The Probate Court Records are often vital for the Genealogist since they contain the names and additional details regarding relatives of a deceased person who may be entitled to an inheritance. Most Protocols include a name index, but in order to read the actual text about a specific estate a good knowledge of Danish is essential.
Especially prior to the 1840s, Probate Court Records were often very informative. In addition to the names of heirs and the total value of the Estate, the Protocol often listed and valued all of the deceased's possessions: furniture, pots and pans, clothes, pillows, sheets, candlesticks, cows, pigs, beehives, etc. A record of this kind is like visiting the home of relatives who have been dead for centuries!
The Probate Court Records will generally provide the following information:
The original Probate Court Records are kept in the Provincial Archives, where records of the specific area can be found, dating from about 1760-1800 through until the period between 1930 and 1950. Of course, not all older Protocols have been preserved. The National Archives has a number of the older Probate Court Records on microfilm.
Probate Court Records generally become accessible when they are 75 years old.
