Fluvanna

Fluvanna County Genealogy Records, Wills, Indexes to Probate Records

Fluvanna County was once part of Henrico County, an original shires of the Virginia Colony which was divided in 1727 so that the Fluvanna County area became a part of Goochland County. In 1744 Goochland was divided and the area presently known as Fluvanna became a part of Albemarle County. Finally, in 1777, Albemarle County was divided and Fluvanna County established. Actually, the James River and the Rivanna Rivers run through the county. The Fluvanna River and was the name given to the James River which ran west of Columbia. Fluvanna means “Anne’s Rive”” in honor of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. The county seat is Palmyra.

The Difficult Task of Tracing Families

It is easy to trace several families through modern birth, death and cemetery records. Also, the availability of 20th century census records is pretty smooth. However, when the time-frame includes records prior to 1850, difficulties begin to arise. The next step after the census, are court house records. That is, deeds, estates, wills, marriages, tax digests, receipts, vouchers, sales, inventories, annual returns and so on. However, the loss of court house records through fires and mishandling of storage, not to mention the War of 1812 when the British burned census records in Washington, D. C. There comes a time when the genealogist must become analyze the situation and determine where next to search. Therefore, with the absence of records, it behooves the genealogist to cast his eyes in a broader spectrum, noting the names of relatives, neighbors, witnesses, and so on and following that trail. A great deal of activity occurred within communities themselves between the families, i.e., weddings, funerals, land purchases, and so on. Religious communities moved in unison across the map. Too, the history of the region, names of early settlers, persons listed in the tax digests and original land grants, all of these factors form the pieces of a puzzle begging to be resolved. If one simply reads the wills of unrelated persons (within the community), a pattern of friendships and relatives emerges. Whose lands did your ancestor’s adjoin? The answer to that question might be discovered in the tax records as well as in the last will and testament of one of the neighbors. The Vestry records of churches measure parish land boundaries, howbeit their vague measures and descriptions. The list of names is a beginning. Deed records also provide descriptions, mention dates and the grantees of original land grants, and so on. List of Traced Virginia Families on this website.

Indexes to Probate Records

Wills, Inventories, Estates 1777 to 1808
Wills, Inventories, Estates 1808 to 1823

Images of Wills, Inventories, Estates 1777 to 1808, Book 1

Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, Orphans, Guardians, Bonds 1808 to 1823, Book 2

Fluvanna County Genealogy Records, Wills, Indexes to Probate Records

The Difficult Task of Tracing Families

Indexes to Probate Records

Images of Wills, Inventories, Estates 1777 to 1808, Book 1

Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, Orphans, Guardians, Bonds 1808 to 1823, Book 2

The Old Jail

Join Our Newsletter

Biographies of Revolutionary War Soldiers