Probate records and wills are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.
What can you find in these records? How about date of death, spouses and children names, birth order, siblings and siblings spouses, parents names, and residence locations for all named persons. Also, ownership of land and/or other significant property, business names and occupation, military service, guardianships, and adoptions. Basically anything owned by the deceased is typically listed and to whom it is to be assigned to.
I won't pretend to be an expert on the probate process - all I know is that I have discovered an amazing amount of good information from probate records and wills as part of my personal genealogy research.
Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:
- FamilySearch - United States Probate Records
- Wills and Probate Records are Genealogy Riches
- How to Use Wills and Estate Records to Learn About Your Ancestors
- Probate Records Could Be the Key to Unlocking Your Family’s Hidden Past
Below, listed by state are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online.
Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired will or probate record in an index, that the holder of the actual materials (e.g., (archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.
Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.
(Updated September, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Aitkin County, Wills, 1884-1979
- Anoka County Probate Records Indexes 1870-1900
- Anoka County Probate Case Files, 1860-1920
- Anoka County, Wills, 1861-1971
- Becker County, Wills, 1908-1981
- Beltrami County, Wills, 1897-1981
- Benton County, Wills, 1851-1977
- Big Stone County, Wills, 1886-1984
- Blue Earth County Wills Index 1858-1973
- Blue Earth County Final Decree Records, 1892-1972
- Blue Earth County Index to Minute Book B
- Blue Earth County Minutes of Probate Court, 1943-1944
- Blue Earth County Probate Case Files, ca. 1928-1939
- Blue Earth County Probate Index, 1862-1964; Probate Register, 1858-1932; Probate Court Minutes, 1891-1895
- Blue Earth County Probate letter Records, 1857-1953
- Blue Earth County Probate orders, 1885-1960
- Blue Earth County Probate Will Records, 1858-1962
- Blue Earth County, Will Records, 1858-1962
- Brown County A Record of appointments, Probate Court 1857-1866
- Brown County Probate Case Files, ca. 1857-1881 ; Index, ca. 1857-1934
- Brown County Record of Wills in Probate Court 1858-1885
- Brown County Register of purported Wills, 1903-1943
- Brown County, Wills, 1858-1965
- Carlton County, Wills, 1880-1981
- Carver County Probate Records, 1856-1939
- Carver County, Wills, 1857-1981
- Cass County, Wills, 1900-1971
- Chippewa County, Wills, 1873-1980
- Chisago County, Wills, 1810-1962
- Clay County, Will Records, 1817-1981
- Clearwater County, Will Records, 1902-1982
- Cook County, Will Records, 1884-1982
- Cottonwood County Probate Court Index, 1872-1985; Probate Files, ca. 1872-1900
- Cottonwood County, Will Records, 1883-1981
- Crow Wing County, Will Records, 1878-1967
- Dakota County, Wills Records, 1858-1966
- Dodge County Letters of Guardianship, 1876-1929
- Dodge County Probate Case Files ca. 1856-1930 ; Index 1856-1986
- Dodge County Probate Register Book, v. A, 1860-1884
- Dodge County Will Records, 1859-1930
- Dodge County, Will Records, 1859-1982
- Douglas County, Will Records, 1867-1982
- Faribault County Probate Case Files no. 1-2730, ca. 1857-1916 ; Index, ca. 1857-1990
- Faribault County, Will Records, 1858-1982
- Fillmore County Will Records, 1858-1944
- Fillmore County, Will Records, 1858-1965
- Freeborn County Miscellaneous Records, v. C, 1913-1920
- Freeborn County Probate Case Files, 1857-1910; Index to Probate Case Files, 1857-1910
- Freeborn County Probate orders, v. 17, 1902-1919
- Freeborn County Wills, 1857-1925
- Freeborn County, Wills, 1857-1974
- Goodhue County Book of Wills, 1859-1919
- Goodhue County Index to Probate registry, 1860-1983
- Goodhue County, Will Records, 1860-1982
- Grant County, Will Records, 1884-1955
- Houston County Wills, Probate, and Related Matters
- Houston County Index to Probate Records, 1860-1982; Probate Files, ca. 1861-1945
- Houston County Will Records, 1884-1919
- Houston County, Will Records, 1856-1952
- Hubbard County, Will Records, 1882-1981
- Isanti County, Will Records, 1875-1973
- Itasca County, Will Records, 1898-1918
- Jackson County Probate Records, 1872-1928
- Jackson County, Will Records, 1880-1918
- Kanabec County Probate Case Files, 1895-1920
- Kanabec County, Will Records, 1885-1918
- Kandiyohi County, Will Records, 1889-1918
- Kittson County, Will Records, 1882-1918
- Koochiching County, Will Records, 1907-1918
- Lac Qui Parle County, Will Records, 1876-1918
- Lake County, Will Records, 1890-1918
- Lake of the Woods County, Will Records, 1858-1962
- Le Sueur County Record of Wills, 1860-1918; Probate order Book, ca. 1907-1934
- Le Sueur County, Will Records, 1918
- Lincoln County Index to Probate Cases, ca. 1884-1982; Record of Wills, 1885-1937
- Lincoln County, Will Records, 1885-1918
- Lyon County Probate Case Files, ca. 1874-1915; Index to Probate Cases, 1872-1986
- Lyon County, Will Records, 1884-1918
- Mahnomen County, Will Records, 1907-1918
- Martin County Probate Case Files, 1860-1916
- Martin County Probate Files, ca. 1870-1918
- Martin County Probate Register, 1866-1898
- Martin County Probate Registers 1885-1905 ; Index to Probate registry 1860-1992
- Martin County Probate Registers, v. 1-2, 1882-1916, 1924
- Martin County, Will Records, 1869-1918
- McLeod County, Will Records, 1864-1980
- Meeker County, Will Records, 1864-1981
- Mille Lacs County, Will Records, 1882-1982
- Minnesota, Probate Case Records Search
- Minnesota, Will Records Index, 1849-1985
- Morrison County, Will Records, 1875-1982
- Mower County, Will Records, 1857-1970
- Murray County, Will Records, 1875-1980
- Nicollet County Probate Index, 1860-1983; Probate Records, 1856-1897; Probate Case Files, ca. 1860-1900
- Nicollet County, Will Records, 1858-1960
- Nobles County Probate Files no. 1-538, ca. 1873-1945 ; Index, ca. 1873-1983
- Nobles County, Will Records, 1880-1982
- Norman County, Will Records, 1882-1982
- Olmsted County Probate Case Files (Guardianships), 1863-1955; Index, 1863-1955
- Olmsted County Probate Case Files, 1855-1955
- Olmsted County, Will Records, 1855-1964
- Otter Tail County, Will Records, 1875-1983
- Pennington County, Will Records, 1911-1982
- Pine County Probate Case Files, 1884-1920
- Pine County, Will Records, 1872-1942
- Pipestone County Probate Records, 1880-1939
- Pipestone County, Will Records, 1882-1982
- Polk County, Will Records, 1882-1982
- Pope County Probate Case Files, 1867-1921
- Pope County, Will Records, 1872-1982
- Ramsey County Probate Index, 1849-1980; Probate Record Files, ca. 1849-1926
- Ramsey County, Will Records, 1849-1887
- Red Lake County, Will Records, 1897-1951
- Redwood County Index and Probate packets, ca. 1875-1903
- Redwood County, Will Records, 1898-1981
- Renville County, Will Records, 1873-1976
- Rice County Probate Records, 1857-1910 ; general Index 1863-1941
- Rice County Will Index, 1862-1977
- Rice County, Will Records, 1857-1980
- Rock County Probate Case Files ca. 1870-1900 ; Index to Probate Cases, 1874-1984
- Rock County, Will Records, 1879-1984
- Roseau County, Will Records, 1897-1967
- Scott County Probate Records, 1856-1947 ; Index, 1856-1982
- Scott County, Will Records, 1857-1970
- Sherburne County Probate Case Files, 1857-1920
- Sherburne County, Wills, 1858-1959
- Sibley County Probate Case Files, 1870-1922
- Sibley County, Will Records, 1857-1982
- Stearns County Probate Case Files, ca. 1870-1915; Indexes to Probate Cases, ca. 1871-1956
- Stearns County, Will Records, 1864-1982
- Steele County Probate Records, ca. 1856-1940
- Steele County, Will Records, 1858-1984
- Stevens County, Will Records, 1858-1962
- Swift County, Will Records, 1881-1982
- Todd County, Will Records, 1872-1975
- Traverse County, Will Records, 1882-1979
- Wabasha County, Will Records, 1856-1974
- Waseca County History Center Probate Record Index
- Waseca County Probate Case Files (estates), ca. 1856-1916 ; Indexes ca. 1856-1951
- Waseca County Probate Records, 1903-1925
- Waseca County Will Records, 1858-1963
- Waseca County, Probate Indexes, 1870-1960's
- Waseca County, Will Records, 1886-1979
- Washington County Probate Records and Case Files, 1849-1950 ; general Index, ca. 1849-1936
- Washington County, Will Records, 1849-1965
- Watonwan County Probate Records, ca. 1870-1940 ; Index, ca. 1870-1972
- Watonwan County, Will Records, 1895-1981
- Wilkin County, Will Records, 1887-1982
- Winona County, Will Records, 1856-1971
- Wright County Probate Case Files, ca. 1855-1925
- Wright County, Will Records, 1866-1982
- Yellow Medicine County, Will Records, 1882-1985
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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