Washington County Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Washington

What Is in the Collection?
The collection includes probate case files from 1853 to 1929. The records are from the following counties:


 * Clallam
 * Island
 * Jefferson
 * San Juan
 * Skagit
 * Snohomish
 * Whatcom

The records were created by county courts and are housed at the Washington State Archives Northwest Regional Branch.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Probate records include petitions, inventories, accounts, decrees, oaths of executors, forms about guardians and other court documents. They may include any of the following:


 * Name of testator or deceased
 * Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
 * Names of witnesses
 * Residence of testator
 * Lists of belongings, property, and so forth
 * Document
 * Recording dates
 * Sometimes the date of death

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know at least some of the following:
 * The name of the deceased.
 * The approximate death or probate date.
 * The place of residence.

Compare the information on the image to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if it is the correct family or person. You may need to compare several images before you find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Pagethen: ⇒ Select the "County" ⇒ Select the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume"

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the Washington Genealogy Records.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use a Probate record to identify adoptions, guardians, heirs and relatives.
 * Use a probate record to approximate a death date, then find a Washington County Deaths.
 * For earlier years, use the probate record or will to substitute for civil birth and death records.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find county or Washington Vital Records Index such as birth, baptism, and marriage, records.
 * Search for death or burial information in Washington Cemeteries and Washington Obituaries.
 * Use the information found in the record to find Washington County Land Recoreds.
 * Use the information found in the record to find Washington Immigration Records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the Washington Census Records. Witnesses were usually family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties and governments began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching Oregon Online Genealogy Records.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image citation: