Vermont, Washington County, Probate Estate Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
This collection consists of Probate estate files located at the Washington District Probate Court in Montpelier, Vermont for the years 1862 to 1915. This collection is being published as images become available.

Probate records are court documents may have included both loose papers and bound volumes. These records were generally known as an estate file, case file, or probate packets. These files normally included the following types of documents:
 * Wills
 * Letters of administration
 * Settlement papers
 * Guardianships
 * Inventories
 * Receipts
 * Distributions
 * Name changes
 * Adoptions
 * Any other records pertaining to estates

This collection consists of images of probate papers located at the Washington District Probate Court in Montpelier, Vermont. This collection is being published as images become available.

Vermont was originally part of Massachusetts. In 1749, New Hampshire claimed a large portion of the area. In 1764, New York claimed jurisdiction over a large portion of the land held by New Hampshire. In 1777, Vermont became independent and was made a state in 1791. Probate records for those who died before 1777 may be in the records of the county and state who claimed the area before Vermont was formally created. Probate courts began recording probate records soon after the county was created. There are 14 counties, but 18 probate districts. The four southern counties have 2 districts each. Probate records cover approximately 40 percent of adult males who left wills, but this may be less than 25 percent in some areas. Less than 10 percent of women had wills or estate inventories. Wills are more likely to be found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas. A higher percentage of individuals died without a will, but they may have had their estates probated and distributed through the courts. Wills and other estate documents are found in the estate files.

Probate records were used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. If the deceased had made a will, the probate process transferred the following from the deceased to an executor or executrix:
 * Legal responsibility for payment of taxes
 * Care and custody of dependent family members
 * Liquidation of debts
 * Transfer of property title to heirs

If there was no will, the transfer went to an administrator or administratrix. A guardian or conservator was appointed if the deceased had heirs younger than 21 or if the heirs were incompetent due to disability or disease.

The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time of the probate proceedings are reliable, but realize that there is still a chance of misinformation. The records may omit the names of deceased family members or those who had previously received an inheritance. In some cases, the spouse mentioned in the will was not the parent of the children mentioned. Also, some wills do not name family members. Many of these volumes have indexes at the beginning or end. You should search these first.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:
 * The place of residence
 * The approximate death or probate date
 * The name of the deceased

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * 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 occupations listed to find other types of records such as employment or military records
 * You may be able to use the probate record to learn about:
 * Adoptions or guardianship of any minor children and dependents.
 * Land transactions.


 * 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. Keep in mind that 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?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Vermont.
 * Beginning Research in United States Probate Records
 * Vermont Guided Research
 * Vermont Record Finder
 * Vermont Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Vermont Research, 1880-Present

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Washington District. Probate Estate Files, 1862-1915
 * Washington District. Probate Records, 1811-1917
 * Washington District. Probate Administrators, 1870-1913
 * Washington District. Probate Records, Bonds, v. 1-3, 1901-1919
 * Washington District. Probate Records, Insolvency, 1878-1898
 * Washington District. Wills & Executors, 1871-1910
 * Washington District. Alphabetical index to closed estates, 1811-1988

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Vermont Probate Files, 1800-1921
 * Vermont Deaths and Burials, 1871-1965
 * Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954
 * Vermont Vital Records, 1760-2008

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * edited by William Adams ; compiled and published by Hamilton Child. Gazetteer of Washington County, Vt., 1783-1889. Syracuse, New York : Syracuse Journal Company, 1889
 * by native and resident historians ; collated and published by Abby Maria Hemenway.The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier. Montpelier, Vermont : A.M. Hemenway, 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.