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Sussex Probate Records: Difference between revisions
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''[[England]] | ''[[England]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Sussex]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] Sussex Probate Records'' | ||
== Getting Started == | == Getting Started == | ||
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==== Step 1. Search Indexes ==== | ==== Step 1. Search Indexes ==== | ||
Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Sussex. | Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Sussex. Search these indexes first: | ||
*[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml] -- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place. | *[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml] -- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place. | ||
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Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. | Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. | ||
Determine ''where'' your ancestor died. | Determine ''where'' your ancestor died. It is easier to find a probate record if you know whether the place where your ancestor lived or died is a [[P genealogical glossary terms|parish]]. To learn whether it is a parish, look it up in a gazetteer. Here is a link to the 1872 ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' online: | ||
*[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain] | *[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/index.jsp Vision of Britain] | ||
The gazetteer will either | The gazetteer will either tell you: | ||
*A | *A place is a parish, or | ||
*What parish it is a part of, or | *What parish it is a part of, or | ||
*What place it is near. | *What place it is near. | ||
If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish. | If the latter, look that place up in the gazetteer and see if it is a parish. | ||
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Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''. | Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''. | ||
==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish | ==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish ==== | ||
Once you have identified the parish where your ancestor lived or died, learn which courts had jurisdiction over it then search indexes for those courts. Every town and parish in Sussex fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. Click on a link below for the letter the parish begins with. | Once you have identified the parish where your ancestor lived or died, learn which courts had jurisdiction over it then search indexes for those courts. Every town and parish in Sussex fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary courts. Click on a link below for the letter the parish begins with. | ||
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<br> | <br> | ||
==== Step 4. | ==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record ==== | ||
Once | Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods: | ||
*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection. Sussex has two record offices, the [http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/localandfamilyhistory/esro/default.htm East Sussex Record Office] and the [http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/libraries-and-archives/record-office/ West Sussex Record Office]. If you are unable to visit a record office, they both provide a research service for a fee. | *Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection. Sussex has two record offices, the [http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/localandfamilyhistory/esro/default.htm East Sussex Record Office] and the [http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/libraries-and-archives/record-office/ West Sussex Record Office]. If you are unable to visit a record office, they both provide a research service for a fee. | ||
*Visit the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/FHL/frameset_library.asp Family History Library] or | *Visit the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/FHL/frameset_library.asp Family History Library] or a [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp family history center] and obtain a copy of the record on microfilm. For more information, click on a court name below. <br> | ||
== Sussex Probate Courts == | == Sussex Probate Courts == | ||