Nova Scotia Probate Records

Probate records such as wills, inventories, and administrations are very helpful. Many of these records (especially wills) give names, dates, residences, possessions, and relationships. Probate registration began in Halifax in 1749. The probate materials are usually found in the county courthouses. Record Group 48 in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia consists of many probate records. The Family History Library has microfilms of probate records for all counties, often up to the 1930s or 1960s. A list of deeds and probates held at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia is found in Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia, by Terrence M. Punch, page 86 (see the "For Further Reading" section of this outline).