Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of probate estate files of Plymouth County from two different sources: the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the archive of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Probate records include petitions, inventories, accounts, decrees, and other court documents.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records
 * Name of testator or deceased
 * Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
 * Name of executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Residence of testator
 * Document and recording dates (Used to approximate event dates i.e. A will was usually written near time of death.)

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the deceased
 * The place of residence
 * The approximate death or probate date

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use probate records to identify heirs and relatives
 * Use the document (such as the will) or the recording dates to approximate a death date
 * Use the information in the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records, since the probates exist for an earlier time period
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records
 * Use the occupations listed to find other types of records such as employment or military records
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * You may be able to use the probate record to learn about adoptions or guardianship of any minor children and dependents
 * You may be able to use the probate record to learn about land transactions
 * Wills are more likely to be found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas
 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the deceased or the testator
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1900
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning or the end of each volume. In addition, local historical and genealogical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Massachusetts.
 * Massachusetts Guided Research
 * Massachusetts Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * edited by Rhonda R. McClure, Genealogist's handbook for New England research 6th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society®, 2022 FS Library 974 D27mr
 * D. Hamilton Hurd. History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : J. W. Lewis & Co., 1884.
 * transcribed by Ralph V. Wood, Jr. Plymouth County, Massachusetts probate index, 1686-1881.Camden, Maine : Picton Press, 1988. FS Library 974.482 P22w
 * Plymouth County, Probate records, 1686-1903; with index and docket, 1685-1967
 * Plymouth Colony records, wills, 1633-1686, vols. 1-4
 * Plymouth Colony, Probate file papers, 1686-1881
 * Plymouth County, Probate estate files, 1686-1915
 * Plymouth County, Probate records, 1881-1939
 * Plymouth County. Deed records, 1664-1900

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Estate Files, 1686-1915
 * Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915
 * Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.