Germans from Russia Probate Records

Probate records are court records created after an individual's death that relate to a court's decisions regarding the distribution of his estate to his heirs or creditors and the care of his dependents. You may find the individual's death date, the names of family members, family relationships, and residences. You may also learn about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. These documents are essential for research because they usually pre-date the birth and death records kept by civil authorities.

Not everyone left an estate that was probated by a court. Estates were probated for approximately 25 percent of the heads of households in the United States before 1900, whether or not the individual left a will.

While probate records are one of the most accurate sources of genealogical evidence, they must be used with some caution. For example, they may omit the names of deceased family members or those who have previously received an inheritance, or the spouse mentioned in a will may not be the parent of the children mentioned.

See the Probate Records section for the nation, state, or province where a German from Russia ancestor died:


 * United States Probate Records
 * Also see the "Probate Records" section for each state.
 * Canada Probate Records
 * Also see the "Probate Records" section for each province.
 * Russia Probate Records
 * Ukraine