Probate, Estates & Guardianship
Wills, administrations, inventories, and guardian bonds that name heirs and property.
Estates name heirs, relationships, property, and sometimes enslaved persons. Guardian and apprenticeship records identify minors. Many early Virginia wills and estate papers survive in county/city clerks’ offices and at the Library of Virginia (including chancery causes).
- Search both testate (wills) and intestate (administrations) paths.
- Read inventories and sales—buyers are often relatives and neighbors.
- Watch for multi-county estates when land straddled new boundaries or city lines.
- Use LVA’s chancery records index for equity suits that can run for decades.