Wills, Estate, Probate, Court and Land Records

Wills, estate records and deeds often are three of the most important types of records to a genealogist. Due to the fact that in many instances no will was left to be entered into probate, loose estate records, including administrations of estates and inventories, along with deeds serve as the only proof to establish the link between a parent and his or her children. In Scott County, fire destroy most of the antebellum probate records. However, the deed records are extant from the 1830s until the present. In many cases a deed or series of deeds involving the heirs of an estate selling land can serve as an even more complete record of a family. Additionally, many divisions of estates have been found recorded in the early deed books.

When there is a will, there is generally a file associated with the estate that in most cases contains an inventory of personal and real estate, along with sundry documents associated with the estate. These packets can be invaluable as there is often a listing of all the heirs and not just those named in the will. If you have any douments either scanned or transcribed that you would like to contribute, please contact me.