Ebook Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800

The record books of the county have suffered materially from lack of care by early custodians, constant handling, removals of the court house, and vandalism during the Civil War. During this latter period they were only preserved by being boxed and buried. The earliest Will Book, covering the period 1722 to 17 49, is in an especially bad state of preservation, and the absence of Will Book C will be noted. This book, taking in the years from 1759 to 1761, was destroyed by the Federal soldiers. It will be found, however, that the wills, administrators' and guar dians' bonds covering the period of the lost book are recorded at the end of Will Book B, 1749 to 1759, the last entry in Book B being recorded 7 December, 1761, and the first entry in Book D being also dated 7 December, 1761. The loss of Will Book C, therefore, is not irrepar able. Again, though there seems to have been no Deed Book I, no records are missing, because Deed Book J begins where Book H ended. In View of these circumstances, and since the value of a transcription depends entirely upon its exactness and conformity with the original, the greatest care has been taken in the preparation of this volume.