Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Tuesday's Tip - U.S. Probate and Estate Records on FamilySearch.org

This week's Tuesday's Tip is:  There are Probate and Estate records for 31 states in the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list):


The Probate and Estate record collections for the United States include:

*  Alabama, Probate Records, 1809-1985; Browse Images, last updated 19 Feb 2013
*  Arizona, Maricopa County Probate Records, 1870-1930; Browse Images, last updated 30 Apr 2012
*  Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014
*  California, Probate Estate Files,1833-1991; Browse Images, last updated 15 Jan 2013
*  Colorado, Denver County Probate Case Files, 1900-1925; Browse Images, last updated 30 Jul 2012

*  Florida, Probate Records, 1784-1990; Browse Images, last updated 07 Jun 2013
*  Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990; Browse Images, last updated 10 Apr 2014
*  Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1988; Browse Images, last updated 23 Oct 2014
*  Iowa, Fayette County Probate Records, 1851-1928; Browse Images, last updated 07 Dec 2012
*  Iowa, Polk County Probate Records, 1914-1924; Browse Images, last updated 10 Nov 2014

*  Iowa, Poweshiek County Probate Records, 1850-1954; Browse Images, last updated 12 Sep 2014
*  Kentucky Probate Records, 1727-1990; 12,429 indexed records, last updated 06 Sep 2013
*  Maine, Androscoggin County, Probate Estate Files, 1854-1918; Browse Images, last updated 09 Nov 2012
*  Maine, Aroostook County, Probate Records, 1837-2007; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014
*  Maine, County Probate Records, 1760-1979; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014

*  Maine, Kennebec County Probate Estate Files, 1779-1915; Browse Images, last updated 15 Feb 2013
*  Maine, Knox County, Probate Estate Files, 1861-1915; Browse Images, last updated 12 Oct 2012
*  Maine, Oxford County, Probate Estate Files, 1805-1915; Browse Images, last updated 28 Nov 2012
*  Maine, Somerset County, Probate Estate Files, 1809-1915; Browse Images, last updated 15 Feb 2013
*  Maine, York County, Probate Estate Files, 1690-1917; Browse Images, last updated 15 Feb 2013

*  Maryland, Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1796-1940; 89,727 indexed records, last updated 21 Mar 2014
*  Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Estate Files, 1686-1915; Browse Images , last updated 25 Jun 2014
*  Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967; Browse Images, last updated 14 Nov 2012
*  Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925; Browse Images, last updated 11 Aug 2014

*  Michigan, Probate Records, 1797-1973; Browse Images, last updated 27 Jun 2012
*  Mississippi, Probate Records, 1781-1930; Browse Images, last updated 30 Aug 2012
*  Missouri, Andrew and Cole County Probate Records, 1826-1945; Browse Images, last updated 19 Sep 2014
*  Missouri, Probate Records, 1750-1998; Browse Images, last updated 22 Sep 2014
*  New Hampshire, Cheshire County, Probate Estate Files, 1886-1900; Browse Images, last updated 06 Nov 2014

*  New Hampshire, County Probate Estate Files, 1769-1936; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014
*  New Hampshire, County Probate Records, 1660-1973; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014
*  New Hampshire, Naturalization and Probate Records, 1643-1948; Browse Images, last updated 17 Sep 2014
*  New Jersey, Middlesex County Probate Records, 1830-1921; Browse Images, last updated 19 Dec 2011
*  New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014

*  New York, Bronx Probate Estate Files, 1914-1931; Browse Images, last updated 15 Jan 2014
*  New York, Orange County Probate Records, 1787-1938; Browse Images, last updated 11 Aug 2014
*  New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971; Browse Images, last updated 28 May 2014
*  New York, Queens County Probate Records, 1785-1950; Browse Images, last updated 08 Oct 2014
*  North Carolina, Probate Records, 1735-1970; Browse Images, last updated 29 Jun 2011

*  Ohio, Cuyahoga County Probate Files, 1813-1932; Browse Images, last updated 04 Nov 2014
*  Ohio, Montgomery County, Probate Estate Files, 1850-1900; Browse Images, last updated 12 Oct 2012
*  Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996; Browse Images, last updated 01 Jul 2014
*  Ohio, Stark County Probate Records, 1886-1921; Browse Images, last updated 15 Jan 2013
*  Oklahoma Probate Records, 1887-2008; Browse Images, last updated 18 Jun 2014

*  Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994; Browse Images, last updated 03 Jul 2014
*  South Carolina Probate Records, Bound Volumes, 1671-1977 ; Browse Images, last updated 09 May 2011
*  South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964; Browse Images, last updated 24 Mar 2014
*  South Dakota, Minnehaha County, Probate Case Records, 1873-1935; Browse Images, last updated 11 Nov 2011
*  Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927; Browse Images , last updated 17 Jan 2014

*  Tennessee, Probate Court Files, 1795-1955; Browse Images, last updated 24 Oct 2014
*  Texas, Probate Records, 1800-1990; Browse Images, last updated 17 Jun 2014
*  Utah, Probate Records, 1851-1961; Browse Images, last updated 29 Jan 2013
*  Vermont, Addison County and District Probate Files, 1845-1915; Browse Images, last updated 12 Apr 2013
*  Vermont, Franklin County Probate Records, 1796-1921; Browse Images, last updated 29 Jan 2013

*  Vermont, Orange County, Randolph District Probate Records, 1790-1935; Browse Images, last updated 01 Feb 2013
*  Vermont, Probate Files, 1800-1921; 10,225 indexed records, last updated 01 Jun 2010
*  Vermont, Washington County, Probate Estate Files, 1862-1915; Browse Images, last updated 11 Nov 2011
*  Vermont, Windham County, Westminster District, Probate Records, 1781-1921; Browse Images, last updated 12 Oct 2012
*  Washington, County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950; 4,310 indexed records, last updated 28 Nov 2011

*  Washington, County Probate Records, 1853-1929; Browse Images, last updated 19 Nov 2012
*  Washington, King County Probate Records, 1854-1927; Browse Images, last updated 09 Jan 2012
*  Wisconsin, Probate Estate Files, 1848-1948; Browse Images, last updated 10 Sep 2014

Not every one of the collections listed above are complete.  Some are updated occasionally.  Only a few are indexed.  Each state is somewhat different.

The user must Browse the images for most of the collections.  These are usually "waypointed" by County and then "Record Book."  Some of the "Record Books" are indexed, and some are not.  Sometimes, the researcher needs to use an index to find volume and page numbers of the actual records in another "Record Book."

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


3 comments:

Geolover said...

West Virginia Will Books are also uploaded from 1784, end dates vary by County. For some counties the estate inventories and/or sale bills are included in will books.

The estate records uploaded for Pennsylvania do not include some counties, such as Lycoming.

Janniel said...

Could you tell me how to get to the 'search>records>filter by' screen? If so, thanks :)

Randy Seaver said...

JannieBGoode - sorry I should have put the link to the FamilySearch historical records page - https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list

That provides the URL for the image at the top of this post. You can also get to it from the FamilySearch Search Records page at https://familysearch.org/search by clicking the "Dowse all Published Collections" link.