Dear subscriber of New Kent Co., VA I will try to be on the look-out for your Randolph ancestor in early Albemarle Co. In the meantime, try this VA State Library website: http://image.vtls.com/collections/cc_archive.html#gene Some Virginia wills, inventories, administrations from Clayton Torrence's book are listed above. Of course, much NEW (really old) material has been found since he published his book. The Antient Press (www.antientpress.com) has published some early records of Albemarle Co. Their books are not cheap--but they are so thorough that the compilers (the Sparacios) won several awards--and the blessings of many of us genealogists--for their diligence! Take a look also on that URL at the Virginia land grants, particularly for Jones. I do know there were some Joneses in Albemarle Co., as one of my Harris ladies married a Foster Jones, whose father is said to have been Mosias Jones, formerly of Louisa Co. Look for the name Overton as I believe that Jones and Overton were some early patentees in Virginia, and they probably clustered in the same places. Suggestion for finding an ancestor (or a present-day cousin) on the internet: Try search engine www.google.com Put the proper name of your ancestor in quotation marks. Up will come MANY li stings (at least for Jones), but by scurrying through the few words that appear, you will be able to determine whether there is any genealogical info. Click on the word "cached" in case anything turns up which interests you. Even though a name is uncommon, it seems there may be someone of current days who has that name!! Frustrating, but interesting! For instance, I was looking for a brother-in-law of one of my ancestresses. His name was Jeremiah Poston of early Caswell Co., NC. Darned if there is not some scientist (I think I remember) who now bears that name!!! Please be aware that Hanover Co. records (except for land grants and some merchants' accounts, the latter published in some recent volumes of The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy and a vestry book - I think) have largely been destroyed, making it one of Virginia's famed "burned counties." However, many Louisa Co. records still exist, Louisa Co. having been formed in 1742 from Hanover Co., and the early deeds of Louisa Co. refer to many residents of Hanover Co. For Louisa Co., the parent county of Albemarle, Mrs. Rosalie Edith Davis of Manchester, MO has abstracted/published the deeds and some tax lists and some vestrybooks and processioning records (Fredericksville Par.) of Louisa Co. I have her e-mail address should you be interested in purchasing any of her very reasonably priced paperbacks. These were published many years ago, and I know she is still selling them, but I'm not sure of her age--so a word of caution--buy while you can. If they have nothing of interest to you, donate them to your favorite genealogical library. That's what I do, and at times, people come up to me at that library and thank me for donating that book--he/she has found an ancestor there!!! I do not have J. Estelle King's book of Albemarle Co. wills. It is at a nearby LDS library, but I am so busy when there (I volunteer and at times teach a class) that I don't do look-ups for people. I'm sure there is a copy of King's book at the VA State Library in Richmond. Please see if the book has been filmed by LDS. Check their online catalog at www.familysearch.org The link to the catalog is on the lower right, and just above it is a link to over 3,000 worldwide Fam Hist Centers. Hope there is one near you. If so, you can order the film from Salt Lake City for a small fee. Otherwise, you can request a special form at your LDS center for photocopies to be made of the index of King's book. Then later, you can order the pages that apply to your ancestors. There is a small fee, but it's cheaper than your going to Salt Lake City! While searching the catalog, search for all the places where your ancestors lived. You will be amazed at the holdings of the Fam Hist Library--many of which have been filmed. Also, ask your public librarian about interlibrary loan, especially from the VA State Library. I was able to borrow recently from a KY community college a book on early Kentucky land grants. It had to be read in my own country library, but it was a lot cheaper than buying the book. Do your book & film window shopping at the FHL catalog, and if the book has NOT been filmed, ask your librarian about interlibrary loan. Print out the listing so that you can provide as much info as possible. Most librarians, at least in California, are NOT interested in family history--except that of celebrities, so we genealogists have to educate them. (My apologies to librarians who are genealogists--a rare breed, indeed!) Incidentally, the Randolph family was very prominent in Virginia during colonial times. This is from processioning records of Fredericksville Parish, Louisa Co. concerning a Randolph: (p. 54 of vestrybook) In obedience to an Order of Vestry dated 28th Sept. 1752, we have peaceably & quietly processioned all the land in our precincts Except one line between John Jouet & Mathew Jouet one line between Thos. Balld. Smith & Bev. [Beverly] Randolph and one line between the said Randolph & John Holt who fail'd to give their attendance. 26th March 1752. (Rosalie Edith Davis, FREDERICKSVILLE PARISH VESTRY BOOK INDENTURES AND PROCESSIONG RETURNS 1742-1787, Vol. 2 [Manchester, MO: Published by author, 1981], p. 17) Incidentally, although I know little of the Randolphs, I have collected a fair amount of info on the father of Matthew and John Jouett: Matthew Jouett the elder. Reasons: 1) One John Jouett married one of my Harris ladies 2) the sister of these brothers by the name of Henrietta Jouett married one Joseph Williams later of Lunenburg Co., VA. Joseph Wms. is one of my great-umpteen uncles! See if your local library has copies of Cavaliers and Pioneers, which are abstracts of the aforementioned land grants of colonial Virginia (but not Northern Neck). You are bound to find some Randolphs!!! E.W.Wallace (female)