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. The following information is useful when searching:


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

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 these Records Tell Me?
Probate records in this collections include estate files, wills and letters of administration. These records usually include:


 * 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?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Judicial District
 * 2) Select Record Type
 * 3) Select File or Volume Number Range and Year Range

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.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use a Probate record to identify adoptions, guardians, heirs and relatives.
 * Use a will to approximate a death date, then find a death certificate.
 * Use the information in the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records for earlier years.
 * Use the information to locate census, christenings, marriage and land records.
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

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

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Manitoba, Canada Genealogy.
 * Search in the Manitoba Archives and Libraries.
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

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:

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