 800 East Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 Tel: 804-692-3500 www.lva.lib.va.us