Index to Virginia Estates

Each volume contains a list of all estate records found in the listed city or county will books. The primary resource of information is the Library of Virginia’s microfilm; however, where will books are missing other estate records may be identified and used including, when feasible, both original and unrecorded wills, bonds of various types, appraisals, inventories, accounts, guardianships, guardianship accounts, estate divisions, plats, appointments of officials, and more.  Each entry found for an estate is indexed separately noting the source. Wesley E. Pippenger, compiler of this series, inquired at each location whether original loose wills had survived in bulk and their whereabouts.  Where possible, loose papers at a courthouse were examined for unrecorded wills.  The location of original wills in public or private archives or manuscript collections is noted when known. If you are only interested in purchasing a volume or volumes that contain the counties and cities of interest to your research, consider purchasing volume 10 as well. In addition to the counties included in volume 10, this volume also contains an addendum of references to suits found in chancery causes and a few additions and corrections to other volumes.  An alphabetical list of locations by volume is available here.

This ten–volume series contains 402,522 index entries in 7,081 printed pages, including 322 pages of prefatory materials. A comparison of selected entries by location and volume is available here.

Note: This series was originally published with a maroon-colored cloth cover (hardback). Reprinted volumes are published with a white, paper cover unless otherwise noted.

Here’s what reviewers have to say about this series:

“Normally, a book review ends with a “buy” or “don’t” recommendation. The series of which this is the first volume, however, will be such a boon to Virginia researchers that this review begins with the following recommendation: “buy it immediately”; and enter a standing order with the Society for automatic purchase of subsequent volumes as they are published.” – Helen F.M. Leary, CG, CGL, FASG

“Virginia researchers will find this work to be an extremely helpful reference that enables them to locate records quickly and efficiently. When the series of Index to Virginia Estates is complete, Pippenger and the Virginia Genealogical Society will have compiled a valuable finding aid for Virginia families in the first two-thirds of the nineteenth century. In addition, with its many references to previously unindexed records, the series will enable researchers to locate records easily that previously would have required extensive research. Serious Virginia genealogists and historians should have this work at hand and all Virginia researchers will use it frequently.” – Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL

“Imagine having 41,000 records in one index and 4,602 of them references to wills in the southwest part of Virginia. And even more helpful are the more than 3,800 guardianship bonds, and 295 military records appearing in Pippenger’s third volume of this projected ten-volume series. This is a book to buy without question, and not just for Virginians looking for their ancestors, but for those in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas and other such places where the only reference to birthplace of their ancestors is “in Virginia.” – Mary B. Kegley (from her review of volume 3)