Delaware Orphan Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Delaware 

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains records for the years 1680 to 1978 from the Delaware Public Archives. The Orphan Court deals with guardianship of minors, real estate left intestate, partition of real estate, and appeals from the Register of Wills. This collection is being published as images become available.

Sample Images
The records generally contain the following information:


 * Names of interested parties
 * Date of court proceeding or transaction
 * Details of the case
 * Amount of money exchanged or paid
 * Names of family members, heirs, and witnesses

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The place of residence
 * The court date
 * The names of interested individuals

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the "County" ⇒ Select the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume" which takes you to the images.

Look at each 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. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

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. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the date and locality to search for census and church 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 been 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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.
 * Witnesses in court cases may be close relatives.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local historical and genealogical groups also compile indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

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:

Image Citation