New Jersey, Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of images of probate records from various court houses in New Jersey. Most records cover the years 1678 to 1920 but some counties have records up to the year 1970.

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

Probate records include petitions, inventories, accounts, decrees, and other court documents.
 * Name of testator or deceased
 * Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
 * Name of executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Residence of testator
 * Document and recording dates (Used to approximate event dates i.e. A will was usually written near time of death.)

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. Add this new information to your records of each family.

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 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
 * 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
 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the deceased or the testator

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume
 * 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

 * New Jersey index to wills Originally published in 1912 as "State of New Jersey index of wills, inventories, etc. in the office of the secretary of state prior to 1901." reprint 3 volume. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969 FS Library 974.9 P22s
 * New Jersey Department of State. Record of wills in New Jersey, 1705-1804

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * William Nelson.'' Calendar of New Jersey wills, volume I, 1670-1730 : edited, with an introductory note on the early testamentary laws and customs of New Jersey.' Paterson, New Jersey : The Press and Publishing Co., 1901.
 * William Nelson, The law and the practice of New Jersey from the earliest times : concerning the probate of wills, the administration of estates, the protection of orphans and minors, and the control of their estates ; the perogative court, the ordinary, and the surrogates Paterson, New Jersey : Paterson History Club, c1909

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.