Manitoba Probate Records

Between 1871 and 1982 wills and probate records were kept only at the Surrogate Registrar’s Office in the courthouse of each judicial district in Manitoba. Since 1982, the following wills and probate records are being transferred to the Provincial Archives:


 * Wills and probate records over 20 years old from courthouses outside the city of Winnipeg.
 * Wills and probate records over 60 years old from the Eastern Judicial District in Winnipeg.

A central alphabetical index, arranged by year, is maintained at the Winnipeg court office. To have the index searched, you must provide the name of the deceased and the date of death. In 1984 all indexes, wills, and probate files for the period 1882 to 1930 began to be microfilmed for use at the Provincial Archives.

A few wills for the period 1830–1870 can be found in the “private papers” collections of the Provincial Archives. Wills for some of the officers and servants of the Hudson’s Bay Company, 1763–1921, are available on microfilm at the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Provincial Archives, and National Archives of Canada. There is an alphabetical index to these wills.

Court records prior to 1870 are small in number. They are located at the Provincial Archives and at the local courts. The Provincial Archives web page has information about which records are being transferred to the archives.

For help finding local courthouse records, contact the Court of Queen’s Bench in Winnipeg, or contact the Provincial Archives. Contact information for both of these can be found in the "Archives and Libraries" section.

For further information on Manitoba courts contact the Attorney General’s Department in Winnipeg:

Attorney General of Manitoba Legislative Building 450 Broadway Winnipeg, MB R3C 0V8 Phone: 204-945-3728 Fax: 204-945-2517 Internet: http://www.gov.mb.ca/minister/minjus.html