Where there’s a will, there’s a way … and that’s also true for probate records, deeds, and land records!

Probate, land, and property records are an essential part of genealogy research, but sometimes they can be difficult to locate. These records are naturally linked to geography and history, so it’s important to understand the “where” and the “when” of these records. That will help you in your efforts to link families and generations together.

The Basics

To get started with probate, land, and property records, go to Goal F2 in Project 9: United States of The Family History Guide. Choice A is for land and property; Choice B is for probate records; and Choice C is for wills and deeds. Step 1 in each of these Choices has links to good introductory articles to help you understand the nature of the records and how they can be used in research.

Here are some basic terms that you will need to know:

• Probate records—records that prove a will in court
• Deeds—legal documents that confirm an interest, right or property
• Wills—legal documents for distributing property at death

Land and property, and taxation records are also useful resources to explore. Still, keeping track of these resources, let alone understanding them well, can be a daunting challenge.

How The Family History Guide Can Help

When it comes to probate, land, and property, The Family History Guide puts you in touch with helpful articles and videos, as well as helping you find the record resources you need. This information is organized by regions, countries, states, and counties throughout the world.

Here are some of the links in The Family History Guide that will help you get started:

United States, and State Pages

See the Basics information above for the United States country page.

There are also links to individual U.S. states for probate, land, and property information. You can find the state links on the main United States page for The Family History Guide. Goal 7 for each state contains the property-specific information. An example for New York is here: http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-us-new-york07.html

Canada

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-canada.html

There are also links to individual Canadian provinces for probate, land, and property information. You can find the province links on the main England page for The Family History Guide. Goal 6 for each province contains the property-specific information. An example for Ontario is here: http://www.thefhguide.com/9-canada/project-9-ca-ontario06.html

England

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-england05.html

There are also links to individual English counties for probate, land, and property information. You can find the county links on the main England page for The Family History Guide. Goal 5 for each county contains the property-specific information. An example for Cheshire is here: http://www.thefhguide.com/9-england/project-9-eng-cheshire05.html

Scotland

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-scotland07.html

Wales

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-wales06.html

Ireland

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-ireland08.html

Australia

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-australia06.html

New Zealand

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-new-zealand.html

Other Countries

There are also many more links in The Family History Guide to property records in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. You can get started on the main Countries page, here:

http://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-countries.html

QUIKLinks

Once you have identified an area where you want to look for records, you can use the QUIKLinks in The Family History Guide to take you to the search pages for FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. You can find QUIKLinks just below the Probate and Land Goal on most Country pages.

Happy heir hunting with The Family History Guide!