Are you ready to take your genealogy research to the next level? Probate records are one of the four major record groups to research. The other three are census, vital and land records.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why probate records are so valuable, what kind of information you can find in them, and how to use them effectively in your research.
A wonderful place to start with probate research is at the free site, FamilySearch. You can find an overview of their United States Probate Records here. But let’s break down what you’ll need to know if you’re just starting in this rich record group.
Why Probate Records Are Valuable
Probate records are legal documents that deal with the distribution of a deceased person’s estate. These records come into play when someone dies with a will (testate) or without a will (intestate). They include wills, estate inventories, guardianship records, and more. They can reveal a lot about your ancestors, such as:
- Date of Death – you may not always be able to find an exact date of death, but you will be able to nail down a time frame from the date of the will to when it was proved.
- Family members names and relationships – One of the biggest advantages of probate records is that they can clarify family relationships. Wills often list children, spouses, siblings, and even more distant relatives. This can help confirm connections you’ve suspected but couldn’t prove with other records.
- Financial status and property ownership – Probate records can provide a snapshot of your ancestor’s financial status. Estate inventories list items owned by the deceased, ranging from land and houses to livestock and household items. This can give you an idea of their wealth and lifestyle.
- Personal items they valued – You might discover cherished heirlooms passed down through generations, or debts owed to neighbors, which can paint a picture of their day-to-day life.
How to Find Probate Records
Finding probate records can be tricky at times, but it’s worth it. Here’s where to start:
Online Databases and Genealogy Websites Websites like Ancestry, FamilySearch, and FindMyPast have extensive collections of probate records. A quick search can turn up valuable documents.
Local Courthouses and Archives Many probate records are stored in local courthouses or archives. You can visit in person or contact them to request records.
State and National Archives Don’t forget to check state and national archives. They often have probate records that aren’t available online.
FamilySearch
We all love discovering an ancestor’s probate in our genealogy research, especially when it names people and specifies their relationships. But we want to find all documents that mention our ancestors. One way to do that is with the FamilySearch Full Text Search. It’s a way to find your ancestors’ names in documents in which they are not the main focus and have not been indexed. To find out what FamilySearch Full Text Search can do for your genealogy research, click here.
As an example, the probate packet of Veronica Gable contains the names of my ancestors and their relationships:
Emanuel Welty is my 3rd great-grandfather. He died young and did not leave a will, so let’s see what probate information we can find for him.
A Family Example
Emanuel G. Welty was born in 1826 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Jacob Welty and Susanna Gable. Susanna Gable was Veronica’s mother-in-law, as shown in the example above. By 24, he moved to Clark County, Ohio, married with a child, and worked as a pump maker. His wife was Mary Enoch who was born in 1830 in Clark County.
Emanuel and Mary went on to have 5 children before he died around 1859 in Illinois. His occupation was a train conductor. After Emanuel died, Mary took her children back to York County, Pennsylvania to raise. She lived to be 93 years old and passed away in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
Emanuel Died Intestate
I have looked for a will and cannot find evidence of one. I made a hypothesis that Emanuel died intestate (or died without a will). So, I started looking for Letters of Administration. These are the legal documents that appoint an administrator to look after the estate. In this case, it was Emanuel’s widow, Mary.
Since I had evidence that Mary was in York County, Pennsylvania after Emanuel’s death, I started looking first in the FamilySearch catalog.
The top choice looked like a good place to start. Matters involving estates in Pennsylvania are settled through the Orphan’s Court.
I looked through the appropriate time period and found nothing. I poked around in every record group that looked promising and still came up empty. Then I went to Ancestry and focused in on probate records in York County, Pennsylvania. That, too, led to an empty search.
Since my online searches were not successful, I decided to look at the local archives to see what they had. And bingo! The York County Archives had a record collection called “Administration Bond Books.”
When I searched for Emanuel Welty, I found no results.
So, I just looked for the name Welty and found what I was looking for:
I’m not sure why my search for Emanuel Welty didn’t produce this record, but I’m glad I looked again with a different parameter.
I ordered this record from the archives and this is what came:
I transcribed it and extracted the important pieces of information. Mary Welty of Windsor Township, York County, Pennsylvania was named Administratrix of Emanuel’s estate on 26 August 1862. Emanuel was “late of Jasper County Illinois.” Finding information about their life in Illinois will be a future genealogy research project.
Mary signed with an “x” so she could not write her name. After a little digging, I discovered the other men named in this document were her brothers-in-law, John S. Keech and William L. Keech.
The archive also included an inventory:
Mary was owed money from the estate of Frederick Gable. Frederick was the husband of Veronica Gable mentioned earlier in this post. This inventory gives me confirmation of that information.
Other Sources To Look
So far online and offline sources have provided information for Emanuel and Mary E. Welty. Don’t forget to look at all the other ways to add to your genealogy research, like newspapers. Mary lived a long, full life as the matron for the Children’s Home of York and the Alms House. Her obituary mentions key points that confirm early information and gives us new places to look for more.
Finally
We already know the power of using online databases in our genealogy research. But combining those efforts with offline resources gives us even more. If I had not searched the York County Archives website, I would have nothing concrete on Emanuel. Every search whether it yields something or not is important. Make sure to keep track of what you find (positive or negative) in a research log.
Genealogy tip: When you find family members in records, it’s important to keep track of them all. You can do that in a Word document, spreadsheet, Airtable or genealogy software like Legacy Family Tree or RootsMagic. Hopefully with each record you see the same names that confirm you have the right person and are indeed climbing YOUR family tree.
Do you need help piecing together your family tree? Sometimes your genealogy research needs a fresh set of eyes to help navigate the mounds of information you collect. I’d love to hear about your latest project. Click below to get started.
