It’s easy to love litigious ancestors because they often left a trail of clues along with their family’s “dirty laundry” in court records of all kinds. Brother against sister, children suing step-mothers, grandchildren versus widows —the combinations are endless. Legal battles over an estate and its division were plentiful, and depending on the state you’re working in, can be found in a variety of courts. A child of a decedent could have died between when a will was written and when it was probated, and would want to make sure things were “equally” distributed to their liking. These detailed documents can be genealogical goldmines and can go on for YEARS after a death. Some go on as long as 20 or 30 years, and when they do, they add to the genealogy and sometimes go on to name great-grandchildren, guardians of minor children and more.
This is one of many legal kerfuffles of the Estate of Minor Wilkes, Sr. of Lunenburg County, Virginia which explicitly names some children and grandchildren. One Chancery case involving one of the associated families of Minor Wilkes names more than 20 grandchildren. This suit and settlement were found in a County Order Book, and not in Chancery, but is every bit as valuable to prove relationships, marriages and even approximate ages in some cases.
Sinners + Saints Genealogy 