Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva's Black History

Source Information

Wills from Sussex County, Delaware, 1751-1883

Wills and Inheritance • 1,721 Records • Uploaded September 26, 2022

This source contains abstracts of wills probated between 1751-1883 in Sussex County, Delaware. Note that there are several gaps in this compilation (such as 1828-1851,1854-1855, and 1864-1869). This extract consists of entries in which individuals recorded as "Negroes" are mentioned as a legacy, heir, or deceased individual (if so identified). The book series of will abstracts compiled by Leslie and Neil Keddie were the main source for this extract; abstracts compiled by F. Ed Wright and K. Louise Planer were also used. The original libers include: B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7 (partial), L11 (partial), M12 (partial), N13 and O14.

Scans of the majority of the original wills can be found at Ancestry.com (membership required) or, if a State of Delaware resident, through the Delaware Public Archives Digital Ancestry page.

Extracted by Donna Messick.

View Records

Fields Included

The list below shows the data fields included in this source. If a field is marked as Indexed, it is searchable.

  • State Indexed
  • County Indexed
  • Liber: Folio
  • Date (Signed)
  • Date (Probate)
  • Deceased Indexed
  • Heirs Indexed
  • Abstract Indexed
Download Original Dataset