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== Record Synopsis == | == 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.”<ref>Henry Campbell Black, ''Black's Law Dictionary,'' 5th ed. (St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co., 1979), 1081, "probate."</ref> 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 [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/United_States_Probate_Records United States Probate Records]. | 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.”<ref>Henry Campbell Black, ''Black's Law Dictionary,'' 5th ed. (St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co., 1979), 1081, "probate."</ref> 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 [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/United_States_Probate_Records United States Probate Records]. | ||
== History == | |||
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 the Archbishop of Canterbury|Prerogative Court of Canterbury]] in London, England. In independent cities, probates are now kept by the clerks' offices of the circuit courts. | 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 the Archbishop of Canterbury|Prerogative Court of Canterbury]] in London, England. In independent cities, probates are now kept by the clerks' offices of the circuit courts. | ||
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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). | 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). | ||
== State Statutes == | |||
== Repositories == | |||
==== Local ==== | |||
==== Regional ==== | |||
==== National ==== | |||
=== Proved in Virginia === | === Proved in Virginia === | ||
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*[http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Wills & Testaments (1513-1901)], courtesy: Scotlands People | *[http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Wills & Testaments (1513-1901)], courtesy: Scotlands People | ||
=== | === 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. {{FHL|975.5 P23v}}<br> | |||
For abstracts of early Virginia wills, the following reference books are available: | For abstracts of early Virginia wills, the following reference books are available: | ||
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*McGhan, Judith. ''Virginia Will Records''. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1982. {{FHL|975.5 P2v}} 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''. | *McGhan, Judith. ''Virginia Will Records''. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1982. {{FHL|975.5 P2v}} 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''. | ||
= | Other online collections include: | ||
*''[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7832 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. | |||
*[http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/opac/willsabout.htm Index to Wills and Administrations to 1800], courtesy: [http://www.lva.virginia.gov/ Library of Virginia]. | |||
* | *[http://www.gunstonhall.org/library/probate/index.htm Probate Inventory Database: Virginia and Maryland Probate Inventories 300+ Transcriptions Recorded 1740 - 1810], courtesy: [http://www.gunstonhall.org/ Gunston H<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1282923693437_398" />all Plantation]. | ||
* | *[http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/ 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 [http://www.ancestry.com Ancestry.com]. | |||
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== Learn More == | |||
==== Published Materials ==== | |||
=== Web Sites === | === Web Sites === | ||