Missouri Probate Records

United States   Missouri    Probate Records

Record Synopsis
Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence. They may also include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. For further information about the probate process, types of probate records, analyzing probate records, and to access a glossary of probate terms, see United States Probate Records.

Jurisdictions
Probate matters in Missouri have usually been recorded by the clerks of the probate courts, but in some counties the common pleas or circuit courts handled this function. The records include wills, administrator bonds, and estate inventories. They are frequently indexed. You can obtain copies by contacting the probate judge in each county.

A statewide index to Missouri probate records has not been compiled.

Copies of many of the records are available at the Family History Library. The library's records generally date from the creation of the county to about 1925. For example, the library has 71 films for Jackson County that include:


 * Wills and other records (1828-1917)
 * Bonds (1868-1923)
 * Letters (1876-1955)
 * Guardians' records (1871-1898)
 * Inventories (1881-1915)
 * Real estate sales (1890-1918)

For many counties, abstracts of the earliest wills have been published, and copies are available at major archives and the Family History Library.

Web Sites
http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/records/protoc.htm

St. Louis, Missouri Judicial Records: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/mojudicial/#searchDB

St. Louis, Missouri Genealogy Resources http://www.germanroots.com/stlouis.html