Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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==How do you find probate records?==
==How do you find Probate Records?==
===United States===
*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 Probate Records]]
*Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.
 
{|
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<ul class="column-spacing-halfscreen" style="padding-right:5px; width: 600px;">
  <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>[[District of Columbia Probate Records|District of Columbia]]</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>[[Kansas Probate Records|Kansas]]</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 Carolina Probate Records|North Carolina]]</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>
  <li>[[Wyoming Probate Records|Wyoming]]</li>
</ul>
|}
 
===Canada Probate Recors===
*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 Probate Records]]
*Select a State then go to the clickable map to select the county your ancestor died in.
{|
|-
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right:5px;">
  <li>[[Alberta Probate Records|Alberta]]</li>
  <li>[[British Columbia Probate Records|British Columbia]]</li>
  <li>[[Manitoba Probate Records|Manitoba]]</li>
  <li>[[New Brunswick Probate Records|New Brunswick]]</li>
  <li>[[Newfoundland and Labrador Probate Records|Newfoundland &amp; Labrador]]</li>
  <li>[[Northwest Territories Probate Records|Northwest Territories]]</li>
  <li>[[Nova Scotia Probate Records|Nova Scotia]]</li>
  <li>[[Nunavut Probate Records|Nunavut]]</li>
  <li>[[Ontario Probate Records|Ontario]]</li>
  <li>[[Prince Edward Island Probate Records|Prince Edward Island]]</li>
  <li>[[Quebec Probate Records|Quebec]]</li>
  <li>[[Saskatchewan Probate Records|Saskatchewan]]</li>
  <li>[[Yukon Probate Records|Yukon]]</li>
</ul>
|}
===United States County Wiki Articles===
===United States County Wiki Articles===
Instructions and links for probate records '''in the United States''' are best found on '''individual county pages''' in the Wiki. Probate records were kept on the county level.
Instructions and links for probate records '''in the United States''' are best found on '''individual county pages''' in the Wiki. Probate records were kept on the county level.
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===Sidebar Links to Probate Wiki Articles===
===Sidebar Links to Probate Wiki Articles===
'''Outside the United Staes fewer probate records have been microfilmed, digitized, and published online, so they may need to be used in local and regional archives. Find the "Probate Records" article for the country of interest to learn details. This article will tell you what probate records were kept, how they are available, and any online records. A link to the "Probate Records" article is found in the right sidebar for each country.'''
'''Outside the United States fewer probate records have been microfilmed, digitized, and published online, so they may need to be used in local and regional archives. Find the "Probate Records" article for the country of interest to learn details. This article will tell you what probate records were kept, how they are available, and any online records. A link to the "Probate Records" article is found in the right sidebar for each country.'''
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===Online Genealogical Records Pages===
You can readily find available online probate records in the Online Genealogical Records page for each country. On the main page for each U.S. State page and country page, a blue button leads to a listing of '''online record collections.'''
{|
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|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''Look for the blue button on each state and country '''<br>'''main page to link to the Online Genealogy Records page.'''</span><center>
[[File:Button demo.png|500px]]
|style="width:10px"|
|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''A typical Online Genealogy Records page. '''
[[File:Ogr prob demopng.png|600px]]
|}
<br>
*'''Also, all the available Online Genealogy Records pages are linked at''' [[Online Genealogy Records by Location|'''Online Genealogy Records by Location.''']]
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===FamilySearch Catalog===
*Census Records collected by FamilySearch, usually digitized and online, are listed in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog '''FamilySearch catalog'''.] Enter the name of the country in the "Place Field" and click "Search". A list of record categories will be provided. Select "Probate Records".
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[[File:Prob cat demo.png|700px]]
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[[Category:United States Probate Records]]
[[Category:United States Probate Records]]

Revision as of 14:26, 3 April 2023

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


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.

Relatively few probate records have been microfilmed, so they may need to be used in local and regional German archives. They are often not indexed and require relatively good reading skills.

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

Canada Probate Recors[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.

United States County Wiki Articles[edit | edit source]

Instructions and links for probate records in the United States are best found on individual county pages in the Wiki. Probate records were kept on the county level.

An example of probate instructions and links on a United States county Wiki page.

County probate.png




Sidebar Links to Probate Wiki Articles[edit | edit source]

Outside the United States fewer probate records have been microfilmed, digitized, and published online, so they may need to be used in local and regional archives. Find the "Probate Records" article for the country of interest to learn details. This article will tell you what probate records were kept, how they are available, and any online records. A link to the "Probate Records" article is found in the right sidebar for each country.

See the links to probate records in the right sidebar in this typical Wiki main page.

Ice prob side.png





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