District of Columbia Probate Records

United States   District of Columbia     Probate Records

Record Synopsis
Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence. They may also include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. For further information about the probate process, types of probate records, analyzing probate records, and to access a glossary of probate terms, see United States Probate Records.

Regional
Wills after 1888, and administrations after 1878, are also at the:


 * U.S. District Court
 * 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
 * Washington, DC 20001
 * Telephone: 202-273-0555
 * Internet: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia


 * District of Columbia Office of Public Records 1300 Naylor Court NW Washington, DC 20001-4225 Tel: 202-727-2052 Internet: District of Columbia Archives

National
The National Archives has probate administrations (1801-36 and 1854-78) and guardianship papers (1801-78). They also have an index to administration dockets, guardian dockets, and case files.

The Family History Library has a collection of both Probate and Guardianship records and for the District of Columbia.

Statewide Record Collections
Probate records prior to 1800 for the District of Columbia were kept by the appropriate courts of Virginia and Maryland. The National Archives has a series of will transcripts from 1801 to 1888.

A second series of transcripts from 1801 to 1919 and the original wills from 1801 to the present are available at:


 * Register of Wills and Clerk of the Probate Court
 * U.S. Courthouse
 * 500 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Room 5000
 * Washington, DC 20001
 * Telephone: 202-879-1499
 * Internet: http://www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/superior/probate/links.jsp

Abstracts of many early wills are in


 * Mrs. Alexander H. Bell, Abstracts of Wills in the District of Columbia, 1776-1815, Two Volumes. (Washington, D.C.: Bell, 1946) (Book ; vol. 2 on Film ; vols. 1 and 2 on Fiche ).
 * Another index is Dorothy S. Provine, Index to District of Columbia Wills (1801-1920). (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992).