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 date of death, spouses and children names, birth order, siblings and siblings spouses, parents 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 to.
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 by state are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online.
Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired will or probate record in an index, that 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 of the links listed below 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.
(Updated August, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Arkansas County Probate Records, 1819-1924
- Arkansas County Wills and Miscellaneous Probate Records, 1838-1924
- Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979
- Arkansas, Index to Wills and Administrations, earliest to 1900
- Ashley County Probate and Guardianship Records, 1848-1889
- Ashley County, Abstracts of Administrator’s accounts and Guardianship Bonds, books A and AA, 1849-1890
- Baxter County Probate Records, 1873-1949
- Benton County Probate Records 1837-1921
- Boone County Probate Records, 1869-1919
- Boone County Probate Records,1869-1894; Index, 1869-1970, 1869-1970
- Boone County Will Record, 1872-1926
- Bradley County Chancery Court Records, 1847-1893, and Index, 1860-1893
- Bradley County Probate Court Records, 1841-1907
- Bradley County Probate Records, 1841-1933
- Calhoun County Probate Records, 1851-1936
- Carroll County Probate Court Records Carroll County, 1870-1904
- Carroll County Probate Records, 1883-1920
- Carroll County Record of Wills, 1883-1940
- Carroll County Wills, 1866-1938
- Chicot County Probate Records, 1840-1931
- Clark County Clark County Records
- Clark County Probate Records, 1827-1909
- Clark County Probate Records, 1827-1955
- Clay County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1881-1955
- Clay County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1893-1918
- Clay County Court Records, 1881-1930
- Clay County Court Records, 1893-1919
- Clay County Wills, 1884-1944
- Clay County Wills, 1893-1939
- Cleburne County Cleburne County Index to Probate Court papers, vol. 1, ca. 1881-1962
- Cleburne County Probate Records, 1883-1923
- Cleveland County Probate Records, 1873-1974
- Columbia County Probate Bonds and Letters of Administration, Bks. A-B, 1853-1925
- Columbia County Probate Bonds and Letters testamentary, Bks. A-B, 1856-1924
- Columbia County Probate Court Docket, 1866-1891
- Columbia County Probate Record, 1853-1886; Index, 1853-1926
- Columbia County Record of Wills, Bks. A-C, 1849-1931
- Conway County Probate Court Records, 1826-1937; Index to Records, 1840-1873
- Craighead County Probate Index
- Craighead County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1883-1936
- Craighead County Administrators Letters and Bonds, 1878-1923
- Craighead County Court Records, 1884-1908
- Craighead County Guardian Bond Records, 1878-1938
- Craighead County Probate Docket and Records, 1878-1927
- Craighead County Wills, 1886-1930
- Craighead County Wills, 1928-1971
- Crawford County Probate Court Minutes, 1877-1895; Index to Probate Court Minutes, 1877-1929
- Crawford County Probate Records 1874-1929
- Crittenden County Probate Estate Docket A, 1857-1898
- Crittenden County Probate Records, 1826-1946
- Cross County Probate Case Files ca. 1898-1930
- Cross County Probate Records 1863-1943
- Dallas County Probate Court Records, 1845-1896
- Dallas County Probate Records, ca. 1845-1913
- Dallas County Record of Wills, 1843-1921
- Desha County Index to Probate Records, 1852-1885
- Desha County Probate Court Records, 1860-1863
- Drew County Administrators’ Bonds & Letters, 1858-1926
- Drew County Court fees; annual accounts, final settlements of executors, Administrators & Guardians, 1848-1892
- Drew County Estate Records, 1905-1906
- Drew County Inventory of Estates, 1870-1893
- Drew County Probate Records, Probate Docket, Letters of Administration, 1847-1905
- Drew County Register of Estates, 1852-1894
- Drew County Sales bills of personal Estates, 1870-1899
- Drew County Will books A-C, 1846-1926
- Drew County Wills or intestate Estates Filed with the County Clerk, Mar. 1847- Apr. 1858
- Faulkner County Probate Records, 1873-1950
- Franklin County Administrator’s and Guardian’s Records, 1876-1904
- Franklin County Estate papers, 1866-1878
- Franklin County King’s Index to circuit and Probate papers, 1852-1890
- Franklin County Probate packets, ca. 1835-1958
- Franklin County Probate Records, 1838-1967
- Franklin County Probate Records, 1891-1947
- Franklin County Records, 1870; Docket 1871-1873
- Fulton County Probate Records, 1870-1894
- Fulton County Will Record, 1874-1940
- Garland County Probate Records, 1877-1927
- Garland County, Probate Records Search
- Grant County Grant County Probate Records, 1877-1949
- Greene County Probate Case Files 1905-1937
- Greene County Probate Records 1876-1908
- Greene County Will Records, 1894-1953
- Hempstead County Bonds, inventories & appraisements, 1826-1927
- Hempstead County Probate Docket books, 1832-1855
- Hempstead County Probate Records, 1841-1894
- Hempstead County Will Records, 1826-1925
- Hempstead County Wills, marriages, pre-emptions, etc., vol. AA-BB, 1819-1845
- Hot Spring County Probate Records, 1834-1930
- Howard County Arkansas, Howard County, Probate Court Case Files, 1884-1968
- Howard County Probate Records, 1873-1970
- Independence County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1821-1902
- Independence County Court Records, 1839-1888
- Independence County Wills, 1833-1923
- Izard County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1889-1949
- Izard County Probate Records, 1889-1930
- Izard County Wills, 1889-1942
- Jackson County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1846-1945
- Jackson County Probate Files 1835-1890
- Jackson County Probate Records, 1836-1886; Circuit Court Records, 1841-1845; Circuit Court Records Index, 1841-1845, 1836-1886
- Jackson County Wills, 1845-1928
- Jefferson County Probate Records 830-1930
- Johnson County Probate Court Records, 1845-1949
- Lafayette County Probate Records, 1828-1905
- Lafayette County Will Record, v. B-C, 1846-1925
- Lawrence County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1839-1927
- Lawrence County Administrators settlements and abstracts, 1821-1873
- Lawrence County Probate Docket and Court Records, 1833-1906
- Lawrence County Probate packets, ca. 1820-1885
- Lawrence County Probate Records 1919-1969
- Lawrence County Wills and Letters testamentary, 1817-1927
- Lee County Probate Records 1873-1950
- Lincoln County Probate Records, 1871-1887; Wills, 1871-1936; Guardian Records, 1875-1910
- Little River County Probate Record, vol. A, 1869-1875; Record of Administrators, Letters and Wills, v. B, 1872-1907
- Logan County Probate Court Records, 1873-1944
- Lonoke County Probate Records, 1861-1949
- Madison County Guardians Bonds and Letters 1860-1934
- Madison County Probate Records 1852-1969
- Madison County Will Record 1905-1939
- Marion County Bonds and Letters, 1889-1921
- Marion County Probate Court Minutes 1888-1905
- Marion County Wills 1887-1946.
- Miller County Probate Records, 1875-1918
- Miller County Will Records, 1875-1931
- Mississippi County Probate Records, 1865-1893
- Mississippi County Probate Records, 1866-1925
- Mississippi County Wills 1904-1952
- Mississippi County Wills and Administrations 1862-1866
- Monroe County Probate Records, 1830-1949
- Montgomery County Probate Records, 1845-1954
- Nevada County Probate Records, 1866-1958
- Nevada County Probate Records, 1871-1922
- Northeast Arkansas, Index To Wills, Administrations, And Decedents
- Ouachita County Probate Records, 1876-1890; Index, 1876-1880, 1876-1890
- Ouachita County Probate Records, 1876-1946
- Perry County Probate Records, 1882-1951
- Phillips County Probate Records, 1821-1945
- Pike County Probate Records, 1895-1918
- Poinsett County Probate Records, 1873-1966
- Polk County Probate Court Records, 1876-1957
- Pope County Wills and Probate Records
- Pope County Abstracts of Will book B, 1860-1910
- Pope County Probate Court Records, 1830-1978
- Prairie County Probate Court Records of the southern district, 1885-1951
- Prairie County Probate Records of the northern district 1851-1933
- Pulaski County Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1839-1919
- Pulaski County Index to Probate Records, 1819-1920
- Pulaski County Letters of Guardianship, 1873-1886; Administrators Bonds, 1859-1860
- Pulaski County Probate packets 1819-1920; Indexes, 1819-1920
- Pulaski County Probate Records, 1849-1913
- Pulaski County Wills, 1818-1849
- Randolph County Administrators Bonds and Letters, 1852-1903
- Randolph County Guardian Bond Records, 1858-1887, 1891
- Randolph County Probate Court Records, 1837-1890
- Randolph County Will Record, 1836-1918
- Saline County Court Records, 1836-1896
- Saline County Probate Records, 1842-1951
- Saline County Probate Records, ca. 1836-1900
- Scott County Probate Court Records, 1882-1933
- Searcy County Court Records, 1866-1897
- Searcy County Guardians and Administrators Bonds and Letters, 1859-1916
- Searcy County Wills, 1910-1979
- Sebastian County Probate Records 1851-1910
- Sebastian County Record of Wills and testaments, 1869-1922
- Sevier County Probate Records, 1829-1948
- Sevier County Probate Records, 1830-1973
- Sharp County Administrators, Guardians and curators Bonds, 1880-1919
- Sharp County Probate Court fee book, 1883-1914
- Sharp County Probate Court judgement Docket, 1880-1914
- Sharp County Probate Records, 1874-1967
- Sharp County Record of current accounts, 1869-1901
- St. Francis County Probate Records, 1862-1949
- Stone County Court Records, 1873-1911
- Stone County Executors Bonds and Letters, 1876-1933
- Stone County Wills, 1875-1969
- Union County Probate Court Records, 1839-1893
- Union County Probate Records, 1845-1924
- Van Buren County Court Records, 1859-1915
- Van Buren County Wills, 1889-1954
- Washington County Probate Court Records, 1837-1887
- Washington County Probate Records, 1829-1931
- White County Loose Probate Papers Index 1835-1920
- White County Probate Records 1835-1940
- White County, Will book A
- Woodruff County Probate Court Docket, 1876-1896
- Woodruff County Probate papers, ca. 1861-1899
- Woodruff County Probate Records, 1865-1889
- Woodruff County Records of Administrator, executor & Guardian Bonds; Record of Letters of Guardianship; Record of Administrators and curators, 1861-1904
- Woodruff County Will Record A, 1918-1930
- Woodruff County Will Records 1 & 2, 1862-1935
- Woodruff County Will Records, 1909-1930
- Yell County Probate Records, 1858-1943
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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