Washington Probate Records

Online Resources

 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Browsable records, incomplete for all counties.
 * 1832-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1851-1970 U.S., Washington, Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry ($), index and images, incomplete.
 * 1853-1929 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Images
 * 1856-2009 U.S., Washington, County Records at Ancestry ($), images/no index.

Probate Courts
In the territorial era, probate courts were established in each county to keep records of wills, bonds, orders, and the administrations of estates. When the superior courts succeeded the probate courts in 1891, all of the records of the clerks of the probate courts were transferred to the county clerk in each courthouse. Some probates were filed in the superior court.

The FamilySearch Library has acquired copies of probate records for a few counties in Washington. However, they are also available at the various county courthouses, or the county may have transferred early records to the Washington State Archives at http://www.secstate.wa.gov/archives/.