Rhode Island Probate Records: Difference between revisions

''[[United States|United States]]  [[Image:Gotoarrow-kelly.png]]  [[Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]  [[Image:Gotoarrow-kelly.png]]  [[Rhode_Island_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]''

Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.”<ref>Henry Campbell Black, ''Black's Law Dictionary,'' 5th ed. (St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co., 1979), 1081, "probate."</ref> Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence. They may also include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. For further information about&nbsp;the probate process,&nbsp;types of probate records,&nbsp;analyzing probate records, and to access a glossary of probate terms, see [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/United_States_Probate_Records United States Probate Records].  

Probate matters were recorded by town councils until each town established a probate court. Many of the published town records include references to wills and estate matters.  

{{Rhode Island|Rhode Island}}