In the past I always wrote to the courthouse and asked them to look up in their index the name of the decdent to see if they had a file. I also asked them to advise the cost of obtaining a copy of the entire record. I always got a written response telling me the name of the decedent and the probate court file number with the cost of getting copies. I have paid $1 a page, which seems to be pretty standard no matter what probate court, in any state, that I have ever written to in the past. Some have a minimum charge. But I have also obtained a huge file that has cost me $100+. So it depends on what you want. In some of the larger files, if you don't want all the papers in the file, you might write back and state the type of papers you are seeking - will, letters of administration, initial probate documents, inventory and closing estate records. That might cut downt the price, but sometimes you may miss important names that may appear on some of the other documents you don't get. But the choice is up to you. Perhaps it is something new that you have to provide a death certificate, but that seems kind of strange given the probate files are public records and you should be able to walk into the courthouse and request to see the file. But whether the old, old files are still there, you may have to wait a day or two for someone to go to the warehouse to get the or down to the basement. I've not been to Oakland County to know whether they have all the old files; however, the copies I have gotten from them appear to be copies of microfilm files so there should be no wait as far as I can tell. What is the reason for providing a death certificate if the person has a probate file on record? Doesn't make sense. Doesn't compute. If a probate case, you're dead already! Of course, some probate files are created for guardianships as a result of another person's death, so the person who is the subject of the guardianship may still be alive. Is that why the death certificate was requested? So you could get a copy of an active guardianship in the probate court? Christie Trapp

Christie, I think the death certificate is more to ascertain that the person on the probate file and the person on the death certificate are the same person. I know its crazy, but to be honest I've yet to fully understand the probate department at the Oakland County courthouse. The probate files that are in Oakland county are all on Microfilm and they have ONE yes count it, ONE microfilm copier/reader, so at times it can be tough to get what you want copied. Karen -----Original Message----- From: ChristieTrapp@aol.com [mailto:ChristieTrapp@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 4:36 PM To: MIOAKLAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [MIOAKLAN] Probate Court Files In the past I always wrote to the courthouse and asked them to look up in their index the name of the decdent to see if they had a file. I also asked them to advise the cost of obtaining a copy of the entire record. I always got a written response telling me the name of the decedent and the probate court file number with the cost of getting copies. I have paid $1 a page, which seems to be pretty standard no matter what probate court, in any state, that I have ever written to in the past. Some have a minimum charge. But I have also obtained a huge file that has cost me $100+. So it depends on what you want. In some of the larger files, if you don't want all the papers in the file, you might write back and state the type of papers you are seeking - will, letters of administration, initial probate documents, inventory and closing estate records. That might cut downt the price, but sometimes you may miss important names that may appear on some of the other documents you don't get. But the choice is up to you. Perhaps it is something new that you have to provide a death certificate, but that seems kind of strange given the probate files are public records and you should be able to walk into the courthouse and request to see the file. But whether the old, old files are still there, you may have to wait a day or two for someone to go to the warehouse to get the or down to the basement. I've not been to Oakland County to know whether they have all the old files; however, the copies I have gotten from them appear to be copies of microfilm files so there should be no wait as far as I can tell. What is the reason for providing a death certificate if the person has a probate file on record? Doesn't make sense. Doesn't compute. If a probate case, you're dead already! Of course, some probate files are created for guardianships as a result of another person's death, so the person who is the subject of the guardianship may still be alive. Is that why the death certificate was requested? So you could get a copy of an active guardianship in the probate court? Christie Trapp ==== MIOAKLAN Mailing List ==== You can contact the listowner at Judy@BirdGenealogy.org ============================== View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find marriage announcements and more. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx