The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is offering free access to 32 probate-related databases from today through midnight on Tuesday, April 25.
You need to create a free Guest Member account on AmericanAncestors.org to access the databases. These databases contain some of the earliest probate records of colonial Massachusetts and other New England colonies and states, as well as New York, and New Brunswick, Canada.
Probate records can be a powerful resource for genealogists and other researchers. These papers document legal decisions that explain how an individual’s estate is distributed to heirs, dependents, and creditors. Probates may list a person’s spouse, children, and other relatives. They may also contain important clues to a person’s financial status, by including a list of worldly possessions at the time of death.
Visitors to the website can watch “Using New England Probate Records,” a 60-minute webinar presented by David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist at NEHGS. The webinar offers guidance on how to get the most out of all probate records, with special emphasis on those resources available at the NEHGS library and archives and online at AmericanAncestors.org.
To get started using these records, go to: www.amercianancestors.org/probate
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