Maine, Androscoggin County, Probate Estate Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains probate estate files arranged by case number, docket index books arranged by case number and date and an alphabetical card index acquired from the Androscoggin County Courthouse in Auburn. The collection covers the years 1854 to 1918.
 * See also Helen Shaw,  Maine Probate Research NGS Magazine 48 #3 (April-June 2022): 38- FS Library 973 D25ngs v.48 no. 2

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 testator or deceased
 * Identifying information such as residence 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?

 * 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

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 Maine.
 * Beginning Research in United States Probate Records
 * Maine Guided Research
 * Maine 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

 * edited by Rhonda R. McClure, Genealogist's handbook for New England research 6th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society®, 2022 FS Library 974 D27mr
 * Probate docket records, 1854-1918
 * Probate records, 1854-1919
 * Probate of wills, v. 1-2, 1854-1892
 * Administrators, executors and guardians records, 1854-1979
 * Probate Records, Indexes to Estate Files, 1870-2005

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Georgia Drew Merrill, editor History of Androscoggin County, Maine. Boston, Massachusetts : W.A. Fergusson & Company, 1891

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.