“Genealogy: life
in the past lane” – Unknown
Wills are another great way to learn
about your ancestors. Wills can tell you the story of what your ancestors left
behind – the land that they owned, the value
of property and who the executor of the will was, among other things.
If you have ancestors who lived in
Ohio, wills and probate court records in the state are well indexed and most
are available online. Some counties, such as Cuyahoga and Montgomery, have separate
databases (Ohio Wills and Probate Records, Family Search). So, although they
are government records – you don’t have to go through a process to request them as you would with
vitals records!
You may search Ohio wills and probate
records at the links listed below:
Ohio, Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998:
Ohio Probate Records, 1789-1996:
If you have ancestors from Kentucky,
it may be a bit more difficult to find wills and probate records. Borders shifted between "Tennessee and Kentucky and were not officially settled until 1859,
so some families were unsure which state they lived in so records for them are often found in both states," (Kentucky
Probate Records, FamilySearch). Also, there was a loss of records in some of
the counties due to fires and other accidents. Some records were re-recorded
and others were destroyed. However, there are some indexes available online.
Kentucky, Wills and Probate Records
1774-1989:
Kentucky Probate Records, 1727 1990:
Below is a link to the FamilySearch
wiki page for each state. Clicking on the name of the state will direct you to
information about that particular state’s wills/probate
records and links to search indexes on FamilySearch and Ancestry.
Information about Kentucky and Ohio wills
and probate court records was taken from the Ohio and Kentucky wiki pages on
FamilySearch, linked below.
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