Probate records and wills are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.
What can you find in these records? How about date of death, spouses and children names, birth order, siblings and siblings spouses, parents names, and residence locations for all named persons. Also, ownership of land and/or other significant property, business names and occupation, military service, guardianships, and adoptions. Basically anything owned by the deceased is typically listed and to whom it is to be assigned to.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on the probate process – all I know is that I have discovered an amazing amount of good information from probate records and wills as part of my personal genealogy research.
Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:
- FamilySearch – United States Probate Records
- Wills and Probate Records are Genealogy Riches
- How to Use Wills and Estate Records to Learn About Your Ancestors
- Probate Records Could Be the Key to Unlocking Your Family’s Hidden Past
Below, listed by state are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online.
Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired will or probate record in an index, that the holder of the actual materials (e.g., (archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.
Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.
(Updated October, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Accomack County Accounts of Fiduciaries, 1780-1787, 1851-1894
- Accomack County Accounts of Fiduciaries, 1849-1903
- Accomack County Administrator and Executor Bonds, 1784-1962
- Accomack County Administrator and Executor Bonds, 1797-1863
- Accomack County Inventories, appraisements and Accounts of sale, 1828-1893
- Accomack County Official Bonds, 1827-1906
- Accomack County Records of Fiduciaries, 1850-1969
- Accomack County, Wills, deeds, and orders, general indexes to Wills, 1663-1922, 1632-1640, 1663-1881
- Albemarle County, Will Books, no. 4, 5, and 6, 1798-1820
- Albemarle County,Abstract of Wills, inventories, and administration accounts 1748-1800 : Will Books
- Alexandria County Administrator’s Bond Book, 1847-1850
- Alexandria County Executor’s Bond Book, 1847-1850
- Alexandria County Fiduciary Bond Book, 1851-1877
- Alexandria County General Bond Book, 1850-1855
- Amherst County, Abstracts of Wills, inventories and administration accounts 1761-1800, Will Books 1-3
- Bedford County, index of Wills from 1754 to 1830
- Culpeper County, Will Abstracts
- Culpeper County, Will Books B and C, court suits, loose papers, inscriptions
- Essex County, Records, 1717-1722 Wills, inventories and settlements of estates, no. 3, 1717-1722
- Franklin County Will Book, v. 2, 1804-1901
- Franklin County Will Books, 1786-1906 ; General Index, 1786-1948
- Frederick County, Abstracts of Wills, inventories, and administrations accounts
- Fredericksburg Deeds and Wills Index 1727-1920
- Giles County Bond Books, 1833-1921
- Giles County Will Books, 1806-1924 ; General Index to Wills, 1806-1953
- Goochland County, Wills and deeds
- Green County, Stanardsville, Will Book no. 1 & 1A
- Isle of Wight County Records, 1634-1951
- Isle of Wight County Wills Abstracts
- Isle of Wight County, Probate bonds, 1837-1907
- Isle of Wight County, Probate Records, 1769-ca. 1900
- Isle of Wight County, Wills and administrations 1647-1800
- Isle of Wight, Fiduciary Records, 1906-1930
- Isle of Wight, Guardian Records, 1766-1879
- Lancaster County, Court Records, Will Books 28 & 29
- Lancaster County, Wills and Probate information
- Lancaster County, Abstracts Wills 1653-1800
- Lee County, Court Records
- Lee County, Index to Will Book no. 1, 1800-1868
- Loudon County Wills Indexes
- Lunenburg County, Wills, 1746-1825
- Madison County, Wills, 1793-1820
- Marshall County Wills, loose papers, 1848-1856
- Mecklenburg County Clerk’s Order Book, v. 2, 1921-1931
- Mecklenburg County Decrees, 1843-1844
- Mecklenburg County Fiduciary Books, 1765-1947
- Mecklenburg County Guardians’ Bond Book, 1765-1850
- Mecklenburg County Index to old orders etc. of interest, 1767-1837
- Mecklenburg County Will records, 1765-1922 ; General Index to Wills and list of heirs, decedents, 1765-1948
- Orange County Wills and Probate Records
- Orange County Final chancery decrees, 1868-1900
- Orange County Guardians Accounts, 1825-1852
- Orange County Index to Wills, 1734-1947 ; Will Books, 1735-1906
- Pittsylvania County, A list of Wills, 1800-1870
- Pleasants County Bonds, 1854-1952
- Pleasants County Inventories of estates, 1851-1929
- Prince Edward County Abstracts of Wills : Books nos. 1-7, 1754-1837
- Prince George County 1733-1792 : Abstracts of Record Books and Miscellaneous Wills
- Prince George County, Record of marriages and Wills 1801-1850
- Rappahannock County, Will Books 1829-1877
- Rappahannock County, Wills, 1656-1692
- Roanoke County General Index to mixed Probate Records, 1838-1953; mixed Probate Records, 1838-1903
- Rockingham County Administrators’ Bonds, 1778-1874
- Rockingham County Bond Books, 1873-1898
- Rockingham County Bond Books, 1905-1920
- Rockingham County Executors’ Bonds, 1778-1854
- Rockingham County Fee Books, fiduciary Accounts, 1924-1952
- Rockingham County Fiduciary Bond Book, 1865-1969
- Rockingham County Fiduciary Bond Books, 1873-1903
- Rockingham County General Indexes to Wills and Fiduciaries, 1787-1979
- Rockingham County Settlement Books, 1871-1904 ; Index to Will Books and settlement Books, 1864-1886
- Rockingham County Will and settlement Books, 1867-1903
- Rockingham County Will Book, 1803-1862
- Shenandoah County, Will Records, 1771-1791
- Southampton County Abstracts Will Book 1, 1749-1762 : with inventories and accounts
- Southampton County, Wills and Administrations, 1749-1800
- Spotsylvania County Deeds and Wills Index 1722-1921
- Spotsylvania County Guardian, Administrator and Executor Bonds, 1849-1851
- Stafford County Estate Accounts, 1827-1834, 1852-1873
- Surry County, Probate Records
- Tazewell County Probate Records Index
- Virginia Index to Wills and Administrations
- Virginia Will Abstracts pre-1799
- Virginia, Probate Records, eighteenth century
- Westmoreland County Will Abstracts
- Westmoreland County General Index to deeds, 1653-1898; mixed deeds and Wills, 1723-1868
- Westmoreland County Miscellaneous Land and Probate Records, 1654-1790
- Westmoreland County Records and inventories of estates, 1723-1746, 1752-1756, 1767-1776, 1790-1867, 1942-1944, 1967-1968
- Westmoreland County Will Index, General Index to Wills, 1653-1950
- Westmoreland County, Wills, 1654-1800
- Wythe County, Will Books 1-2, 1790-1822
- York County Estate Inventories
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Virginia Links, click on the category of interest:
