Probate cases include the proving of wills and the administering of estates for individuals who have died. They also include such matters as guardianship and insanity proceedings.They are a good source for locating relatives, death dates, and property. Families with property are more likely to be found in probate records than poorer families. The United States Research Outline (30972) describes the variety of records created during the probate proceedings

Probate records in Utah have been kept by several courts. During the territorial period probate records were kept by both the county probate court and the federal district court.

At statehood, the probate courts were abolished, and the powers of the federal district courts were transferred to the state district courts. The state district courts have maintained jurisdiction of probate matters since 1896. Probate divisions of the state district courts in each county handle probate matters. For more information see the "Court Records" section of this outline.

Probate records from the territorial period to the present may be found in either the county clerk's office or the Utah State Archives. You may also find some probate records from the territorial probate courts in the personal journals of early probate judges.

The Family History Library has copies of probate records for many Utah counties. Usually the library only has part of the files created during the probate process. Contact the county clerk for additional records. For Salt Lake County, for example, the library has:

Utah. District Court (Salt Lake County). Probate Records. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. (On 43 FHL films beginning with 425667; computer number 377862.) These records include an index and records from 1852 to 1910. They also contain estates records and guardianship cases.

Utah. District Court. (Salt Lake County). Register of Estates or Abstracts of Probate Filed 1876–1966, Index 1876–1964. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. (FHL films 425623–66; computer number 377853.) This record also contains guardianships and adoptions.

Probate records may be listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under the following headings

UTAH, [COUNTY] - PROBATE RECORDS
UTAH, [COUNTY] - GUARDIANSHIP

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