During both the colonial and post-colonial period in Virginia, women who were either single or widowed could make a will. Women could and did own and inherit property, both real and personal, during both periods. Barbara Vines Little, CG Dominion Research Services PO Box 1273 Orange, VA 22960 540-832-3473 [log in to unmask] CG, Certified Genealogist, is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. Judith Bailey Gabor wrote: > (Hope this serves as a new topic) > > When were women allowed to make wills? > > This is an overly broad question. I am most interested in answers > that apply to England and VA. > > I have seen wills made by women from 16th century England. > > In many cases, women were hog-tied because their husbands who > predeceased them gave them only a life estate or until the widow > remarried. If they didn't remarry, why would they need to make a > will? Maybe for personal items. > Spinsters often had outright ownership of land bequeathed them by > their father. > > Some married women also had inheritances from an ancestor or deceased > spouse that might be considered separate property. > > Hope some of you - Paul Drake maybe - can respond to my random > thoughts above. > > Thanks, Judith B. Gabor > > ______________________________________ > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the > instructions at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html