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== Getting Started == | == Getting Started == | ||
''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. | ''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. This article is about probate records in Sussex. For a general description of England probate records, click [[England Probate Records|here]]. | ||
=== 1858 to the Present === | |||
Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more. | |||
=== Before 1858 === | |||
Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Sussex, follow these steps: | |||
==== Step 1. Search Indexes ==== | |||
Here are some online indexes to probate records that include invididuals who lived in Sussex. Search these indexes first: | |||
*[http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/database/SussexFHGprobate.shtml] -- compiled by the Sussex Family History Group which has transcribed the names of 12,300 individuals found in Sussex wills, including testators, executors, beneficiaries or witnesses. The information recorded includes name, date and place. | |||
*The [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/home2.asp?an=&ap= Sussex Record Society] has published four volumes of indexes to Sussex wills, and these can be viewed on their [http://sussexrecordsociety.org/bwills1.asp?an=&ap= website]. They are arranged by parish then by surname. | |||
*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp?WT.hp=Wills Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (1384 - 1858)]. | |||
Did you find a reference to a probate record? | |||
*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below. | |||
*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below. | |||
=== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish === | ==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died ==== | ||
Determine ''when'' your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date. | |||
Determine ''where'' your ancestor died. It is easier to find a probate record if you know whether the place where your ancestor lived or died is a [[P_genealogical_glossary_terms|parish]]. To learn whether it is a parish, look it up in a gazetteer. Here are links to gazetteers online. | |||
*Vision of Britain | |||
Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''. | |||
==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish ==== | |||
Before 1858, every town and parish in Sussex fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary or superior courts. If you do not find reference to a probate record for your ancestor in the above indexes, you should search a court-specific index, but to do that you must identify the courts that had jurisdiction over the place where your ancestor lived. Click on the letter the name of your place begins with, then follow the steps found there. | Before 1858, every town and parish in Sussex fell under the probate jurisdiction of a primary court and several secondary or superior courts. If you do not find reference to a probate record for your ancestor in the above indexes, you should search a court-specific index, but to do that you must identify the courts that had jurisdiction over the place where your ancestor lived. Click on the letter the name of your place begins with, then follow the steps found there. | ||
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==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record ==== | |||
== Sussex Probate Courts == | == Sussex Probate Courts == | ||