Washington, County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950

What is in This Collection?

The collection includes probate records for the years 1832 to 1950. This collection includes probate records created in the following county courts:

Each county began keeping probate records from the time the county was created.

Probate records were used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. If the deceased had made a will, the probate process transferred the following from the deceased to an executor or executrix: the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title to heirs. If there was no will, the transfer went to an administrator or administratrix. A guardian or conservator was appointed if the deceased had heirs younger than 21 or if the heirs were incompetent due to disability or disease.

The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time of the probate proceedings are reliable, but realize that there is still a chance of misinformation. The records may omit the names of deceased family members or those who had previously received an inheritance. In some cases, the spouse mentioned in the will was not the parent of the children mentioned. Also, some wills do not name family members.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1904 Bequeath Statement or Will

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  1904 Petition

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  1904 Probate Publication Statement

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  1904 Witness Statement

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  1904 Witness Statement

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  1904 Petition for Administratrix Page 1

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  1904 Petition for Administratrix Page 2

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  1904 Order of Appointment