Wisconsin Probate Records

In the territorial era, probate records were kept by probate courts. These files were eventually transferred to the clerk of the county court, where current records are also kept. You may obtain information by contacting the clerk's office.

The Family History Library at www.familysearch.org has microfilm copies of probate files and indexes from some Wisconsin counties and is continuing to acquire additional records. For example, Milwaukee County microfilms include probate packets from 1850–1910 (on 1,097 FHL films beginning with film 1020046), wills and estates from 1838–1923 with an index (on 107 films beginning with film 1023331), and a general card index for 1838–1915 (on 73 films beginning with film 1292413).

A typical probate packet includes such documents as petitions, grants of administration, inventories, letters testamentary, affidavits, statements of creditors, accounts, and guardianship decrees.