User:Pipkincm/Sandbox



These are the items that I found on the wiki that either I want to edit/create or that I'll suggest someone else gives attention to. If you've been asked to collaborate, please review the topic of interest and add to the "discussion" tab.

Record Overview
[most text has been moved to the U.S. Probate Records main page]

Cautions
While probate records are one of the most accurate sources of genealogical evidence, they must be used with some caution. For example,


 * Not eveyone left an estate that was probated by a court.
 * Those named in the will are not necessarily related to the testator.
 * A wife is not necessarily the mother of the children named.
 * Deceased family members or those who previously received an inheritance might not be mentioned in the records.
 * Probate records can be filed in more than one cabinet, ledger, or packet and in more than one office.
 * Transcribed records might be incomplete, misread, or incorrectly transcribed so consult the original when possible.
 * The county of residence at the time of death usually must be known in order to locate probate records.
 * Rarely do indexes of probate records include every name mentioned in the records.

Suggested Text for State Topic Pages
[insert an image]

Record Synopsis
Probate encompasses all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, whether there is a will (testate) or not (intestate). Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence. They may also include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records may not give an exact death date, but the death most often occurred within a few months of the date of probate. Wills usually mention the names of heirs and frequently specify how those heirs are related. Names of children are given, as well as married names of daughters.

Cautions While probate records are one of the most accurate sources of genealogical evidence, they must be used with some caution. For example,


 * Not eveyone left an estate that was probated by a court.
 * Those named in the will are not necessarily related to the testator.
 * A wife is not necessarily the mother of the children named.
 * Deceased family members or those who previously received an inheritance might not be mentioned in the records.
 * Probate records can be filed in more than one cabinet, ledger, or packet and in more than one office.
 * Transcribed records might be incomplete, misread, or incorrectly transcribed so consult the original when possible.
 * The county of residence at the time of death usually must be known in order to locate probate records.
 * Rarely do indexes of probate records include every name mentioned in the records.

State Statutes
Understanding the [state] probate laws and how they changed over time can help us learn how the estate was administered, taxed, and distributed and might help to solve difficult genealogical problems. For additional information about [state] state statutes relating to probate matters, see:

Obtaining the Records
Repositories (local, regional, national—as applicable)

Indexes

Web Sites


 * Sampubco A gateway to Indexes of Will, Guardianships, Probate Records, and Letters Testamentary (does not apply to all states)
 * The USGenWeb Project A cooperative volunteer effort with links to resources for the state and counties. (Replace the link and link's text for each state)

Learn More

 * Anne Roach, Courthouse Records Overview (35 minute online video) FamilySearch Research Classes Online, 2010.
 * Eichholz, Alice, Editor. Redbook: American State, County, and Town Sources. Third Edition. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004. (See page ___.)
 * Rose, Christine. Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures. San Jose, California: CR Publications, 2004.

Click on the following links to wiki articles for additional information on probate records:


 * United States Probate Records
 * Probate Process
 * Probate Documents
 * Glossary of Probate Terms

Probate
Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of any dependents. You may find the names of married daughters or other relatives and their residences; or information about the adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. Probate records do not always give an exact date of death, but the death usually occurred within four months of probate. These documents are important to family history researchers, because they usually exist for time periods before civil birth and death records were kept.

The [court] has responsibility for the probate records of [name] County.

The following [name] County probate records have been indexed or abstracted:

Glossary of Probate Terms
[currently, the Iowa Probate page provides wikipedia links to some of these terms] [text moved to Glossary of United States Probate Terms]

Suggested State "Overview" Text
[The State] often took censuses in the years between the federal censuses, the dates are listed below. State census records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses, [make this specific for the state, such as the 1892 gives religion or 1925 gives a married woman’s maiden name]. The responses and years of coverage may give additional information on the family.

State Censuses
For a list of state and territorial censuses:


 * Lainhart, Ann S. State Census Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publ., 1992.(FHL book X2Lai.) State-by-state list of censuses, and selected census substitutes. Describes dates, coverage, content, indexes and availability.

In addition, the staff of the Family History Library has compiled the following register which lists all state census records available at the library:

= US Land and Property =
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family History Library, US/Canada Reference Staff, State Census Register, 3 vols. (Salt Lake City: Family History Library, 2005). FHL Ref. book 973 X23us. Available free online through Brigham Young University's Family History Archive: Vol. 1, Alabama - Kansas; Vol. 2, Kentucky - New York; Vol. 3, North Carolina - Wyoming.


 * Explain federal land tract books and how to determine which film to search using a combination of Hone's county boundaries and the FHL catalog entry.
 * Timelines.
 * Include both "general tips" and "state tips" within each state.

= Colorado =


 * Note that the state Archives has an incomplete divorce index, probate and tax indexes for some years/counties, and State Pennitentiary Index 1871-1973.
 * Add "occupations" topic and "mining" article.

= Articles =


 * Link "legal ages" page to land, military, court, immigration, and vital records pages.
 * Mining
 * Northern Liberties, Pennsylvania