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== History  ==
== History  ==


Probate records have been kept by 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 by at the county level in [[Virginia]] by the general court and by the county and circuit courts. In independent cities, probates are now kept by the clerks' offices of the circuit courts.  
 
The following events affected political/jurisdictional boundaries and record keeping.
 
*1607 - Founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.
*1624 - Virginia established as a crown colony with an elected General Assembly.
*1710-1740s  Passes leading to Shenandoah Valley were discovered. Emigrants from Pennsylvania and New Jersey began to enter the valley.
*1750-1784 - Land grants made to the Ohio Company encouraged exploration beyond the Alleghenies. Much of this was later ceded to Pennsylvania.1770s The Wilderness Road opened Virginia into Kentucky. That area later became Kentucky.
*1784 - Virginia ceded its claims north of the Ohio River to the United States. 
*1788 - Virginia became a state.
*1792 Kentucky became a separate state.
*1861-1870 Most of Virginia joined the Confederacy, although fifty western counties broke off and were admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia in 1863. Virginia was readmitted to the Union in 1870. <br>
 
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.
 
Although a number of Virginia records have been destroyed, research in Virginia counties can still be successful.
 
*A brief history of the settlement and boundary changes of&nbsp;Virginia and the resultant effects on record keeping can be found on [http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=History_of_Virginia Ancestry]. ($)
*A discussion of Virginia Probate Records written by Johni Cerny and Gareth L. Mark for ''Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources ''can be found at [http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=Virginia_Probate_Records Ancestry].($)


== Records  ==
== Records  ==
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The wills of colonial Virginians may have been proved locally, or abroad. Many wills were probated in London and Edinburgh.  
The wills of colonial Virginians may have been proved locally, or abroad. Many wills were probated in London and Edinburgh.  


=== Proved in Virginia&nbsp; ===
=== Proved in Virginia  ===


Excellent&nbsp;printed&nbsp;indexes to Virginia's wills and administrations are available for the period for the early 1600s to 1865:  
The best place to start '''pre-1800''' searches for wills and administrations is on the website of the [http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas08&local_base=CLAS08 Library of Virginia].<ref>This index is an expanded version of Clayton Torrence's ''Virginia Wills and Administrations, 1632-1800''. 1930; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985. {{FHL|540441|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 P22t}}; {{FHL|371231|item|disp=FHL Film 29274}}.</ref>


*Torrence, Clayton. ''Virginia Wills and Administrations, 1632-1800''. 1930; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985. {{FHL|540441|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 P22t}}; {{FHL|371231|item|disp=FHL Film 29274}}. A revised and updated edition is available for free online at the Library of Virginia's [http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas08&local_base=CLAS08 website].
For the period '''1800 to 1865,''' see the 10-volume:
*Pippenger, Wesley E. ''Index to Virginia Estates, 1800-1865''. 10 vols. Richmond, Va.: Virginia Genealogical Society, 2001-2008.&nbsp;{{FHL|1035393|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 P22p v. 1}}.


Pippenger's book references&nbsp;all types of probate records, including inventories, accounts, etc.
*Pippenger, Wesley E. ''Index to Virginia Estates, 1800-1865''. 10 vols. Richmond, Va.: Virginia Genealogical Society, 2001-2008.&nbsp;{{FHL|1035393|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 P22p}}.
 
Pippenger's book references all types of probate records, including inventories, accounts, etc.  


=== Proved in London  ===
=== Proved in London  ===
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*Coldham, Peter Wilson. ''North American Wills Registered in London, 1611-1857''. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. {{FHL|1384506|item|disp=FHL Book 942 P27c 2007}}.
*Coldham, Peter Wilson. ''North American Wills Registered in London, 1611-1857''. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. {{FHL|1384506|item|disp=FHL Book 942 P27c 2007}}.


Many English wills mentioning Virginia (and some Scottish and Irish wills)&nbsp;have been&nbsp;reproduced in the Virginia Colonial Records Project (Library of Virginia). For a guide, see:
Many English wills mentioning Virginia (and some Scottish and Irish wills)&nbsp;have been&nbsp;reproduced in the Virginia Colonial Records Project (Library of Virginia). For a guide, see:  


*Walne, Peter. ''English Wills: Probate Records in England and Wales With a Brief Note on Scottish and Irish Wills, A Special Report of the Virginia Colonial Records Project'', 2nd ed. Richmond, 1981.
*Walne, Peter. ''English Wills: Probate Records in England and Wales With a Brief Note on Scottish and Irish Wills, A Special Report of the Virginia Colonial Records Project'', 2nd ed. Richmond, 1981.


If you find a will abstact that interests you in Walne's or Coldham's&nbsp;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:  
If you find a will abstact of interest in Walne's or Coldham's&nbsp;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:  


*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills (1384-1858)], courtesy: The National Archives,&nbsp;UK.<br><br>
*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills (1384-1858)], courtesy: The National Archives,&nbsp;UK.<br><br>  
*[http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/user/subscriptions.php#record_sets PCC&nbsp;Wills Index and Images (1384-1858)], courtesy: The Genealogist. (in progress)
*[http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/user/subscriptions.php#record_sets PCC&nbsp;Wills Index and Images (1384-1858)], courtesy: The Genealogist. (in progress)


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*[http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Wills &amp; Testaments (1513-1901)], courtesy: Scotlands People
*[http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Wills &amp; Testaments (1513-1901)], courtesy: Scotlands People
== State Statutes  ==
Understanding the&nbsp;Virginia probate laws and how they changed over time can help us learn how the estate was administered, taxed, and distributed and might help to solve difficult genealogical problems.
Additional information about&nbsp;Virginia state statutes relating to probate matters can be found at law libraries. Online digital versions of state statutes can often be found by conducting a search engine search for the term, "Virginia statutes."


== Statewide Record Collections  ==
== Statewide Record Collections  ==
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*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. {{FHL|78100|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 P2cb}}.
*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. {{FHL|78100|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 P2cb}}.


*King, George H.S. "Copies of Extant Wills from Counties Whose Records Have Been Destroyed," which was originally published in ''Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine'', was reprinted in Volume 4 of ''Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine''.<ref>John Frederick Dorman, "Review of ''Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine,''" in ''The Virginia Genealogist,'' Vol. 26, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1982):59. Digital version at [http://www.americanancestors.org/search.aspx?Ca=098&amp;amp;Da=285 American Ancestors] ($). {{FHL|33159|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 26 (1982)}}</ref>  
*King, George H.S. "Copies of Extant Wills from Counties Whose Records Have Been Destroyed," which was originally published in ''Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine'', was reprinted in Volume 4 of ''Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine''.<ref>John Frederick Dorman, "Review of ''Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine,''" in ''The Virginia Genealogist,'' Vol. 26, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1982):59. Digital version at [http://www.americanancestors.org/search.aspx?Ca=098&amp;amp;amp;Da=285 American Ancestors] ($). {{FHL|33159|item|disp=FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 26 (1982)}}</ref>


*McGhan, Judith. ''Virginia Will Records''. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1982. {{FHL|488373|item|disp=FHL Book 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|488373|item|disp=FHL Book 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''.
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*[http://genealogy.about.com/library/authors/uclittle1d.htm Sources for Virginia Genealogy Research] at About.com has a bibliography of sources for learning about Virginia Probate Records.<br><br>  
*[http://genealogy.about.com/library/authors/uclittle1d.htm Sources for Virginia Genealogy Research] at About.com has a bibliography of sources for learning about Virginia Probate Records.<br><br>  
*Jurisdiction information&nbsp;of Virginia courts can be found at the [http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/burned_juris/Jurisdiction_info.htm Library of Virginia] Internet site.&nbsp;
*Jurisdiction information&nbsp;of Virginia courts can be found at the [http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/burned_juris/Jurisdiction_info.htm Library of Virginia] Internet site.&nbsp;
== State Statutes  ==
Understanding the&nbsp;Virginia probate laws and how they changed over time can help us learn how the estate was administered, taxed, and distributed and might help to solve difficult genealogical problems.
Additional information about&nbsp;Virginia state statutes relating to probate matters can be found at law libraries. Online digital versions of state statutes can often be found by conducting a search engine search for the term, "Virginia statutes."


== References  ==
== References  ==
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<references />  


{{Virginia|Virginia}}
{{Virginia|Virginia}}  


[[Category:Virginia|Probate Records]]
[[Category:Virginia|Probate Records]]
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