Probate records can usually be found in the court records of the county where the deceased was last living. In some cases, early records have been moved to other depositories such as state archives, to allow for better security, temperature and humidity control, and more space for newer records. As storage space and available facilities change, so do the sites of probate records. Probate records can give the historian invaluable information. For example, genealogists value the lists of heirs and divisees that indicate familial relationships.
People researching material culture can learn much from household inventories.
Historians trying to learn more about particular buildings often find useful information in real estate inventories. Probate Research Steps Determine where the deceased was living at time of death. Find out where the records for that probate court jurisdiction at that time are now housed. Remember that the boundaries and names of counties might have changed. For instance, in Maine, parts of Lincoln County of 1760 are now parts of Kennebec, Waldo, Washington, Hancock, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc and Knox counties.