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Almost always include:
Full name
Date and place of death
May also include:
Relationships
Name of spouse
Names of children (and possibly birth order)
Names of spouses of married daughters
Names of grandchildren
Residences of the deceased and living descendants
Locations in which the deceased owned property
Attitude of deceased toward family members
Clues to whether some family members had predeceased him/her
Papers pertaining to adoptions or guardianships
Payment of debts (e.g., grocery store) and other expenses of the estate
Occupation
Citizenship
Marital Status
Signature
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Through a visit to the courthouse
Compiled sources:
check with the county courthouses as found in RootsWeb's U.S. Town/ County Database:
resources.rootsweb.com/
cgi-bin/townco.cgi
or local genealogical and historical societies as found in the Ancestors Resource Guide
Online compiled sources such as the FHL Catalog:
www.familysearch.org/
Search/searchcatalog.asp
Online probate records
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To find death date and place
To find residence
For names (and addresses) of descendants
To find details to search for land records
To discover other places where the ancestor may have held property
To discover relationships
To get a feel for ancestor's economic standing
To look for clues about ancestor's feelings toward family members
For clues to the deaths of other family members
To sort out adoptions, guardianships and other unclear relationships
To learn names of stores and vendors frequented by your ancestor
To find your ancestor's signature
To find occupation
To find citizenship
To find marital status |
