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 August, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Atascosa County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 7, September 28, 1857-March 6, 1939
- Bexar County Wills, from book A
- Bowie County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 19, February 10, 1883-June 11, 1940
- Brazoria County Probate Index
- Brazoria County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 20, March 30, 1832-October 29, 1939
- Brazos County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 21, April 26, 1841-March 1, 1939
- Brown County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 25, November 19, 1878-November 7, 1938
- Caldwell County Probate Minutes and Records, 1849-1922; Index, 1849-1990
- Calhoun County Probate Index, 1846-1914
- Callahan County, Probate births
- Callahan County, Probate Record
- Camp County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 32, November 4, 1871-January 9, 1939
- Chambers County Index to Probate Cases of Texas. No. 36, Oct 25, 1876-March 6, 1939, nos. 1-373
- Chambers County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 36, July 31, 1876-March 6, 1939
- Coke County Probate Minutes, 1891-1939 and Probate packets, 1891-1914
- Coleman County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 42, August 17, 1876-January 4, 1939
- Collin County Index to the Probate packets 1846 - 1915
- Comanche County Records, 1858-1955
- Concho County Records, 1849-2008
- Cooke County, Probate Records, 1849-1982
- Dallas County Probate Records
- Dallas County Probate Case Packets, 1842-1906; Index, ca. 1846-1904, 1842-1906
- De Witt County, Probate Minutes
- Delta County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 60, September 23, 1870-November 2, 1939
- Dimmit County Probate Index
- Early Dallas County Wills
- Eastland County, Probate birth Records, 1860-1933
- Eastland County, Probate Records, 1870-1986
- Ellis County Will Books
- Fisher County Probate Files, 1882-1903 and Probate Index and Minutes , 1887-1940
- Franklin County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 80, August 20, 1875-August 2, 1939
- Galveston County, Probate Court Records, 1909-1924
- Goliad County, Probate Records, 1870-1950
- Gonzales County Index to Probate Case Files, 1832-1918; Probate Case Files, 1832-1890
- Gonzales County Probate Minutes, 1845
- Gonzales County, Probate Records : Case Files, Probate Minutes, 1838-1962
- Gregg County Probate Records, 1876-1934
- Gregg County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 92, January 23, 1872-January 31, 1939
- Grimes County Probates, Wills and Estate Records
- Guadalupe County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 94, March 22, 1846-August 11, 1939
- Guadalupe County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 94, March 22, 1846-August 11, 1939
- Hardin County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 100, September 9, 1867-March 18, 1939
- Harrisburg County Historical Probate extracts
- Harrison County Probate Records, 1838-1944
- Hays County, Index to Probate Cases Filed in no. 105, November 22, 1848-December 15, 1939
- Hays County, Index to Probate Cases Filed in no. 105, November 22, 1848-December 15, 1939
- Hunt County Index to Probate packets (1848-1972) and addendum to Index of Probate packets (1894-1950)
- Hunt County Probate packets, ca. 1849-1925
- Irion County, Probate Minutes and Dockets, 1890-1953; Index, 1890-1976
- Jim Wells County, Probate Case Files, 1911-1937
- Jim Wells County, Probate Minutes, 1850-1937; Index 1911-1951
- Johnson County Index to Wills 1854-1914
- Kenedy County, Probate Minutes, 1860-1908
- Lavaca County, Probate Minutes, 1916-1938
- Liberty County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 146, December 9, 1850-July 28, 1939
- Marion County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 155, May 15, 1860-May 2, 1939
- Matagorda County Probate Records, 1837-1900
- Matagorda County Will Records, 1827-1894
- Matagorda County, Probate Case Files, 1822-1932
- Matagorda County, Probate Minutes, 1889-1939; Index to Probate Minutes, 1913-1950
- McLennan County Probate Court Records
- Menard County, Probate Records, 1888-1934
- Mills County Clerk Records, 1841-1985
- Mills County, Probate Case Files, 1892-1937
- Mills County, Probate Minutes, 1887-1941; Index, 1881-1973
- Montgomery County Will and Probate Abstracts
- Navarro County Abstracts of Wills, 1848-1890
- Newton County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 176, July 26, 1846-June 30, 1939
- Nolan County, Probate Case Files, 1881-1937
- Nolan County, Probate Court Minutes, 1881-1938; Index Minutes Probate Court, 1880-1937
- Nolan County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 177, July 1, 1881-Nov. 17, 1939
- Orange County Index to Probate Cases of no. 181,March 20, 1852-December 31, 1938
- Robertson County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 198, April 30, 1838-September 1,1939
- Runnels County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 200, November 30, 1880-January 16, 1939
- Rusk County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 201, June 18, 1843-December 29, 1939
- Rusk County, Index to Probate Cases of Texas : no. 201, June 18, 1843-December 29, 1939
- San Saba County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 206, January 30, 1866-June 28, 1939
- Schleicher County, Probate Minutes, 1882-1938
- Shackelford County Index to Probate Minutes, 1875-1880 ; Probate Records, 1880-1937 and wills, 1881-1927
- Shackelford County Probate births, 1897-1978
- Shelby County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 210, November, 1881-Aug. 11, 1939
- Stonewall County Probate Minutes, estate Files and general Index, 1890-1945
- Swisher County Records, 1879-2012
- Swisher County, Probate Records, 1891-1954
- Tarrant County Probate Records Index, 1876-1927
- Tarrant County Probate Records Search
- Taylor County Index to Probate Minutes 1909-1941
- Taylor County, Probate Case Files, 1921-1937
- Taylor County, Probate Records, 1880-1938
- Texas Records from bibles, Probate Records, wills, cemeteries, 1639-1954
- Texas, Probate Records, 1800-1990
- Texas, Index to Probate Cases of Texas
- Throckmorton County Probate Minutes and Index 1879-1934, will Records 1887-1912, and bills of sale 1879-1947
- Titus County Probate Records, 1895-1969
- Titus County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 225, December 18, 1893-December 15, 1938
- Tom Green County, Probate Cases, 1920-1932
- Tom Green County, Probate Minutes, 1882-1938
- Travis County Probate Records
- Trinity County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 228, Dec. 12, 1872-Dec. 13, 1939
- Waller County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 237, October 1, 1873-May 6, 1940
- Wharton County, Probate Minutes, 1848-1938
- Wichita County Will Abstracts 1882-1927
- Wichita County Abstracts of Wills (1882-1895)
- Wichita County, Wills, 1882-1927
- Willacy County, Probate Minutes and Index, 1921-1952
- Williamson County Probate Case papers, 1848-1878; Index, 1848-1938
- Williamson County Probate Minutes, 1848-1934
- Williamson County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 246, October 16, 1848-December 27, 1938
- Williamson County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 246, October 16, 1848-December 27, 1938
- Wood County Probate Minutes, 1878-1917; general Index, 1878-1942; Probate packets, 1878-1889
- Wood County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 250, September 12, 1857-May 9, 1939
- Wood County, Index to Probate Cases of no. 250, September 12, 1857-May 9, 1939
- Young County Index to Probate Records, 1876-1959 and Probate Records, 1858-1938
- Young County Probate Records, 1876-1883
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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