Probate Records

How to Google probate records for ancestry research.

Probate records (which document the process of passing property, both land and various goods, onto one’s heirs) are among the major types of records used in genealogical research. Heirs may be anybody the testator (the person who made the will) chooses to name, including servants, in-laws, friends, and others. Wills and other papers created during the probate process are often the best possible source to document relationships between family members, particularly parent to child. Persons often identified themselves according to the place (often a town) they came from or were born.

Search Wills and Probate Records for Historical Family Research
Introduction to finding and using wills and probate records when conducting individual and family historical research. Learn about the records, why they are important.

When a person leaves a will (referred to as testate), the probate process documents the will’s validity. It completes the deceased’s wishes by the executor or executrix named in the will. If the individual did not leave a will (referred to as intestate), the court used the probate to appoint an administrator or administratrix to decide the distribution of assets to heirs and relationships according to the jurisdiction’s laws.

Probate packets or files may include wills, estate inventories or lists of assets, appointments of executors or administrators, administrations or documentation of the distribution of assets, petitions for guardianship of minor children, lists of heirs, and lists of creditors or accounts of debts.

Probate records can be found at the county courthouse. In some cases, older probate records may have been transferred to archives. You can request probate records from the courts. When requesting the record from the courthouse, make sure you order the complete packet or jacket that holds all the papers.

Societies and libraries will have older probate records for some counties. In addition, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City has filmed many probate records.

Use probate records to find the date and place of death, residence, names (and addresses) of descendants, and details to search for land records, and to discover other places where the ancestor may have held property, discover relationships, get a feel for ancestor’s economic standing, look for clues about ancestor’s feelings toward family members, find clues to the deaths of other family members, sort out adoptions, guardianships and other unclear relationships, learn names of stores and vendors frequented by your ancestor, find your ancestor’s signature, find occupation, find citizenship, and find marital status.

Throughout my research experiences, I have made it a cardinal rule that before I begin to research any record type, I will take the time to learn about the records, how to research the record, where to find the records, what information is contained in the record, and how I can use the information in my research. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the first time I have researched the record type or the hundredth time; I need to refresh my knowledge so that I am keen and sharp on what I am searching for so as not to miss important details.

Simply being aware of the various records gives me options on how to connect the generations. No one record has all the answers but combined; they allow me to resolve my family’s genealogy puzzle through the clues and answers the records offer.

Google 18 Types of Ancestor Records

The following is an overview of the common 18 types of ancestor records that I have found constantly valuable in my historical and genealogy research and hundreds of other resources I have learned to research and use through the years. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces of my genealogy puzzle.

Google Ancestor Records
Cemetery Records Census Records Church Records
Civil Vital Records Directory Records Family Histories
Histories and Biographies Land Records Maps
Message Boards, Mailing Lists, and Wiki’s Military Records Naturalization Records
Newspaper Records Photographs Probate Records
Publications and Periodicals Ship Passenger Lists Writings of Ancestors

In my profile of each resource, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each resource. I would encourage you to use this section as a starting point from which you can search out and find other genealogical tutorials, and guides that help to provide deeper insights.  The common websites that researchers first think of are Ancestry, Archives, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.

Google Other Ancestor Records

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