Jurisdiction for Washington County probate matters and custody of Washington County Probate Court records passed to the probate division of Fifth District Court for Washington County. The new court continued to make entries in the same record books. The basic procedure for probate cases includes unsealing and admitting a will, if any, and obtaining the testimony of witnesses to prove the will's validity. The general procedures remained much the same, but the form and details were spelled out. Probate records provide useful information for researchers seeking socioeconomic as well as biographical or family history data.
Wills provide details about both property and heirs.
Appraisers, if appointed, give a complete list of real estate, security holdings, and frequently household and personal property. Executors named in a will may also provide an inventory and appraisal of property in the case of a large or complicated estate. Petitions to sell property give the legal description of the real estate. The final distribution details property division both in terms of property and heirs. During the territorial period and again after 1920, the record books include guardianship cases.