PUBLIC "-//Library of Virginia//TEXT (US::Vi::vi01405::A Guide to the Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records, 1652-1793)//EN" "vi01405.xml" A Guide to the Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records, 1652-1793 Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records 1111599-1111602, 1111605-1111608, 1111611-1111612, 1111614-1111615, 1111617-1111618, 1111620-1111622, 1146602, 1146605-1146621, 1147030-1147031 Callie Lou Freed Library of Virginia © 2005 By the Library of Virginia. All rights reserved.

Conditions of Use

ca. 01 Kilobytes

Machine-readable finding aid derived from Archives Database, created by Callie Lou Freed, 2 August 2005 Description is in English 2013-11-21 Converted to schema conforming EAD by dtd2schema.vh.xsl. A Guide to the Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records, 1652-1793 A Collection in the Library of Virginia 1111599-1111602, 1111605-1111608, 1111611-1111612, 1111614-1111615, 1111617-1111618, 1111620-1111621, 1146602, 1146605-1146621, 1147030-1147031 Callie Lou Freed

Library of Virginia 2005 Library of Virginia Staff Library of Virginia Descriptive Summary Library of Virginia Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records, 1652-1793 1111599-1111602, 1111605-1111608, 1111611-1111612, 1111614-1111615, 1111617-1111618, 1111620-1111622, 1146602, 1146605-1146621, 1147030-1147031 37 vol. (9394 p.) Volumes are negative photostatic copies and originals. English Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Use microfilm copies, Lancaster County, Reels 1-7.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records, 1652-1793. Lancaster County Reels 1-7, Local Government Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

The original manuscript volumes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Lancaster County.

The negative photostatic copies were compiled and created by the Virginia State Library's (now the Library of Virginia) Archives Division, under the accession numbers 20158-20160, 20165, 20169, 20172, 20174, 20175, 20196, 20198, 20199, 20200, 20203-20204 and 20223-20224 from the original court records found in the Lancaster County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Microfilm reels 1, 3-5 and 7 were generated by The Genealogical Society of Utah. Microfilm reels 2 and 6 were generated by the Virginia State Library's Microfilm Section.

Historical Information

Lancaster County was formed from Northumberland and York Counties in 1651. It was probably named for the English county.

The deed was signed by the grantor, and possibly his wife or anyone else having a claim to the property, and by at least two witnesses. On presentation to the court, deeds were proved and recorded. If the deed was not witnessed, the grantor acknowledged the deed in open court.

Individuals dying with a written will died testate. Individuals dying without a will died intestate. After the Revolutionary War, when Virginia's general inheritance law took effect, all heirs of intestate estates inherited equally.

Scope and Content

Lancaster County (Va.) Deeds, Wills and Records, Book numbers 1-2,4, 6-7, 9, 11-19 and 21, 1652-1793, record deeds (deeds of bargain and sale, lease and release and deeds of gift); wills(including the name of testator, list of heirs and year will was proven in court) and records (such as inventories and appraisements, lists of sales of estates, estate accounts, settlements of estates and settlements of administration and guardians' accounts) for Lancaster County. Volumes 13 and 17 contain order books. These volumes also include other record categories, usually found in county court order or minute books, such as apprentice indentures, powers of attorney, sheriffs' bonds, allotments of dower rights, election polls, road orders, selling of property, and orphans'accounts. Unless noted otherwise, volumes contain unnumbered, alphabetical indices.

Arrangement

Chronological with the exception of Deeds, Wills, Records, Parts 1 and 2, Number 2, 1653-1702.

Adjunct Descriptive Data Related Material

Additional Lancaster County Land Records and Wills can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Separated Material

The original volumes are found at the Library of Virginia's State Records Center.

Access Terms Lancaster County (Va.). Circuit Court. African Americans--History. Estates (Law)--Virginia--Lancaster County. Land subdivision--Virginia--Lancaster County. Slaveholders--Virginia--Lancaster County. Slaves--Virginia--Lancaster County. Lancaster County (Va.)--History. Appraisals--Virginia--Lancaster County. Court records--Virginia--Lancaster County. Deeds--Virginia--Lancaster County. Estate inventories--Virginia--Lancaster County. Fiduciary records--Virginia--Lancaster County. Land records--Virginia--Lancaster County. Local government records--Virginia--Lancaster County. Order books--Virginia--Lancaster County. Probate records--Virginia--Lancaster County. Will books--Virginia--Lancaster County. Wills--Virginia--Lancaster County. Contents List Deeds, Wills and Records, Number 1, 1652-1657 1146602(copy)

This volume contains Wills, 1652-1653.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 1, Number 2, 1653-1662 1111617(original),1147030 (copy)

For practical purposes, this volume was divided into 2 separate books. Part 1 covers pages 1-242.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 2, Number 2, 1662-1702 1147031(copy)

Part 2 covers pages 243-461. An unnumbered grantee-grantor index is found at the end of this volume. Wills are referenced in the grantor index. An interesting historical reason for the creation of this volume is found on page 461. This volume also contains deeds from 1700-1702(pages 399-461.)

Deeds, Wills and Records, Number 4, 1666-1682 1111605(original) ,1146605 (copy)

This volume contains one will, 1671.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Number 6, 1682-1687 1111618(original),1146606 (copy) Record Book (Deeds, Wills and Records), Number 7, 1687-1700 1111607(original),1146607 (copy) Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 1, Number 9, 1701-1708 1111608(original),1146608

For practical purposes, this volume was divided into 2 separate books. Part 1 covers pages 1-270. An index is found in this volume.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 2, Number 9 1708-1715 1146609(copy)

Part 2 covers pages 271-537. A supplemental index is found at the end of Part 2.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Number 11, 1714-1728 1111602(original),1146610(copy) Deeds and Wills, Part 1, Number 12, 1726-1730 1111620(original),1146611(copy)

For practical purposes, this volume was divided into 2 separate books. Part 1 covers pages 1-172. An index is found in this volume.

Deeds and Wills, Part 2, Number 12, 1730-1736 1146612(copy)

Part 2 covers pages 173-364.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 1, Number 13, 1736-1740 1111615(original),1146613(copy)

For practical purposes, this volume was divided into 2 separate books. Part 1 covers pages 1-173. An index is found in this volume. This volume contains Order Book No. 8, 1729-1743.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 2, Number 13, 1740-1743 1146614(copy)

Part 2 covers pages 174-344.

Deeds and Wills, Number 14, 1743-1750 1111611-Part I(includes index), 1111614-Part II(originals), 1146615(copy)

Numbered index found at end of book. An additional estate inventory is found on page 329 of index.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 1, Number 15, 1750-1754 1111612(original),1146616(copy)

For practical purposes, this volume was divided into 2 separate books. Part 1 covers pages 1-165.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Part 2, Number 15, 1754-1758 1111622(original),1146617(copy)

Part 2 covers pages 166-329. An index is found at the end of this volume.

Deeds, Wills and Records , Number 16, 1758-1763 1111621(original),1146618(copy)

An index is found at the beginning and end of this volume.

Records (Deeds, Wills and Probate Records), Number 17, 1763-1767 1146621(copy)

This volume contains deeds, wills and estate appraisements from pages 1-35. Order Book Number 12, 1764-1767, is found following the previous volume and covers pages 1-268. This volume contains information on court attendance, guardians' appointments, apprentice indentures, chancery causes, military appointments, grand jury presentments, wills, judgments and estate settlements. A numbered index is found at the end of the volume.

Deeds, Wills and Records, Number 18, 1764-1770 1146619(copy)

This volume contains a marriage bond, depositions and numerous wills.

Deed Book, Number 19, 1770-1782 1111601(original),1146620(copy)

This volume includes Oaths of Allegiance, inquisitions and a mill report.

Deed Book, Number 21, 1782-1793 1111600(original), 1111599-Part I, 1111606-Part II(copies)