Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Northumberland County (Va.) Wills, circa 1792-1904. Local government record collection, Northumberland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Northumberland County under the accession number 43283.

Historical Information

Northumberland County probably was named for the English county. It was formed about 1645 from the district of Chickacoan, the early-seventeenth-century name for the region between the Potomac and the Rappahannock rivers.

Individuals dying with a written will died testate. After the death of an individual, his or her will was brought into court, where two of the subscribing witnesses swore that the document was genuine. After the will was proved, the executor was bonded to carry out his or her duties to settle the estate. The court then ordered the will to be recorded.

Scope and Content

Northumberland County (Va.) Wills circa 1792-1904, record the deceased's plan for how his or her estate was to be divided among his or her heirs following his or her death. Information commonly recorded in wills include the name of the deceased, also referred to as the testator; names of heirs; a listing of real and personal property (including slaves) and how it was to be divided among the heirs; names of individuals who were to be the will's executors; the date the will was written; and the date the will was recorded at the court house.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date recorded in court.

Related Material

Additional Northumberland County Wills can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Northumberland County (Va.) Circuit Court

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History
• Estates (Law) -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Land subdivision -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Slavery -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Northumberland County

Geographical Names:

• Northumberland County -- History

Genre and Form Terms:

• Estate inventories -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Probate accounts -- Virginia -- Northumberland County
• Wills -- Virginia -- Northumberland County

Adjunct Descriptive Data