The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is November 2024)
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Probate records and wills are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.
What can you find in these records? How about the date of death, spouse’s and children’s names, birth order, siblings and siblings’ spouses, parent’s names, and residence locations for all named persons? Also, ownership of land and/or other significant property, business names and occupation, military service, guardianships, and adoptions. Basically, anything owned by the deceased is typically listed and to whom it is to be assigned.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on the probate process – all I know is that I have discovered an amazing amount of good information from probate records and wills as part of my personal genealogy research.
Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:
- FamilySearch – United States Probate Records
- Wills and Probate Records are Genealogy Riches
- How to Use Wills and Estate Records to Learn About Your Ancestors
- Probate Records Could Be the Key to Unlocking Your Family’s Hidden Past
Below, listed are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online for the state.
Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired will or probate record in an index, the holder of the actual materials (e.g., (archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Alaska Probate and Wills
- Alaska, Miscellaneous Probate Records, 1935-1985
- Alaska, Mixed Precincts, Probate Records, 1899-1968
- Alaska, Mixed Precincts, Probate Records, 1899-1968
- Alaska, Mixed Vital Records, 1916-1929
- Alaska, Probate and Wills Index
- Alaska, Probate Index
- Alaska, Probate Index (1883-1960)
- Alaska, Probate Records, 1936-1968
- Alaska, Probate Records, 1936-1968
- Aleutian Islands, Probate Records, 1909-1960
- Anchorage, Probate Records, 1900-1974
- Aniak, Probate Records, 1920-1958
- Barrow, Probate and Fee Docket Records, 1909-1945
- Beaver, Probate Records, 1907-1910
- Bethel, Probate Records, 1930-1960
- Bristol Bay Probate Records, 1903-1917
- Cape Nome Precinct, Probate Records, 1900-1971
- Chatanika, Probate Records, 1913-1941
- Chitina Precinct, Probate Records, 1922-1962
- Circle, Power of Attorney Records, 1898-1920
- Circle, Probate Records, 1900-1954
- Cordova, Probate Records, 1908-1960
- Council City Estate Records, 1901-1928
- Dillingham, Probate Records, 1915-1959
- Douglas, Miscellaneous Records, 1916-1929
- Douglas, Probate Records, 1913-1930
- Eagle, Probate Records, 1901-1950
- Fairbanks, Probate Records, 1904-1976
- Fairhaven, Probate Records, 1915-1959
- Fort Gibbon Military Base, Probate Records, 1909-1958
- Fort Yukon, Probate Records
- Fortuna Ledge, Probate Records, 1916-1956
- Forty Mile, Probate Records, 1903-1943
- Haines, Probate Records, 1906-1960
- Homer, Probate Records, 1938-1964
- Hoonah, Probate Records, 1904-1907
- Hyder Precinct, Probate Records, 1920-1957
- Hyder, Court Records, 1920-1958
- Illiamna Precinct, Probate Records, 1933-1960
- Juneau, Probate and Marriage Records, 1884-1960
- Kanatak, Court Records, 1925-1946
- Kantishna, Probate Records, 1913-1934
- Kenai Precinct, Probate Records, 1901-1972
- Ketchikan, Probate Records, 1915-1968
- Knik, Probate Records, 1910-1921
- Kodiak, Probate Records, 1901-1965
- Kotzube and Noatak-Kobuk, Probate Records, 1916-1957
- Kouguarck, Probate Records, 1904-1917
- Koyukuk Precinct, Probate Records, ca. 1901-1958
- Kvichak Precinct, Probate Records, 1933-1961
- Manley Hot Springs, Probate Records, 1907-1961
- McCarthy, Probate Records, 1919-1928
- Nenana, Probate Records, 1900-1959
- Nome, Probate Records, 1905-1959
- Nulato, Probate Records, 1928-1962
- Ophir, Probate Records, 1912-1954
- Otter and Flat, Probate Records, 1933-1951
- Palmer Precinct, Probate Records, 1920-1974
- Petersburg, Court Records, 1911-1960
- Petersburg, Miscellaneous Records, 1925-1961
- Petersburg, Probate Records, 1925-1959
- Port Clarence and Teller, Probate Records, 1906-1943
- Port Clarence, Estate Records, 1928-1941
- Rampart, Probate Records, 1900-1949
- Seldovia, Probate Records, 1920-1964
- Seward, Probate Records, 1913-1960
- Sitka Probate Index
- Sitka, Probate Records, 1883-1959
- Skagway, Probate Records, 1898-1960
- St. Michael, Probate Records, 1894-1949
- Sulzer, Probate Records, 1913-1914
- Talkeetna, Probate Records, 1909-1960
- Tanana Precinct, Probate Records, ca. 1906-1914
- Unalaska, Probate Records, 1910-1937
- Unga, Land and Property Records, 1886-1959
- Unga, Mixed Records: Marriage, Probate, Deeds, 1897-1900
- Unga, Probate Records, 1891-1962
- Valdez, Probate Records, 1900-1960
- Wade Hampton, Court Records, 1921-1961
- Wasilla, Probate Records, 1923-1961
- Wrangell, Probate Records, 1890-1960
- Yakutat, Probate Records, 1904-1947
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!