Massachusetts Probate Records Massachusetts Probate Records. Wills, Estate Administrations, Inventory and Disbursements, Guardianships. I nformation on this page explains how to locate, research and order a Massachusetts probate record. You can also look up a probate court location or see if there's a published probate record index , online or in book form. In general, probate files can contain a single record, such as a letter of administration, or contain a combination of records, such as a will, various bonds, inventories, accounts, claims, petitions, administrations and lists of heirs.
Some files are very small, others can contain hundreds and hundreds of pages.
No two probate files are ever identical and to say that original probate case files are a gold mine of information is certainly an understatement. Researchers should understand that not every person leaves behind a will or any other type of probate record. A good rule of thumb, for any probate researcher, is to not only search possible probate files on one single person, i.e., your great-great grandfather, but also search for his children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. Therein lies the beauty of probate files. Probate records are primarily family oriented documents.