Pennsylvania Probate Records: Difference between revisions

''[[United States|United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Pennsylvania Genealogy|Pennsylvania]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]'' '''Probate Records''' {{PA-sidebar}}

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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 created throughout the probate process. 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&nbsp;the [[United States Probate Process|probate process]],&nbsp;types of probate records,&nbsp;[[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]].  

Probates have been recorded on a county&nbsp;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.  

Understanding the Pennsylvania probate laws and how they changed over time can help us learn how the estate was administered, taxed, and distributed and might help to solve difficult genealogical problems.  

Online digital versions of state statutes can often be found by conducting a search engine search for the term, "Pennsylvania statutes."

[http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&mode=2&objID=1426 Pennsylvania State Archives]<br>350 North St.<br>Harrisburg, PA 17120-0090  

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