In Virginia the law of entail was abolished in 1776 and primogeniture was eliminated in 1785. After 1785, the VA law provided for equal sharing of real property among all the heirs - both male and female. An excellent source for this is C. Ray Keim, Primogeniture and Entail in Colonial Virginia, William and Mary Quarterly, Volume XXV, No. 4 (October 1968), Pages 550-551. The article may be accessed via JSTOR on site at the Library of Virginia. ____________________________________ John D. Metz, Director Collection Management Services The Library of Virginia 800 East Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 692-3607 Fax: (804) 692-2277 [log in to unmask] To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html