
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, 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 of the 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, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
(Updated July 2022)
- Barnstable County Probate and Guardianship Records, 1674-1950
- Barnstable County Probate Records, 1686-1894
- Barnstable County, Wills, Inventories, etc, 1637 to 1685
- Berkshire County Probate Index, 1761 to 1900
- Berkshire County Certificates of discharge, 1879-1899
- Berkshire County Court Dockets, 1860-1899
- Berkshire County Inheritance tax Records, v. 1-2, 1907-1921
- Berkshire County Probate Records, 1761-1917
- Berkshire County Probate Records, 1884-1917
- Berkshire County Record of adjournments, 1894-1907
- Berkshire County Records of assignments, v. 2, 1878-1910
- Bristol County Probate Records 1687-1745
- Bristol County Probate Records 1690-1881
- Bristol County Abstracts of some Probate Records, ca. 1686-1784
- Bristol County Probate Records 1687-1916; Index, 1687-1926
- Deerfield, Probate Records, Wills, and Related Documents
- Dukes County Probate Records, 1690-1938
- Essex County Probate Records
- Essex County Probate Records, 1665-1674
- Essex County Probate Records, 1675-1681
- Essex County Probate Records 1638-1691
- Essex County Probate Records and Indexes 1638-1916
- Essex County, Probate Records, 1638-1881
- Essex County, Probate Records
- Essex County, Probate Records 1635-1681
- Franklin County Probate Dockets, Records, and Indexes, 1810-1971
- Franklin County Probate Files, ca. 1812-1915
- Franklin County, Index to Probate, 1812 to 1925
- Hampden County Affidavits of trust of Administrator appointments, 1900-1901
- Hampden County Court Records, 1816-1914
- Hampden County Index of public Administration, insolvent Files, 1812-1986
- Hampden County Index of Wills Filed without petition, 1812-1986
- Hampden County Index to public Administrations, 1812-1986
- Hampden County Probate Docket Books, 1812-1916, and Indexes, 1812-1867
- Hampden County Probate Records 1806-1919
- Hampden County Probate Records Index, 1812-1986
- Hampden County Probate Records, 1809-1881
- Hampden County Probate Records, 1814-1929
- Hampshire County Index to Estate Files, 1660-1988
- Hampshire County Probate Records, 1660-1916; Index, 1660-1971
- Hampshire County Probate Records, 1797-1869
- Hampshire County, Probate Case Files, 1680-1890
- Massachusetts State Archives Collection, Colonial Period, 1622-1788
- Massachusetts, County Court Probate Record Search
- Massachusetts, Miscellaneous Counties Probate Records and Indexes
- Middlesex County Index to the Probate Records first series, from 1648 to 1871
- Middlesex County Index to the Probate Records Dec. 1870 to 31 Dec. 1949]: second series
- Middlesex County Probate packets [1 – 4702] (second series) 1872-1886 [and 4703 – 19,935]
- Middlesex County Probate Records 1648–1924
- Nantucket County Probate Records, 1706-1867
- New England States, Miscellaneous notes and abstracts of wills
- Norfolk County Probate Case Files, ca. 1793-1900
- Norfolk County Probate Docket Books, and Record Books (1793-1916)
- Norfolk County, Probate Index, 1793-1900
- Plymouth Colony Probates 1628-1687
- Plymouth Colony Records, Wills, 1633-1686, vols. 1-4
- Plymouth County Probate Estate Files, 1686-1915
- Plymouth County Probate File papers, 1686-1881
- Plymouth County Probate Records, 1686-1903; with Index and Docket, 1685-1967
- Plymouth County, Probate Estate files, 1686-1915
- Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967
- Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1881-1939
- Seekonk, Miscellaneous Town Records, 1811-1853
- Suffolk County Court Files, 1629-1797
- Suffolk County Index to Dockets, equity and Probate, 1862-1870
- Suffolk County Index to the Probate Records from the year 1910 to and including the year 1922
- Suffolk County Probate Record Books (1900-1916), and Probate Docket Books (1901-1916)
- Suffolk County Probate Records, 1636-1894
- Suffolk County Probate Records, 1636-1899
- Suffolk County Probate Records, 1760-1870
- Suffolk County Probate Records, 1881-1939
- Suffolk County Registers of Probate 1639-1799
- Suffolk County, Index to Probate Records 1636 to 1893
- Suffolk County, Miscellaneous papers (arranged chronologically) 1679-1808
- Suffolk County, Probate and deed indexes, ca. 1640-1800
- Suffolk County, Probate indices, 1636-1894
- Worcester County Probate Files, 1731-1881
- Worcester County Probate Records Index 1731-1881, 1731-1916
- Worcester County, Probate files, 1731-1881
- Worcester, Index to the Probate Records from July 12, 1731, to January 1, 1920: series A and B
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