Grayson

Names of Families in Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy, Wills, Estates, Indexes to Probate Records

Grayson County was formed in 1792 from Wythe and Patrick Counties; it was the parent of Carroll County. The books listed below contain inventories, wills, appraisements and guardians returns.

Where to Find Special Genealogy Collections not Available to the Public

There are all sorts of genealogical collections out there. For this reason, it is impossible for a single web site to contain everything. Since the early 1900s, Americans have readily collected family data and later had it microfilmed and placed in libraries and archives. They did it to prevent the valuable family history being lost. Although libraries and archives are digitizing data, it is often but a shell of their collection and they would require a substantial budget to do a thorough job. It is more of an invitation, “come in and see what we have.” In other words, one needs to visit that institution in order to view actual documents or databases. In addition, there are persons (like myself) who have collected and maintained a wide stream of information. Sometimes this data gets added to a website, however, for the most part, is unavailable to the public. In my instance, I had some of it published dating back to the 1960s (Genealogical.com), but mostly my full collection remained in private files. Eventually, all of my files were put online Georgia Pioneers comprising data in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia –It comprises about 700M records! To my knowledge, to date I have not seen this much genealogy posted online by an individual! And since I love genealogy and continue to collect documents and rare data, there is more to come! It would be ideal if all such collections were readily available, but we are not there yet!

Armorial Bearings and Coats of Arms

If you are fond of antiques and come across some old English silver, examine the piece to see if you can find a family insignia stamped on the bottom. Those who possessed a legal right to the coats-of-arms engraved symbols on personal property. Such items were listed in the inventories of their estates. Also, the custom of carving coats-of-arms upon tombstones was a general practice in the colony (as it was in the Mother Country). It was not an uncommon provision for the deceased in his last will and testament to provide that the coat-of-arms should be stamped in brass (or chiseled) upon his tombstone. In 1674, Colonel Richard Cole gave directions that a slab of black marble, bearing his coat-of-arms be engraved in this metal and that, after his death, it should be purchased in England, brought over, and laid on the spot where he desired his body to be buried. This is the sort of information found in the old Wills and Estates which provide interesting stories to pass down. Source: Westmoreland County Records, Vol. 1665-77, page 186.

Indexes to Probate Records

Wills and Estates 1796 to 1839
Wills and Estates 1839 to 1849

Images of Wills and Estates 1796 to 1839

Images of Wills and Estates 1839 to 1849

Learn if your Ancestors were in Grayson County

Take Advantage of the Names on this page to learn more about your ancestors. If one of your names is found, you might want to glean more information about the relatives by viewing the old will or estate. Using this index makes it so easy to learn where your ancestors resided! Due to damaged and unreadable colonial wills, all of them did not get listed in traditional resources. As we examined and read each page, however, we were able to compile a more complete index. Of course, the will as originally transcribed still exists in the county records, and it is a good idea to use the colonial interpreter included with the index

The Legend of "Two Brothers"

The story of “two brothers” coming to America in a barrel is simply a tale spun by relatives. An examination of the earliest passenger lists reflects that a great many persons traveled to the colonies alone and under the patronage of wealthy patrons. In Jamestown, they did well to acquire a wife for themselves. The London Company brought women over for that sole purpose. However, the massacre of 1622 killed many persons. If you wonder why your ancestor made several trips back to England on the “Supply ships”, it was to find a wife to bring to the colony. After the initial colonization, other members of the family followed on other vessels and they did not always locate in the same vicinity. While the London Company was sending people to Virginia, other families were on similar voyages destined for New England. A close examination of the names of New England immigrants discloses the similarity of names with Virginia immigrants. I have an ancestor who left Jamestown three times to return to England for another wife. While he was on the second voyage bound for Virginia (with his second wife), her parents (Wicker) were traveling to New England. Since passenger lists frequently list the name and age of the person and port of embarkation, it was easy to discern that the Wickers were of the age to have been her parents and this opened up other avenues of research. For one, the port of embarkation was Gravesend. Thus, a search of the London parish registers revealed the necessary christening dates, marriages and mortuary which helped trace the lineage back further in time. The real story is there. We simply have to exhaust all possibilities.