Research Tactics: Lesson 7
Probate records.
Print this Lesson“Our message is so imperative, when you stop to think that the salvation, the eternal salvation of the world, rests upon the shoulders of this Church. When all is said and done, if the world is going to be saved, we have to do it. There is no escaping from that. No other people in the history of the world have received the kind of mandate that we have received. We are responsible for all who have lived upon the earth. That involves our family history and temple work. We are responsible for all who now live upon the earth, and that involves our missionary work. And we are going to be responsible for all who will yet live upon the earth. No one ever received a greater or more compelling mandate than we of this Church have received, and we’d better be getting at it.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Mission Presidents Seminar, July 1999)
Discussion & Theory
Probate Records
Probate records are an often overlooked, but important part of genealogical research. The records of probate, are among the most important documents available for tying a specific person to a specific place; especially in those cases, where time, place, and circumstances have made vital records unavailable or were never recorded. Nevertheless, vital records and land records should be used together to get the complete picture of a family.
Probate Records
Probate records are created at the time of an individual’s death and are the legal records associated with the dividing up of a deceased person’s property. These records might include information about an individual's financial situation and assets, their occupation, and the names of the heirs.
The family historians who take the time to research these types of legal documents will often be pleasantly surprised by the rewards that are in store. These types of records can help you locate ancestors' residences, determine occupations, find financial information, establish citizenship status, or clarify relationships between people-depending on the type of records that your ancestors’ names appear in.
The will is a legal document in which an individual declares what they want done with their possessions or estate after their death. These might include information about immediate family members or distant relatives.
Bring to Class This Week
- The file for the family you are working on and flash drive for transporting new finds
- Optional: Your family computer file to work on in class
Lesson Materials
Print out or download all of this material
- Lesson page — Our Ancestors Want Us to be Accurate
- A Typical Deed
- Legal Terms in Court Records
- Blank plat map
Helpful Links
LDS Saints
- FamilySearch.org (sign in with LDS account to use FamilyTree)
- DNA — Three Basic Tests Explained
- Dating Photographs
- Policies for submitting names to the temple
Probate
Homework for Next Week
- Update your file with land and probate records you find
- Read Lesson 8 and study links.
