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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, [[United States Probate Wills|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 the [[Probate Process|probate process]], types of probate records, [[Analyzing United States Probate Records|analyzing probate records]], and to access a [[Glossary of United States Probate Terms|glossary]] of probate terms, see [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/United_States_Probate_Records United States 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, [[United States Probate Wills|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 the [[Probate Process|probate process]], types of probate records, [[Analyzing United States Probate Records|analyzing probate records]], and to access a [[Glossary of United States Probate Terms|glossary]] of probate terms, see [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/United_States_Probate_Records United States Probate Records]. | ||
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== History == | == History == | ||
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==== Regional ==== | ==== Regional ==== | ||
Bureau of Archives and Records Management | Bureau of Archives and Records Management<br>Hall of Records<br>Dover, Delaware 19902 | ||
Hall of Records | |||
Dover, Delaware 19902 | |||
The Bureau has records from the Swedish colonial period, the Dutch settlement, the Duke of York, and the Penn proprietorship. Most of their records are from statehood. | The Bureau has records from the Swedish colonial period, the Dutch settlement, the Duke of York, and the Penn proprietorship. Most of their records are from statehood. | ||
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== Statewide Record Collection == | == Statewide Record Collection == | ||
Probate records database, early to 1925 | Probate records database, early to 1925;available at the Delaware Public Archives site: [http://www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/collections/probate.shtml www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/collections/probate.shtml] | ||
=== Indexes === | === Indexes === | ||