Û Probate Index

County Court Probate Records, 1873 — 1885

Transcribed by Joanne Wilken.

Probate documents are records compiled by a court after an individual's death that document the distribution of his or her estate. If the individual left a will (died testate), the probate process documents the will's validity and sees that it is carried out by the appointed executor. In cases where an individual did not leave a will (died intestate), an administrator is appointed to determine the distribution of assets according to laws of jurisdiction.

Depending on jurisdiction and time period, probate files may include wills, estate inventories or lists of assets, appointments of executors or administrators, documentation of the distribution of assets, petitions for guardianship, lists of heirs, lists of creditors or accounts of debts (including promissory notes and notes of receipt), and other records considered to be important to settling an estate.

Probate records are available at the Jones County Courthouse. The Jones County Genealogical Society can assist you in getting copies of documents you need. The records have been microfilmed by LDS and are available through Local Family History Centers.