- No48
Colonial will books, 1754-1779
351 wills probated in the Royal Colony of Georgia from the collections of the Georgia Archives
More About This Collection
Publisher
Record Group 049-01-005, Colony of Georgia – Will Books, Georgia Archives.
Date of Original
1754/1779
Subject
Wills--Georgia
Real property--Georgia
Georgia--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775--Sources
Location
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
Medium
legal documents
legal instruments
records (documents)
texts (document genres)
wills
Description
351 wills probated in the Royal Colony of Georgia. After Georgia became a royal colony in 1754, the governor acted as ordinary or appointed an official to carry out such duties. The ordinary probated wills, provided instructions to administrators for the inventory and appraisal of an estate, and ensured that administrators followed all legal requirements in settling the estate. These wills are the official record copy transcribed into volumes by the Ordinary. Each will includes: the name of the testator, date and residence of the testator when the will was written, bequests, and any instructions regarding the estate of the decedent. Most wills are accompanied by attestations of the will with the date the will was proved and/or the date the will was recorded. Some wills include codicils and letters of administration.
Note about digital collections and indexing
Each of these documents has several dates. The date indexed here is the date the will was proved, since this is likely to be closest to the date of the testator's death. If the date proved is not evident, the date indexed is the date the will was recorded.
Holding Institution
Georgia Archives
