Estate Records – More Than Just Wills

Legalese. Boilerplate. Obsolete laws. Ancestral idiosyncrasies. The documents our ancestors created are full of such traps. This session uses two typical documents from different regions to illustrate, line by line, how to sort chaff from wheat, interpret deceptive language, and develop clues.

Genealogical research involves identifying ancestors, linking them to family members, and then connecting them to the previous generation: sons and daughters to fathers and mothers. As our research moves back in time, particularly once we’ve gotten to the 19th century, connecting one generation to the previous generation becomes more difficult. Vital records expressly stating a parent-child relationship are rare. Consequently, to establish kinship we must broaden our research approach. Using case studies, Teri will demonstrate how to use probate and property records to identify family members and connect them to their ancestors.

Anything handled by a court of law is lengthy, and that is good for genealogical research. Documents containing information about a death date, relationships, personal and/or real property, and place of residence are common in intestate files. Learn about the court process from first petition to final discharge, and picture…

Probate records provide an intimate window through which to view the lives of our ancestors, revealing information about them that make their identities unique.

The first component of the Genealogical Proof Standard is the conduct of reasonably exhaustive research. This lecture will highlight the sources and strategies available to meet this requirement in the case of African American ancestors who were enslaved.

This webinar will provide an overview of the probate process, the genealogical information that can be found in a slaveholding estate, and related records that a probate proceeding may point to.

Formed from the Common Pleas Court, the Probate Court offers birth, death, marriages, wills, estates, inventories, naturalizations, and licenses. Learn the dates for vital records in Ohio as they pertain to the court.

Learn the types of records created during the probate process. Analyze probate information for further clues in your genealogical research. Compare different types of published abstracts of Ohio wills and estates.

Did you know that all the members of a family may be named in an old deed? Have you ever tried to get a close-up view of what your ancestors wore and the tools they used from an estate inventory? Learn how to use the records in New England Registry…