Daily AncestorProbate
Probate is the court process of proving that a will is valid; in wider use it means the whole court handling of a dead person's estate.
Strictly, to probate a will is to prove it genuine in court, often by the testimony of the witnesses who signed it. In everyday use probate covers the whole settlement of an estate, with or without a will.
Probate records include wills, bonds, inventories, sale bills, accounts and final distributions. They are kept by the county court that handled estates in that state, under names such as probate, surrogate or orphans' court.
As seen in a recordCounty probate court record, 1800s
Will of Asa Clark presented for probate and proved by the oaths of Jas. Hill and Eli Ward.
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Daily Ancestor. "Probate." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/probate. Last checked 2026-10-01.