Sunday, October 13, 2013
Lessons learned from a probate inventory
It can take a great deal of digging and research into original sources to find probate records. It is possible that some of the files may have been digitized online, but in many cases, you will have to search in the court house and town records. The image of the Inventory of Nathaniel Warren shown above is a classic. Nathaniel died on the 14th day of November, 1707 in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. From this detailed Inventory, you can see the variety of the possessions of this one man and his family. You can also get an understanding of the size and configuration of his house. You can even form an opinion about how rich or poor he was. Here is the rest of the inventory:
Of course, if you find the probate file, you will also find the will and other documents. Here are some suggestions for finding copies of the original documents and some suggested sources:
United States Probate Records
FamilySearch.org's Historical Record Collections
York County Probate Inventories from Colonial Williamsburg
Town Records from early New England Towns in various collections
Essex County Probate Inventories from Salem State University
You may also need some help in reading the old handwriting. I suggest the BYU Script Tutorials.
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