Using Probate Records Online at Family Search Tutorial

Using Probate Records Online at FamilySearch

From the FamilySearch page https://familysearch.org/search

Scroll down to Research By Location

 

Click on the map of the United States

 

Scroll down to Pennsylvania on the pop-up menu.

Choose Pennsylvania from the pop-up menu.

 

Select Start Researching in Pennsylvania.

 

The upper part of the Pennsylvania page is where you would search for indexed records.

 

Scroll down to Pennsylvania Image Only Historical Records.

 

Scroll down to the Probate & Court Records section.

Select Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994.

 

You can Learn more about the Records from the FamilySearch Wiki.

 

The Wiki contains information about the collection.

 

Go back to the page for Probate Records, 1683-1994.

To locate Records, we will View Images in this Collection by clicking on Browse through…

 

You see a list of counties.

 

For this example, select Erie from the county list.

 

The list of probate records available for Erie County are shown below.

 

The name we are looking for a name that begins with M, so select the link for Estate index 1823-1971 M-O.

View the first images of the Volume.

On Image 5, we find the cover of the Volume.

 

These records use the Russell Index, so advance to view the image 6 with the table that shows how to find the section number for an entry.

We are looking for Martin Mentley.

So within the volume for the first letter of the surname, M, we will be looking in the row for the Given Name Initial: M (Martin)

We have to look for Martin Mentley the next key letter that appears in the surname: l, m, n, r, t, or other (misc).
The next key letter that appears is an n, so the section number we are looking for is 113.

 

Section 113 of the book is not image 113. I advanced to Image 113 and it is pages 215-216 of the volume.
This was the book for Given Name Initials A-J, so look for the beginning of the book for K-Z. The cover of this book appears in Image 148.

 

The first section for this book are on page 101, which is in Image 151. Image 165 contains the first page of section 113 on the right side. There are six (6) pages in section 113.

 

The entry for Martin Mendle (or) Mentley is on Image 165 on the right side, which is section 113, page 1.

 

Remember to get the citation for the image. You can click on the lower left hand link titled: “Show Citation”. When the citation is open, you can click on the “Copy Citation” link. Paste the citation into a document in the same place where you are storing the image. That is the citation you will use for the information you enter in your family tree program.

Here is the citation copied from the website:
“Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28770-944-56?cc=1999196&wc=9PM6-K6J : accessed 14 May 2015), Erie > Estate index 1823-1971 M-O > image 165 of 381; county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

I am looking for Proceedings Book vol 16, page 7, Block 5.

Next, I went to the Proceedings Index to look for the block of information,
Proceedings index 1823-1958 vol 16-17

Martin Mentley is found on Image 12 which is page 7 of the book.

 

Here is the citation copied from the website:
“Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28786-15059-95?cc=1999196&wc=9PMJ-DPD:268495301,268988401 : accessed 18 Nov 2014), Erie > Proceedings index 1823-1958 vol 16-17 > image 12 of 825; county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

From there, I went to the Will Book, Vol H, Page 789

Image 419 contains pages 788, 789. Martin Mentley’s will is entered on page 789.

“Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28782-31864-10?cc=1999196&wc=9PMN-N3N:268495301,270087301 : accessed 18 Nov 2014), Erie > Wills 1886-1890 vol H > image 419 of 428; county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

The end of the will is entered on the following page, which is in Image 420 (pages 790, 791) and has citation: “Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-28782-33166-2?cc=1999196&wc=9PMN-N3N:268495301,270087301 : accessed 18 Nov 2014), Erie > Wills 1886-1890 vol H > image 420 of 428; county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

There is a lot to learn from this will about Martin Mentley and his family. For example, the will includes the names of his children, including his daughters married names: “I give and bequeath until my daughters and sons, Mary Mentley, Lena Mentley, now Beckman, John Mentley, Dolly Mentley, Jacob Mentley, Charles Mentley, Emma Mentley now Leopold, Rachel Mentley now Leopold, Martin Mentley , Carline Mentley now Kelley, Louisa Mentley, or their heirs after my wife’s death.”

Give this a try for an ancestor of yours, and let me know how you do!