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== Record Synopsis == | == Record Synopsis == | ||
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 the probate process, types of probate records, analyzing probate records, and to access a glossary of probate terms, see [[ | 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 the probate process, types of probate records, analyzing probate records, and to access a glossary of probate terms, see [[United States Probate Records|United States Probate Records]]. | ||
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NOTE: Each county generally transcribed, from the original documents, the most important items from the Probate Estate or Civil Case Packet, e.g. interim and final reports, summary of inventory, appointment of administrators, wills. These transcriptions do not generally include original signatures, nor do they generally reproduce every document related to the case packet. Signatures can be very important, particularly if someone is researching multiple individuals who bear the same name. | |||
In some counties the original case packets also still exist, frequently held by another repository, e.g. local historical society rather than at the county courthouse. It is recommended that researchers seek out both the transcribed documents and also the original case packets to glean the most information possible. The original case packets, where they exist, contain the original wills, inventories, letters of administration, receipts, and other documents needed to settle that particular probate estate or probate civil case. These originals have the actual signatures intact. In some instances only the transcribed documents still exist. In others, only the original packets. What is available differs from county to county. | |||
== History == | == History == | ||