Probate Records: Difference between revisions

==What Probate Records Are==

*Probate is the legal process distributing real estate (property) and personal estate (possessions) to a person's heirs.  

*Testate is the term used when a will existed. Intestate means there was no will, and the court administers and distributes the estate.  

*Other documents may be found in the full probate packet.  

*Probate records are available for only about 10% of families, usually landowners and the wealthy. Most farmers, merchants, and artisans did not own their own farms or shops and did not leave wills.

*Wills are found in the town or county where the person lived when the will was made or where they died.

*Probate records may include the deceased's date of death; names, relationships, residences of heirs and guardians; and names of witnesses.

*Most wills were left by males with property; however, wills often list the names of the deceased's family and friends, so that many more people are listed in probate records than actually left them.

==Information in Probate Records==

==How to Find Probate Records==

*''Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.''

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   <li>[[Alabama Probate Records|Alabama]]</li>

   <li>[[Alaska Probate Records|Alaska]]</li>

   <li>[[Arizona Probate Records|Arizona]]</li>

   <li>[[Arkansas Probate Records|Arkansas]]</li>

   <li>[[California Probate Records|California]]</li>

   <li>[[Colorado Probate Records|Colorado]]</li>

   <li>[[Connecticut Probate Records|Connecticut]]</li>

   <li>[[Delaware Probate Records|Delaware]]</li>

   <li>[[Florida Probate Records|Florida]]</li>

   <li>[[Georgia Probate Records|Georgia]]</li>

   <li>[[Hawaii Probate Records|Hawaii]]</li>

   <li>[[Idaho Probate Records|Idaho]]</li>

   <li>[[Illinois Probate Records|Illinois]]</li>

   <li>[[Indiana Probate Records|Indiana]]</li>

   <li>[[Iowa Probate Records|Iowa]]</li>

   <li>[[Kentucky Probate Records|Kentucky]]</li>

   <li>[[Louisiana Probate Records|Louisiana]]</li>

   <li>[[Maine Probate Records|Maine]]</li>

   <li>[[Maryland Probate Records|Maryland]]</li>

   <li>[[Massachusetts Probate Records|Massachusetts]]</li>

   <li>[[Michigan Probate Records|Michigan]]</li>

   <li>[[Minnesota Probate Records|Minnesota]]</li>

   <li>[[Mississippi Probate Records|Mississippi]]</li>

   <li>[[Missouri Probate Records|Missouri]]</li>

   <li>[[Montana Probate Records|Montana]]</li>

   <li>[[Nebraska Probate Records|Nebraska]]</li>

   <li>[[Nevada Probate Records|Nevada]]</li>

   <li>[[New Hampshire Probate Records|New Hampshire]]</li>

   <li>[[New Jersey Probate Records|New Jersey]]</li>

   <li>[[New Mexico Probate Records|New Mexico]]</li>

   <li>[[New York Probate Records|New York]]</li>

   <li>[[North Dakota Probate Records|North Dakota]]</li>

   <li>[[Ohio Probate Records|Ohio]]</li>

   <li>[[Oklahoma Probate Records|Oklahoma]]</li>

   <li>[[Oregon Probate Records|Oregon]]</li>

   <li>[[Pennsylvania Probate Records|Pennsylvania]]</li>

   <li>[[Rhode Island Probate Records|Rhode Island]]</li>

   <li>[[South Carolina Probate Records|South Carolina]]</li>

   <li>[[South Dakota Probate Records|South Dakota]]</li>

   <li>[[Tennessee Probate Records|Tennessee]]</li>

   <li>[[Texas Probate Records|Texas]]</li>

   <li>[[Utah Probate Records|Utah]]</li>

   <li>[[Vermont Probate Records|Vermont]]</li>

   <li>[[Virginia Probate Records|Virginia]]</li>

   <li>[[Washington Probate Records|Washington]]</li>

   <li>[[West Virginia Probate Records|West Virginia]]</li>

   <li>[[Wisconsin Probate Records|Wisconsin]]</li>

*Probate records are kept on the county or district level for most of Canada and any online records.

*For general information about probate records, see [[Canada Probate Records|Canada Probate Records]]

*''Select a province then go to the clickable map to select the county or district your ancestor died in.''

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==Research Strategies==