Illinois, Probate Records, 1819-1988

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of images to probate records, which includes wills, and other documents for the years 1819 to 1988, but the content and time period will vary by county. Probate records were created to track the distribution of estates of deceased individuals who lived in Illinois.

General Information About Probate Records

County officials began keeping probate records from the time the county was formed. Probates are generally recorded in the county were the person resided. These records cover approximately 40 percent of adult males who left wills, but this may be less than 25 percent in some areas. Less than 10 percent of women had wills or estate inventories. Wills are more likely to be found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas. A higher percentage of individuals died without a will, but they may have had their estates probated and distributed through the courts. Wills and other estate documents are found in the estate files.

Probate records are used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. The probate process transfers the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title. The transfer is to an executor or executrix if the deceased had made a will, to an administrator or administratrix if the deceased had not made a will, or to a guardian or conservator if the deceased had heirs under the age of twenty-one or if heirs were incompetent due to disease or disability.

Probate records fall into two general categories: wills and estate papers. Most records mention the names of heirs and frequently specify how those heirs are related. Names of children may be given, as well as married names of daughters. Probate records may not give an exact death date, but a death most often occurred within a few months of the date of probate. The exact contents of probate records vary greatly depending on the prevailing law and the personality of the record keeper.

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

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

Probate records include petitions, inventories, accounts, decrees and other court documents. Information in the entries may include:

• Name of testator or deceased
• Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
• Name of executor, administrator, or guardian
• Names of witnesses
• Residence of testator
• Document and recording dates

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1843 Will

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  1885 Appointment

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  1885 Naturalization

Coverage Table

The coverage table shows the places and time periods covered in the records for this collection. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period. This table is current as of October 2011.

N/A = Not available at this time.