Alabama Probate Records: Difference between revisions

Probate records of Alabama have been kept by the probate court since the counties were created. These courts have records of estate, guardianship, and juvenile cases. The Gandrud and Jones Alabama Records Collection includes some of these records.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilms of probate records from most of the counties in Alabama, generally from the date a county was created to the 1920s. The types of records available from each county vary considerably. For some counties, the library has only the court minutes. Records from other counties include complete probate records, such as dower records, personal property sales, settlement records, orphans’ records, wills, and bonds. The following records are available online as browsable collections. These records are not currently indexed. Select a link below and then search alphabetical files online.

Index[edit | edit source]

An index for Alabama wills is:

Alabama Society DAR. Index to Alabama Wills 1808-1870. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Brothers, 1955. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).

Probate records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

ALABAMA - PROBATE RECORDS

ALABAMA, [COUNTY] - PROBATE RECORDS

ALABAMA, [COUNTY] - GUARDIANSHIPS

References[edit | edit source]

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-''[[United States|United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[United States Probate Records|U.S. Probate Records]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Alabama]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Alabama_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]'' <br><br>[[Image:Last Will and Testament.jpg|right|300px|Last Will and Testament.jpg]]
+{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[United States Genealogy|United States]]
+| link2=[[United States Probate Records|U.S. Probate Records]]
+| link3=[[Alabama, United States Genealogy|Alabama]]
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Alabama Probate Records|Probate Records]]
+}}
+{{AL-sidebar}}
+{| style="float:right; margin-right:300px"
+|-
+| style="padding-right:0px"|
+|[[Image:Last Will and Testament.jpg|center|300px]]
+|}
-=== Records  ===
+__TOC__
-Wills usually mention the names of heirs and frequently specify how those heirs are related. Wills may also list names of children and married names of daughters. Probate records may not give an exact death date, but the death most often occurred within a few months of the date of probate.
+== Online Resources ==
+*'''1753–1999''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8799/ Alabama, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999] at Ancestry - index & images ($)
+*'''1784-1920''' [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1898&path= Alabama, Marriages, Deaths, Wills, Court, and Other Records, 1784-1920] at Ancestry - index & images ($)
+*'''1808-1870''' ''Index to Alabama Wills, 1808-1870''. Online at [https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/177258-index-to-alabama-wills-1808-1870?offset=1 FamilySearch Digital Library], [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/48006/ Ancestry] ($); index
+*'''1809–1985''' {{RecordSearch|1925446|Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985}} at FamilySearch; images — [[Alabama Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
+*'''1830–1976''' {{RecordSearch|1978117|Alabama, County Estate Records, 1830-1976}} at FamilySearch; index and images (incomplete); {{RecordSearch|1978117|Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976|access=browse}} browse images — [[Alabama Estate Files - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
+*[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]
+=== Indexes for Specific Counties ===
+*'''1840–1950 ''' {{RecordSearch|1939212| Alabama, Sumter County Circuit Court Files, 1840-1950}} at FamilySearch; images — [[Alabama, Sumter County Circuit Court Files - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
+*'''1829–1968''' {{RecordSearch|1978142| Alabama, Madison County Chancery and Circuit Court Records, 1829-1968}} at FamilySearch; images — [[Alabama, Madison County Chancery and Circuit Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
+== Alabama Probate Records  ==
 === Availability  ===
 Probate records of Alabama have been kept by the probate court since the counties were created. These courts have records of estate, guardianship, and juvenile cases. The Gandrud and Jones Alabama Records Collection includes some of these records.
-The Family History Library has microfilms of probate records from most of the counties in [[Alabama|Alabama]], generally from the date a county was created to the 1920s. The types of records available from each county vary considerably. For some counties, the library has only the court minutes. Records from other counties include complete probate records, such as dower records, personal property sales, settlement records, orphans’ records, wills, and bonds. The following records are available online as browse able collections. These records are not currently indexed. Select a link below and then search alphabetical files online.
+The FamilySearch Library has microfilms of probate records from most of the counties in [[Alabama, United States Genealogy|Alabama]], generally from the date a county was created to the 1920s. The types of records available from each county vary considerably. For some counties, the library has only the court minutes. Records from other counties include complete probate records, such as dower records, personal property sales, settlement records, orphans’ records, wills, and bonds. The following records are available online as browsable collections. These records are not currently indexed. Select a link below and then search alphabetical files online.
-*'''1800–1930''' Talladega County, Alabama probate records at FamilySearch Historical Records {{RecordSearch|1978117| Alabama, County Estate Records, 1800-1996}}
-*'''1840–1950 '''Sumter County Circuit Court Files (disputed estates and divorces)FamilySearch Historical Records {{RecordSearch|1939212| Alabama, Sumter County Circuit Court Files, 1840-1950}}
-*'''1847–1950''' Madison County Chancery and Circuit court Records (disputed estates and divorces) FamilySearch Historical Records {{RecordSearch|1978142| Alabama, Madison County Chancery and Circuit Court Records, 1847-1950}}
-'''A wiki article describing this collection is found at:'''
-*[[Alabama Estate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)|Alabama, County Estate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
-*[https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Alabama,_County_Estate_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) Alabama, County Probate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records]
 === Index  ===
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 An index for Alabama wills is:
-*Alabama Society DAR. ''Index to Alabama Wills 1808-1870.'' Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Brothers, 1955. [http://www.genealogical.com/ Free Name Search]<ref name="name">Name Search at Genealogical.com is a comprehensive name index to 638 books and CDs published or reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Company (now Genealogical.com). For a complete list of the works included, see [http://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Publications_in_Name_Search_at_Genealogical.com Publications in Name Search at Genealogical.com]</ref>; publisher's bookstore: [http://www.genealogical.com/products/Index_to_Alabama_Wills_1808_1870/70.html Genealogical.com]&nbsp;; {{FHL| 216583 | item| disp=FHL Book 976.1 P22a, Fiche 6051441 }}&nbsp;; digital version at [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=48006 Ancestry] ($).
+*Alabama Society DAR. ''Index to Alabama Wills 1808-1870.'' Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Brothers, 1955. Online at: [https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/177258-index-to-alabama-wills-1808-1870?offset=1 FamilySearch Digital Library],  [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/48006/ Ancestry] ($).
-Probate records are listed in the [https://www.familysearch.org/#form=catalog Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog] under:
+Probate records are listed in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog] under:
 :ALABAMA - PROBATE RECORDS
@@ Line 32: / Line 47: @@
 :ALABAMA, [COUNTY] - GUARDIANSHIPS
-== References ==
+== References  ==
 {{reflist}}
-{{Alabama|Alabama}}
-[[Category:Alabama|Probate]]
+[[Category:Alabama, United States]][[Category:United States Probate Records]][[Category:Probate Records]]