North Carolina Wills

A Testator Index, 1665-1900

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This is an index to more than 75,000 persons who died and left wills in North Carolina between 1665 and 1900. With the possible exception of census records, it is the single-most important finding-aid in North Carolina genealogy. In one alphabetical sequence it lists the names of the testators, the county in which their wills were proved, the date of probate, the precise location of the recorded copy of the will in each of the counties (by book and page number), and the location of the original will. Dr. Mitchell has also provided a concise history of the probate records of all 107 North Carolina counties, giving the date of the county's formation, the territory it was formed from, the dates wills were first filed and recorded, the various record book designations, the status of the records, and the location of the original, recorded and copied wills.