Texas Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
This collection contains images of probate records from seventy-five different counties in the state of Texas. The content and time period of these records vary by county. In Johnson County you will need to find the desired name in the index, which will be located in the column called “Estate”. Then go to the far right area of each page and get the volume and page number for the corresponding probate document. The specific name of the probate document will be listed in the column called “Orders” or “Proceedings”.

The page numbers in the index can be hard to read because they are in the book gutter (the area of the pages near the inner binding), and there is a dark shadow that obscures or partially obscures that information. When this happens, use the “invert” icon on the image viewer in FamilySearch, which changes the image from positive appearing to negative appearing. This usually helps make the page number readable.

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

Probate records may include wills, 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 might have been written near time of death, but it was always written prior to death.)

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know: Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The location or date of the event
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Volume Title and Year

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?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

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

 * Use a Probate record to identify adoptions, guardians, heirs and relatives
 * Use a probate record to approximate a death date, then find a death certificate
 * For earlier years, use the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records
 * Use the information found in the record to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism and marriage records
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration and land records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Texas.


 * Beginning Research in United States Probate Records
 * Texas Guided Research
 * Texas Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

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.