Sweden Probate Records: Difference between revisions

Probate is the legal process of administering a person's estate after their death. The records created describe the distribution of a person's estate among heirs and creditors. These records are very helpful for genealogical research because in many areas the estate inventory records predate the church records of birth and death. They also give us a more personal glimpse into the life of an ancestor because of the detailed description of personal property.

The law provided that half the estate go to the surviving spouse, with male heirs receiving twice as much as females. In cities males and females received equal portions. Although an estate inventory was obligated by law at death, often it was made only for the wife or husband which ever died first. It has been figured that only 25% had an estate inventory made. In any event it is still important to look for a probate after someone's death.

Within three months after a death, the heirs assembled at the home of the deceased along with the court-appointed appraisers (''värderingsmän'') who were experienced in the required procedures and legalities. All real-estate, household items, as well as personal property of the deceased were recorded and assigned a monetary value so that they could be properly divided between the heirs. The inventory was to be performed within a year of death but it was not uncommon that it would drag out for a year or two. However, most were within 3 months. At the conclusion of the inventory, the appraisers created a transcript of the estate inventory which was submitted to the court at the next court session. The dividing of the property was handled in court and a separate document was made for the distribution of the estate. Occasionally the distribution was added to the end of the inventory, but this was not usually the case. The probate document usually contains two main parts, the preamble and the inventory.

In order to find the estate inventory you must know the name of the court district (''härad'') to which the parish belonged at the time of the ancestor’s death. To find probate records, go to the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog] to do a place search. In the '''Place''' field type in the name of the district followed by "härad".  

Once you have found the catalog entry for the härad, look for the word "register" in the catalog record. This would be a separate index to the records. Not all districts had created separate indexes when the records were microfilmed, so check the volume containing the estate inventories for the year the person would have died to see if there is an index to the volume, which would be either in the front or back of the volume. The index would give the page number where the person's probate begins.

Original estate inventory records are kept in the [[Sweden Archives and Libraries|provincial archives]] in Sweden. The earlier probate records can be found in the [[Sweden Court Records|court records (''domböcker'')]]. Many ''bouppteckningar'' are missing partly because they have been lost due to poor storage or the destruction of the records.  

*<u>Östergötland County:</u> Mari-Anne Olsson of Rönninge, Sweden has made indexes for the districts in Östergötland county. She also includes abbreviated preambles to the probate records of Östergötland. Her work has been microfilmed and is available at the Family History Library and its Centers. It is found in the FamilySearch Catalog under name of Härad, Probate records – Indexes. <br>