Probate Records

Step 1: Determine the probate district in which your ancestor lived.

                 Since the late 1700s, Connecticut has used probate districts instead of county or town probate courts. District boundaries have changed over time. To locate the appropriate district for older records, review the Connecticut State Library’s finding aid at https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/ProbateDistrictsByTown.

Step 2: Determine if the estate papers have been digitized.

                 When an estate is probated, multiple forms of records are created. The loose papers are called estate papers. What is found in an estate papers file will depend on what was submitted to the probate court and what has survived. Some files will only have a few pages; other files will have dozens.

 Many of the estate papers for Connecticut have been digitized. They can be searched through Ancestry using the “Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999” collection. They are viewable but not searchable (although they are slowly being added to the FamilySearch AI driven full text search) on FamilySearch. Records are divided among “Probate files collection, early to 1880” (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/141959) and “Probate estate files, 1881-1915” (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/606675).

Be aware: the absence of a file is not proof of lack of probate. Sometimes the loose papers did not survive. More often, the gap is due to the estate papers having yet to be filmed. The Godard Digest (see https://connecticutroots.org/2023/04/28/whats-the-godard-digest-and-how-can-it-help-with-researching-the-probate-of-my-connecticut-ancestors/) and a review of the docket or summary book can help you determine which is the case.

Step 3: Determine if the dockets have been digitized.  

                 Most districts used a docket book or summary book to keep records of the proceedings. This allowed the court’s clerk to find summaries or full copies of the case’s records as needed. Most docket books have been digitized.

                 The books may appear on both Ancestry and FamilySearch. Ancestry has begun to add them to the above referenced “Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999” collection. To find them on FamilySearch, search for the seat of the probate district in the catalog, ie. Connecticut, Middlesex, Middletown, and look for the search result listing probate.

Step 4: Check for additional records.

                 A few districts kept additional records that have yet to be digitized. To locate them, use the Connecticut State Library finding aid at  https://cslarchives.ctstatelibrary.org/repositories/2/classification_terms/7.