1. Wills & Probates  Probate records are useful in your search for ancestors 1. 1 st they relate information already gathered 2. They are legal documents and are reliable information as long as you interpret it correctly 3. Wills are the most common form of records 4. They furnish you with relationships 5. They give you glimpses into the persons life, family secrets, household items, and feelings about family members http://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/3644.asp

2. Identify the Individual  Use the ancestors full name  Try to find as much information as you can such as: 1. Death dates 2. Death place (be careful not to assume the place) 3. Marriage information 4. Any additional information about the person or the family

3. Identify the Place of Death  Most wills & probates are filed in the county where the individual was living when they died.  Watch because some cities changed their boundaries  If there was more than one marriage, could the person have been living with one of the children at the time of death

4. Learn Where The Records are Kept  Usually filed at the county level at the court house  They can be filed in unexpected places or locations  Local historical societies  Some have been microfilmed and are at the Family History library  Look for an index of the probate records  Probate laws and the associated records will differ from state to state

5. Learn what records are available  Wills  Probate  Inventories  Distributions of estates  Letters of administration  Sales of estate  Inquest documents Make sure you request all records concerning your ancestor

6. Access the records  Learn the correct procedure for securing a copy of the information 1. You can visit in person 2. Email or snail mail (remember the SASE) 3. Make sure you know the correct amount of money to send 4. Keep a correspondence log 5. See if there is anything in your county that could be on the internet

7. Analyze and record the information  Once you have the wills then that is when the fun begins.  Be careful not to read things into the document  Take notes regarding the information found  Names that appear on the documents  Leave no line unread  Note the witnesses they could be family

8. Pitfalls in using Wills and Probates  Extracts are secondary sources  Don’t make assumptions, it can be misleading  Be careful of terms of relationships,  Wills are not always filed immediately after a death  Witnesses cannot be beneficiaries, but are often a relative  A wife listed may or may not be the mother of the children  Remember boundaries have changed over time

9. Websites  www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/skbld955.html www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/skbld955.html  http://members.aol.com/mayflo1620/wills.html http://members.aol.com/mayflo1620/wills.html  http://genealogy.about.com/cs/wills http://genealogy.about.com/cs/wills  http://www.mylawyer.com/glossary.htm http://www.mylawyer.com/glossary.htm  http://www.cyndislist.com/wills.htm#General http://www.cyndislist.com/wills.htm#General