Berkshire County, Ma Probate and Family Court Docket
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Online Resources [edit | edit source]
- Massachusetts Probate Records, index and images.
- Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, ($), index and images, incomplete.
- Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967, images/no index.
- 1686-1915 Massachusetts, Plymouth Canton, Probate Estate Files, 1686-1915 at FamilySearch - How to Apply this Collection;images but
- Mayflower Deeds and Probates, 1600-1850, ($), alphabetize/images
- 1635 – 1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Beginnings.com — index and images $
- 1638 – 1840 Essex, Massachusetts Probate Records 1638-1840 at Ancestry.com — alphabetize $
- 1648 – 1870 Middlesex County Massachusetts Probate Index 1648-1870 at Ancestry.com — alphabetize $
- 1793 – 1900 Norfolk County, Massachusetts Probate Index 1793-1900 at Ancestry.com — alphabetize $
Record Synopsis [edit | edit source]
Probate is the "court procedure by which a volition is proved to be valid or invalid" and encompasses "all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc."[1] Genealogists oft refer to 'Probate Records' as "All records which relate to the disposition of an manor," whether the person died leaving a will (testate) or not (intestate).[2]
Various records may be establish in probate files. These may include wills, guardianships, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, depositions, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not exist neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, assembly, relatives, and their places of residence. They may too include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents.
For further information about the probate procedure, types of probate records, analyzing probate records, and to admission a glossary of probate terms, see U.s.a. Probate Records.
History [edit | edit source]
Probate records were under the jurisdiction of the general court and the county courts until probate courts were established in 1692. Probate courts exercised sectional jurisdiction over guardianships, adoptions, probates of wills, and administration of estates. The original records are at canton courthouses.
Records of cases that were appealed are in the office of the clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court.
Land Statutes [edit | edit source]
Repositories [edit | edit source]
Local [edit | edit source]
- The Massachusetts State Archives
- The New England Historic Genealogical Society located in the heart of downtown Boston, Massachusetts has Massachusetts probate records available on microfilm. To search their online library catalog click Here.
Regional [edit | edit source]
National [edit | edit source]
- The Family History Library located in Common salt Lake City, Utah has an excellent collection of Massachusetts probate records and indexes through 1880 or 1900 available on microfilm. These include probate dockets, wills, inventories, accounts, administrations, and guardianship records. For collection details see the FamilySearch Catalog. Employ the "Place Search" pick to search for a specific Massachusetts county. And then look for topics labeled "Probate Records" or "Guardianship."
Statewide Record Collections [edit | edit source]
- Hall, Prescott F. Reference Lists of Wills Construed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Including the Cases in Quincy and From Vol. 1 to Vol. 165 of the Massachusetts Reports. Boston: George B. Reed, 1896. This 28 folio booklet provides a listing of wills construed by the Supreme Judical Court of Massachusetts. The list includes appointment of probate, name of testator, date of decease, county of trial, and case reference. A digital version of this book is available online at Cyberspace Annal.
- Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories: Taken from the Mayflower Descendant. Three Volumes. Carbon re-create typescript. FHL book 974.4 P2p. Contains records of wills and inventories and tables of items extracted from wills and inventories. Contents: Vol. 1 (1620-1639), Vol. 2 (1641-1649), Vol. iii (1650-1659).
- Simmons, C.H. Plymouth Colony Records. Camden, Maine: Picton Press, c1996. FHL book 974.4 R2s This volume is comprised of ii volumes: Vol.1 Wills and Inventories, 1633-1669, and Vol. ii Wills, 1654-1669.
Learn More [edit | edit source]
Published Materials [edit | edit source]
- Melnyk, Marcia D. Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, 4th edition. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. FHL volume 974 D27g. (WorldCat)
- Sherman, Ruth Wilder and Robert S. Wakefield. Plymouth Colony Probate Guide: Where to Find Wills and Related Data for 800 People of Plymouth Colony, 1620-1691. Warwick, Rhode Island: Plymouth Colony Inquiry Group, 1983. FHL volume 974.4 P2s.
- Smith, William L. The Practice in Proceedings in the Probate Courts; Including the Probate of wills; Appointment of Administrators, Guardians, and Trustees; Allowances; Auction of Real and Personal Estate; Settlement of Accounts; Distribution of Estates; Consignment of Dower, With Tabular array Showing the Present Value of Estates in Dower; Partition of Lands, &c., &c., &c. With an Appendix of Applied Forms, Designed for the Employ of Executors and Others Having Business in the Probate Courts. Third edition. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1876. A digital version of this book is available online at Internet Archive.
- Smith, William L. The Do in Proceedings in the Probate Courts of Massachusetts, With an Appendix of Uniform Forms and Rules Approved by the Supreme Judicial Court. Sixth editon. Revised past John E. Abbott. Boston: Lilliputian, Brownish and Company, 1903. A digital version of this book is available online at Internet Archive.
Websites [edit | edit source]
- Massachusetts Court System. For information about the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Section click Here.
- Massachusetts Probate Courts. This Web site provides a directory of Massachusetts Probate Courts.
A wiki commodity describing an online collection is found at:
Massachusetts, Plymouth Canton, Probate Estate Files - FamilySearch Historical Records
References [edit | edit source]
- ↑ Henry Campbell Blackness, Black's Constabulary Dictionary, fifth ed. (St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co., 1979), 1081, "probate."
- ↑ Val. D. Greenwood, The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, tertiary ed. (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000), 309.
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Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Massachusetts_Probate_Records
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