Russia Probate Records

Russia Wiki Topics

Russia Beginning Research

Finding Town of Origin Getting Started Online Learning Record Finder Research Strategies

Record Types

Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Compiled Genealogies Court Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Jewish Records Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Nobility Notarial Records Obituaries Online Genealogy Records Population Records Probate Records Religious Records Taxation Websites

Russia Background

Biographies For Further Reading Gazetteers Handwriting Historical Geography History Jurisdictions Languages Maps Naming Customs Periodicals Social Life & Customs

Russia Genealogical Word Lists

Russian

Cultural Groups

Cultural Groups Indigenous Peoples Sami Peoples

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Local FamilySearch Center

Russia

Probate Records

Probate records and wills are court records that deal with the distribution of a person's estate after death. Information in probate records can include the deceased person's death date and occupation; relationships, residences and names of heirs and guardians; an inventory of the estate; and names of witnesses.

Probate records are not usually used for Russian genealogical research. Only individuals who owned property, along with their relatives, were mentioned in probate records. Most farmers, merchants, and artisans did not own their own farms or shops and did not leave wills. Other sources, such as church records and civil registration records, give much of the same information as probate records and cover a larger percentage of the population. In addition, probate records are hard to access.