Daily AncestorCourt minutes
Court minutes are the clerk's running record of what a court did each day it sat: cases heard, verdicts, orders, appointments and wills proved.
Minutes were written during or right after each session. In Georgia superior courts they list cases, indictments, bonds, verdicts and sentences; probate minutes record wills, dismissions and caveats.
In Virginia, minute books held brief entries taken on the spot, while order books gave a neater, more complete version. Where one set is lost, the other may survive, so check both.
As seen in a recordCounty court minutes, 1800s
Monday, Oct. 8th. Court met. Present, the justices. The last will of Jno. Hart, dec'd, was produced and proved by the oaths of the witnesses thereto
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Court minutes." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/court-minutes. Last checked 2026-10-12.