California Probate Records

Online Resources

 * Early California Wills at Ancestry ($), index and images
 * 1782-1999 California, Wills and Probate Records, 1782-1999 at Ancestry ($), index and images
 * 1833-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images; incomplete; includes only 11 counties
 * 1850-1953 California, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1850-1953 at Ancestry ($), index and images

History
The earliest probate records in California were kept by the probate courts in each county. Since 1879 the superior court in each county has held the jurisdiction over probate matters. The county clerk is usually the custodian of these records.

Availability
You can obtain copies of the original probate records (such as wills and estate files) by writing to the county clerk.

Many records of Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Nevada, Sonoma, and Sutter counties are at the California State Archives. The FamilySearch Library has copies of some probate records, including 33,000 wills filed in San Francisco between 1906 and 1922 on 127 microfilms.