And like any work, it becomes easier if the correct tools to do the job are at hand. In this series, it has been our goal to provide tools that can be of help. Probate records are useful in the quest for family data for several reasons. First, they relate to information already gathered. Next, because wills and probate records are legal documents, information gathered from them is reliable, as long as it is interpreted properly.
Wills are also easy to locate.
Of all the documents ancestors have left behind, wills are among the most common. Very often, there is an index, alphabetical by the name of the testator, for the county in which an ancestor's will was filed for probate. The index will lead to the original document. Wills also furnish the researcher with relationships between people that were previously a mystery. In many wills, relationships are clearly stated.