Sandra, It would depend on if the person had an estate to leave. (Some didn't.) If there was an estate, an administrator would be appointed by the court, appraisers would be appointed (also by the court), and then the estate inventory and an appraisal of the estate would be returned by the respective parties. Then there was usually a sale (or sales) of at least part of the property - whatever didn't go directly to the eldest son. At the end of the notation about the sale(s), the heirs might be listed as receivers of their share of the proceeds. If the real property was entailed prior to the current owner, then it would go directly to the next "tail" - the eldest son, or the next male heir in line, and may not be mentioned in the court records at all. Also, the widow would be entitled to her widow's "thirds", if she so chose. There may be an accounting of what her third of the property would be. If the estate was very simple and the distribution straightforward (only 1 heir, for example), there may be no record of the passing of property from one generation to another until it sells out of the family. -Nancy -----Original Message----- From: Tom & Sandra Stephens [mailto:twssls@flash.net] Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 1:33 PM To: VAFAUQUI-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Dying Intestate in VA If a man died without a will in VA about 1773, what other records might one find concerning his estate? Were letters of testamentary required, for example, or would there be an inventory of the estate recorded? Thanks, Sandra ______________________________