ILHAMILT-L Archives
Archiver > ILHAMILT > 2000-07 > 0962779592
From:
Subject: Re: [ILHAMILT-L] Re: 4 16 No probate
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 02:46:32 EDT
In my twenty years as a genealogist, I have found more information when my
ancestors died intestate than when they left a will. If you can find a
probate packet for an ancestor who died intestate you must look at every
piece of paper for genealogical information. The heirs signed for their
share of the estate, property was appraised and then sold (if required to pay
debts). You can learn the religious affiliation if there was a debt owed to
the church (pew cost); the last illness, if the doctor sent his bill to the
estate, etc.
My greatest success story was a probate packet for John Walter Stevens. He
and his wife was last found on the 1880 census and did not appear on the
1900. The probate packet showed that he died in 1888, leaving his second
wife and their three minor children plus his two older children by his first
marriage. The two older children signed for their share of the estate and
the guardian of the three younger children signed for their share. Not
having a 1890 census I don't think I would have connected those three minor
children to my ancestor, without this probate record. I learned the date of
his death because his second wife died a few days later and they had to prove
those death dates or the older children would have received a larger share of
the property. The dower rights of the widow (1/3 of the property) was
divided between the three minor children and not the older children, because
the widow died after her husband.
Darlene
This thread: