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.
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, 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 September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Bernalillo County Probate Court Case Lookup 1964-
- Eddy County Probate Records Index 1887-2000
- Lea County Probate Case Lookup
- Los Alamos County Probate Case Lookup
- New Mexico, Miscellaneous Records
- Otero County Probate Cases Search
- Sandoval County, Guardianship Records, 1903-1955
- Sandoval County, Miscellaneous Probate Records, 1903-1966
- Sandoval County, Probate Records, 1903-1929; Court docket Index
- Santa Fe County Probate Case Lookup 1922-
- Socorro County, Administrator and guardian Records, 1874-1935
- Socorro County, Journal of Probate Court, 1885-1941, 1945
- Socorro County, Probate packets, 1882-1941; Indexes, 1882-1941
- Taos County, Probate Book B-3
- Taos County Wills
- Torrance County Probate Index Search
- Valencia County, Docket [of] Probate Court 1856-1872, 1912-1946
- Valencia County, Probate Records, 1871-1946; Indexes 1871-1911
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free New Mexico Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
