Canada, Manitoba Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada Manitoba

What is in this Collection
The collection includes records from 1871-1930, although some indexes may cover years up to 1970.

These records include images of estate files, application books and indexes.

Between 1871 and 1982, wills and probate records were kept only at the Surrogate Registrar’s Office in the courthouse of each judicial district in Manitoba. Since 1982, the following wills and probate records are being transferred to the Provincial Archives:


 * Wills and probate records over 20 years old from courthouses outside the city of Winnipeg.
 * Wills and probate records over 60 years old from the Eastern Judicial District in Winnipeg.

A central alphabetical index, arranged by year, is maintained at the Winnipeg court office. To have the index searched in the court office, you must provide the name of the deceased and the date of death. In 1984, all indexes, wills, and probate files for the period 1882 to 1930 began to be microfilmed for use at the Provincial Archives.

The Archives of Manitoba have placed probate indexes for Manitoba online. Using that tool to identify the desired probate file number will make searching this collection for a specific probate file much simpler. The following information may be helpful when using the probate index at the Archives of Manitoba to the FamilySearch Manitoba Probate Records 1871-1930 collection:


 * Winnipeg = Eastern Judicial District
 * Brandon = Western Judicial District
 * Morden = Southern Judicial District (prior to 1966)
 * Portage la Prairie = Central Judicial District

Sample Images
Probate and estate files are especially useful when trying to prove a relationship between two or more individuals. To ensure that the property went to the correct person, relationships (such as 'son,' 'aunt,' or 'sister-in-law') were often named in detail. This is ideal for a genealogist who needs proof to move on to the next generation in a family or needs help fleshing out a complete family group. It may also give details about property owned by the family, which may be useful for family records.

In cases where birth, marriage, and death records began too late, probate and estate records may be necessary to prove family connections.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Probate records in this collections include estate files, wills and letters of administration. These records may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Age at death
 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Locality of death
 * Heirs of the estate of deceased

Application books may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Date of death
 * Name of heir
 * Residence and occupation of applicant

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The place where your ancestor lived.
 * The approximate date of death for your ancestor.
 * The approximate date of probate for your ancestor.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse Images" on the initial search page ⇒Select the "Judicial District" category ⇒Select the "Record Type" category ⇒Select the “File or Volume Number Range and Year Range" category, which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image, comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

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

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate the approximate birth year.
 * Record the names of the family members listed in the document, and then search for a record of other family members. This will help you complete the picture, or possibly get more people and relationships that connect to your family tree.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same or a nearby area.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.

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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: