New Jersey, Middlesex County Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of probate records (bound volumes) from the Middlesex County Surrogate Court in New Brunswick, New Jersey for the years 1830 to 1921. These records augment the microfilms we filmed in 1972. The records contain the following types of documents:


 * Will Books
 * Applications for Administration
 * Applications for Probate
 * Administrators Bonds
 * Letters of Guardianship

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Probate
 * Name of testator or deceased
 * Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
 * Names of witnesses
 * Residence of testator
 * Lists of belongings, property, and so forth
 * Document and recording dates (Sometimes the date of death will be given.)
 * Recording dates

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the deceased
 * The place of residence
 * The approximate death or probate date

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use probate records to identify heirs and relatives
 * Use the document (such as the will) or the recording dates to approximate a death date
 * Use the information in the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records, since the probates exist for an earlier time period
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records
 * Use the recording date approximate the death date. For example, a letter of administration was usually written shortly after the time of death

You may be able to use the probate record to learn about:
 * Land transactions
 * Adoptions or guardianship of any minor children and dependents
 * 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 died 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
 * Wills are more likely to be found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes created by the court or local historical and genealogical societies
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of New Jersey.
 * New Jersey Guided Research
 * New Jersey Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Middlesex County. Administration records, 1887-1921
 * Middlesex County. Guardianship records, 1908-1921
 * Middlesex County. Probate applications, 1903-1921
 * Middlesex County. Wills, 1913-1922
 * Middlesex County. Record of Wills, 1683-1900
 * Middlesex County. Probate records, 1780-1930; indexes, 1803-1971

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * John Patrick Wall. History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920 : historical--biographical. 3 volume. New York, New York : Lewis Historical, 1921
 * edited by W. Woodford Clayton. History of Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey : with biographical sketches of many of their pioneers and prominent men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Everts & Peck, 1882

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.