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==Online Resources== | |||
*'''1683-1993''' [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8802 Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993]($), index & images, incomplete. | |||
*[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8802 Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993] | *'''1683-1994''' {{RecordSearch|1999196|Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994}} at FamilySearch - [[Pennsylvania Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; images | ||
*{{RecordSearch|1999196|Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994}} | *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text Full-Text Search - Probate Records] at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00oMDsAsSw How to Search] | ||
=== 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 included in probate files. 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 | 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 included in probate files. 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 [[United States 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 [[United States Probate Records|United States Probate Records]]. | ||
=== History === | === History === | ||
Probates have been recorded on a county | Probates have been recorded on a county level since the origin of the Commonwealth in 1682. Complete records are available in most counties. Probate actions taken in a locality before the present county was formed are found in records of the parent county. | ||
=== State Statutes === | === State Statutes === | ||
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The records of the orphans' court include minute books, proceedings, dockets, appeals, bonds, inventories, distributions of estates, marriages (since 1885), births and deaths (1893-1905), and adoptions (since 1925). Published abstracts of wills and administrations with comprehensive indexes are available for most of the oldest or largest counties. | The records of the orphans' court include minute books, proceedings, dockets, appeals, bonds, inventories, distributions of estates, marriages (since 1885), births and deaths (1893-1905), and adoptions (since 1925). Published abstracts of wills and administrations with comprehensive indexes are available for most of the oldest or largest counties. | ||
The docket index, estate index, or general index is the first place to search for evidence of probate proceedings. These indexes list all the records created for a particular probate. The [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-28760-15105-37?cc=1999196&wc=M99F-H2C:650919357#uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Frecords%2Fcollection%2F1999196%2Fwaypoints | The docket index, estate index, or general index is the first place to search for evidence of probate proceedings. These indexes list all the records created for a particular probate. The [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-28760-15105-37?cc=1999196&wc=M99F-H2C:650919357#uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Frecords%2Fcollection%2F1999196%2Fwaypoints FamilySearch Library] has obtained microfilm copies of many of these indexes, often up to the 1980s. | ||
The various documents (bonds, letters, inventories, etc.) are usually transcribed into Orphans' Court Record Books or Administrator's Account Books. The | The various documents (bonds, letters, inventories, etc.) are usually transcribed into Orphans' Court Record Books or Administrator's Account Books. The FamilySearch Library has microfilmed the wills and orphans' court records for most counties, usually up to the early 1900s. | ||
The library has few probate records from Lackawanna, Lehigh, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, and Union counties. Some probate records are listed in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under PENNSYLVANIA - GUARDIAN AND WARD. | The library has few probate records from Lackawanna, Lehigh, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, and Union counties. Some probate records are listed in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under PENNSYLVANIA - GUARDIAN AND WARD. | ||
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Pennsylvania- Probate Records Pennsylvania, [COUNTY] - Probate Records | Pennsylvania- Probate Records Pennsylvania, [COUNTY] - Probate Records | ||
{{Template:Pros-PA}} | {{Template:Pros-PA}} | ||
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