See Dr. Ben Page's Probate record in the Archive About Probate Records Probate records are those records and files kept by a probate court. In the absence of a will, inheritance laws have provided for the passing on of property, belongings, and assets.
Probate courts are under state jurisdiction.
State probate laws have changed over the centuries. The kinds of records to be found in probate files have changed accordingly. Probate laws can vary from state to state but tend to follow certain general practices. The probate of the estate of someone who has died and has left a will is called testate. The probate of the estate of someone who has died but has not leave a will is called intestate.