Prince Edward County Genealogies, Wills, Estates, Probate Records
Prince Edward County, Virginia was formed in 1754 from Amelia County. It was named after Prince Edward, the second son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and the younger brother of George III of the United Kingdom. The original county seat was called Prince Edward Courthouse; it is now the village of Worsham. In 1798, the town of Farmville was formed (incorporated in 1912) near the headwaters of the Appomattox River. The county seat was
moved from Worsham to Farmville in 1871.
Probate Records and Wills available to Members of Virginia Pioneers
Marriage Bonds
Indexes to Probate Records
Index to Inventories, Accounts and Wills 1785 to 1795
Miscellaneous Wills and Estates
Collicot, James LWT ca 1770
Harris, Thomas (1792), LWT, (transcribed)
Whitlock, James
Images of Wills 1754 to 1785Testators:
Archdeacon, James | Atkins, Robert | Atwood, James | Baker, Duglass| Baker, Martha | Baker, Martha (2) | Baker, Mary | Baker, Robert | Barns, William | Beaker, Caleb | Booker, William | Bryan, Thomas | Caldwell, Thomas | Caldwell, Thomas (2) | Carter, Theodrick | Cary, William | Christian, Ann | Coffee, Peter | Collicott, James | Crisman, Daniel | Cunningham, Alexander | Davidson, John | Dearman, Michael | DeJarnett, Daniel | DeJarnett, Elias | DeJarnett, Mary | Donnel, James| Ewing, Samuel | Fielder, Thomas | Flournoy, David | Garden, James | Gillespie, Patrick |Gillespie, Robert A.| Gordon, John| Graven, John| Griffin, James| Hackley, Samuel| Harper, Edmund | Harris, Micajah| Harris, Thomas | Harrison, William | Hawkins, Benjamin | Hill, William | Hughes, Leander| Johnston, Edward | Ligon, Henry Sr. | Littlejohn, Joseph | Lugh, Zachariah | Martain, Samuel | Martin, James | Mathews, Samuel | MacCartney, James | McCroy, James | McLard, David | Moor, Royall | More, George | Nash, John | Nash, Mary | Owens, John | Price, Pugh | Read, James | Reed, John | Reed, Samuel | Rice, Charles | Rice, Joseph | Richey, Hugh | Rowlett, John | Tuggle, Benjamin | Walker, George Sr. | Watkins, John | Whitlock, Sarah | Wimbish, Benjamin | Wimbish, James | Woodson, Constant | Woodson, Obadiah | Woodson, Richard | Yarbrough, William
Images of Wills 1785 to 1795Testators: Adams, William Robert | Allen, James | Armstrong, Thomas | Baker, Samuel | Brooks, Isaac | Burks, George | Carr, Hugh | Cawthon, John | Chambers, Josiah | Childres, Robert | Clarke, John Jr. | Clark, Thomas | Cobb, Sarah | DeJarnett, John | Dixon, John | Gillespie, Francis | Hambleton, Alexander | Harper, Hannah | Hay, Daniel | Holt, Plunkett | Hughes, Jesse | Jackson, Thomas | Johnston, Henry | Lawson, Benjamin | Lewellin, Daniel | Lewellin, Thomas | Lewellin, William | Lockett, Stephen | McFeley, Manassah | Moore, Joseph | North, William | Price, Charles | Ritchie, Charles | Scott, John Scott, Mildred | Ward, Robert B. | Watts, Sarah | Woodson, Charles | Zachery, Bartholomew
Images of Wills 1795 to 1807
Anderson, William | Anderson, William (2) | Baker, Andrew | Baker, Christian | Baker, Douglass | Baldwin, Caleb | Baldwin, John | Baldwin, William | Beasley, Peter | Bever, John | Blanton, Richard Sr. | Booker, Mary | Brightwell, Reynold | Cardwell, John | Cason, Seth | Cathern, Adam | Chambers, Mary | Clarke, Joel | Downs, Margaret | Elliott, Andrew | Farley, William | Fears, James | Flournoy, Thomas | Foster, Richard | Gibson, Ann | Goode, Robert | Goode, Samuel | Hambleton, Obedience | Hartgrove, Thomas | Haskins, Thomas | Hix, John | Holland, Dick | Holland, Sarah | Hudson, James | Hudson, Thomas Sr. | Hudson, William | Hunt, Elizabeth | Huskegson, Luceasy | Jackson, Matthew | Jackson, Nancy | Jenning, Eleanor | Lewis, David | Ligon, James | Maner, Ferguson | Mason, Benjamin | Mason, William | Matthews, William | Meadows, Joel | Miller, John | Milley, Thomas | Moore, George | Morton, John | Nash, John Sr. | Neat, Stephen | Owen, Thomas | Pankey, Mary | Peek, William | Phillips, Richard | Pinick, Mary | Pinick, Charles | Price, James | Redd, Thomas | Ritchey, Mary | Ritchey, Mary (2) | Shepherd, Isaac | Smith, Henry | Thompson, John | Tucker, Joseph | Venable, Matthew | Waddell, Richard Sr. | Wade, Phillip | Walthall, Christopher | Walton, George | Watkins, Henry | Watkins, Robert | Watson, John | Williams, Willis | Winge, Andrew
English residents who were unable to pay their debts usually ended up in prison, with no hope of release. It was the ultimate condemnation for poor people and generally accepted by society. James Edward Oglethorpe (before he colonized Georgia) was an avid supporter of prison reform, especially after an artist friend died in Newgate. The friend was a popular artist who lived large. Oglethorpe struggled to get him released, but the artist was put into a cell with a person having a contageous disease and the artist soon died. However, Oglethorpe made his views known by pushing pamphlets and articles in various London newspapers. Ultimately, prisoners were given the choice of indenturing themselves to American colonists. Peter Coffey was born in Ireland and was apparently one of the prisoners of debt in Newgate Prison given the choice of the prison cell or the opportunity to indenture himself in the colonies. He put himself in bondage to come to America in the ship Forward Galley. The voyage was made in October of 1730 and 18 years later after being released from service, he was granted 220 acres of land on Vaughans Creek.
A major goal of the genealogist is to find the country (or place) of origin of his ancestors as well as other families and friends. Colonists enjoyed entertainment with them in social gatherings. They married someone in the neighborhood. Therefore, one should not overlook the community nor its historical setting. In other words, the activity of the times is history. Once the genealogist traces back to the 17th century, finding records becomes for tedious. Yet, our ancestors were part of history, and tidbits of information concerning them is scattered about in a wide variety of resources. A unique list of Origins of some of the earliest settlers to Virginia is compiled and published on Virginia Pioneers
