Huntingdonshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

Huntingdonshire Probate Records (view source)

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+[[England]] [[Huntingdonshire]]
 For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here]].
-Return to the main [[Huntingdonshire|Huntingdonshire<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1238613836555_679" />]] page.
+== Getting Started  ==
+Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his/her&nbsp;heirs.&nbsp;
+In order to find a probate record for your ancestor, you must answer two questions:
+#When did your ancestor die?
+#Where did your ancestor live or own property?
+A key date is 1858, when probate authority was taken from the ecclesiatical courts of the Church of England and given to&nbsp;the civil government.&nbsp;
+*If your ancestor died before 1858, his/her probate would have been proven by an ecclesiatical court and it is important to know where he/she lived, as that will determine which courts had jurisdiction.&nbsp;
+*If you know where your ancestor lived before 1858, you should go to the '''Court Jurisdictions'''&nbsp;section below&nbsp;to determine what courts had jurisdiction over your ancestor's place of residence.&nbsp;
+*Beginning in 1858, probate authority was&nbsp;vested in&nbsp;the '''Principal Probate Registry''' system.&nbsp; For more information, scroll to the '''Post-1857 Probate Records''' section at the bottom of the page.
+Once you have answered the two questions and determined the courts, look for indexes.  Indexes will be found on the individual court pages (when you click on a court name) or in the '''Probate Indexes''' section below.<br><br>
 == Huntingdonshire Probate Courts  ==
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 == Post-1857 Probate Records  ==