Middlesex County was formed from that part of Lancaster County on the south side of the Rappahannock River sometime between 24 March 1669 and 22 May 1669. The earliest wills are recorded in the first Order Book for 1673-1680. There are no Will Books for 1680-1698 but the Order Books showing probate dates of all wills and inventories and many guardian accounts are extant and are abstracted in the current volume. Between 1713 and 1740, there are a number of years when the wills are missing but almost all of the Order Books exist and are abstracted here to furnish a listing of all recorded wills, inventories and guardian accounts. Except for the years 1726 through 1732, when neither Will Books nor Order Books are extant, an almost complete reconstruction can be made of the names of those whose deaths resulted in probate in Middlesex County from 1673 to 1812. Inventories and/or accounts of persons who died without leaving wills are of special importance as they may be the only record of the relationship of the heirs to the decedent. Too, these estate records were often brought to court for recording some years after the death of the decedent and may provide the names of heirs who are now grown men with wives and women with husbands who are to share the estate. A name index of over eight thousand individuals is included. This volume is a must for anyone with families in Middlesex County!
William Lindsay Hopkins
1989, paper
107-Mdwi
