Sally Rolls Pavia Sun City, AZ [email protected] List Owner: [email protected] "Without genealogy, the study of history is lifeless." All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus 2002 -------Original Message------- From: Sally Rolls Pavia Date: Thursday, December 26, 2002 19:29:30 To: Sally Rolls Pavia Subject: Mobility Clues .. Probate Records Probate records can be a rich source of information about a family. A will for example can give a picture of the members of the family, naming them and stating their relationships to the deceased. A will can often give us insight into the personal relationships involved, indicating with words whether they were cordial or strained. But wills and other probate instruments can also give us valuable information on the family’s mobility. For example, some of the children mentioned in a will might live in another city or state, or even in another country. Learning this by reading the will may be the only way to track the family’s movement from one place to another. Wills aren’t the only probate records that can contain clues about family members living elsewhere, or about other residences of the deceased. Inventories can provide information on property owned in other counties or states. They can also include information on credit given to debtors, both local and out of state. Land in other counties and states might be inventoried and sold or distributed directly to one or more of the heirs. Of special interest in this respect are the administrators’ accounts. These reports made to the court detail the efforts and expenses of estate administrators as they tried to fulfill the wishes of the deceased and the orders of the court. Such reports may detail an administrator’s travels to distant towns to disburse goods or moneys to heirs no longer living locally, allowing you to track a family member across county and state lines. It’s often said that a death in the family can help bring its members closer together. Sometimes, probate records can help show just how far apart (geographically) a family has become. Family History Network Newsletter, dated 26 Dec 2002 Copyright 2002 Everton Family History Network. All Rights Reserved. Sally Rolls Pavia Sun City, AZ [email protected] List Owner: [email protected] "Without genealogy, the study of history is lifeless." All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus 2002