Probate Records: Difference between revisions

From FamilySearch Wiki
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 35: Line 35:
*Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.
*Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.


{|
{| style="vertical-align:top;"
|-
|-
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right:5px; width: 70%;">
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right="5px"; width: 70%">
   <li>[[Alabama Probate Records|Alabama]]</li>  
   <li>[[Alabama Probate Records|Alabama]]</li>  
   <li>[[Alaska Probate Records|Alaska]]</li>  
   <li>[[Alaska Probate Records|Alaska]]</li>  
Line 96: Line 96:
*For general information about probate records, see [[United States Probate Records|United States Probate Records]]
*For general information about probate records, see [[United States Probate Records|United States Probate Records]]
*Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.
*Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.
{|  
{| style="vertical-align:top;"
|-
|-
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right:5px; width: 70%">
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right="5px"; width: 70%">
   <li>[[Alberta Probate Records|Alberta]]</li>  
   <li>[[Alberta Probate Records|Alberta]]</li>  
   <li>[[British Columbia Probate Records|British Columbia]]</li>  
   <li>[[British Columbia Probate Records|British Columbia]]</li>  
Line 187: Line 187:


===Asia===
===Asia===
{|
{| style="vertical-align:top;"
|-
|-
| style="vertical-align:top" |
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right="5px"; width: 70%">
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right:5px;" width: 70%">
<li>[[Afghanistan Genealogy|Afghanistan]]</li>  
<li>[[Afghanistan Genealogy|Afghanistan]]</li>  
<li>[[Bangladesh  Genealogy|Bangladesh]]</li>  
<li>[[Bangladesh  Genealogy|Bangladesh]]</li>  
Line 228: Line 227:


===Africa===
===Africa===
{|
{| style="vertical-align:top;"
|-
|-
| style="vertical-align:top; width:70%;" |
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right="5px"; width: 70%">
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right="5px;" width: 70%">
<li>[[Algeria Genealogy|Algeria]]</li>  
<li>[[Algeria Genealogy|Algeria]]</li>  
<li>[[Angola Genealogy|Angola]]</li>  
<li>[[Angola Genealogy|Angola]]</li>  
Line 239: Line 237:
<li>[[Burundi Genealogy|Burundi]]</li>  
<li>[[Burundi Genealogy|Burundi]]</li>  
<li>[[Cameroon Genealogy|Cameroon]]</li>  
<li>[[Cameroon Genealogy|Cameroon]]</li>  
<li>[[Cape Verde Genealogy|Cape Verde]]</li>  
<li>[[Cape Verde Genealogy|Cape Verde]]</li> ral African Republic]]</li>  
<li>[[Central African Republic Genealogy|Central African Republic]]</li>  
<li>[[Chad Genealogy|Chad]]</li>  
<li>[[Chad Genealogy|Chad]]</li>  
<li>[[Comoros Genealogy|Comoros]]</li>  
<li>[[Comoros Genealogy|Comoros]]</li>  

Revision as of 10:02, 10 April 2023

Guide to locating probate records for ancestry, family history, and genealogy research.


Online Resources[edit | edit source]

What are probate records?[edit | edit source]

  • 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.
  • Probate records often pre-date other birth and death records.
  • Wills are found in the town or county where the person lived when the will was made or where they died.
  • Depending on the country, probate records can be found online as digital images. For the United States, an experimental index of many county probate records is available to search.

What can you find in probate records?[edit | edit source]

Information recorded may include:

  • the death date
  • names of heirs
  • family members
  • guardians
  • relationships
  • residences
  • inventories of the estate (including trade and household goods)
  • names of witnesses
  • names of executors

How do you find Probate Records?[edit | edit source]

United States[edit | edit source]

  • Probate records are kept on the county level for most of the United States and any online records will be found in the corresponding county Wiki pages.
  • For general information about probate records, see United States Probate Records
  • United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - try this index to probate records for the United States.
  • Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.

Canada Probate Records[edit | edit source]

  • Probate records are kept on the county level for most of the United States and any online records will be found in the corresponding county Wiki pages.
  • For general information about probate records, see United States Probate Records
  • Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.

British Isles[edit | edit source]



Europe[edit | edit source]

Asia[edit | edit source]

Africa[edit | edit source]



To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Probate_Records&oldid=5283115"