Probate Records

Guide to locating probate records for ancestry, family history, and genealogy research.

What are probate records?
Relatively few probate records have been microfilmed, so they may need to be used in local and regional German archives. They are often not indexed and require relatively good reading skills.
 * Probate is the legal process distributing real estate (property) and personal estate (possessions) to a person's heirs.
 * Testate is the term used when a will existed. Intestate means there was no will, and the court administers and distributes the estate.
 * Other documents may be found in the full probate packet.
 * Probate records are available for only about 10% of families, usually landowners and the wealthy. Most farmers, merchants, and artisans did not own their own farms or shops and did not leave wills.
 * Probate records often pre-date other birth and death records.
 * Wills are found in the town or county where the person lived when the will was made or where they died.

What can you find in probate records?
Information recorded may include:
 * the death date
 * names of heirs
 * family members
 * guardians
 * relationships
 * residences
 * inventories of the estate (including trade and household goods)
 * names of witnesses
 * names of executors

United States County Wiki Articles
Instructions and links for probate records in the United States are best found on individual county pages in the Wiki. Outside the United Staes fewer probate records have been microfilmed, digitized, and published online, so they may need to be used in local and regional archives. Find the Probate Records article for the country of interest to learn details.