Probate Records - How they can help your research
This Every Name Index to the Rock County, Wisconsin Probate Records, 1839-1930's will help Jump-Start Your Probate Research. The listing includes names from the probate files, for estate records and guardianship files of children of deceased Rock County residents from the Probate File. If you identify an ancestor, contact the RCGS Library to explore the contents of your ancestor's probate file. Email Request for Library Research at RCGS.Library@gmail.com.
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About the Probate Records
WELCOME
Welcome to the 14,000 name Probate Index page of the Rock County Genealogy Society (RCGS). Here you can view key information abstracted from the original hard copies files of Rock County Probate Records for estates of people who died between 1839 and the early 1930s.
WHAT ARE PROBATE RECORDS
Probate records are court files that detail the final accounting of a deceased person’s assets (real estate, animals, equipment and personal belongings) and debts (outstanding loans, unsettled accounts and doctor, burial and legal bills). Probate records also describe the final distribution of the deceased person’s estate to surviving family members.
ACCESS TO THE FULL ORIGINAL PROBATE FILES (original paper records, not microfilm images)
This index is a brief name & date catalog of the many documents in the original hard copy probate files originally held in the the Rock County, WI courthouse. There are four ways to obtain copies of probate records from Rock County, Wisconsin:
WHY IS THIS ONLINE INDEX A “LIMITED VERSION” OF THE PROBATE INDEX?
The 14,000 probate records vary in size from a few pages to more than 100 pages. Scanning or indexing hundreds of thousands of pages isn’t practical. Moreover, RCGS is a nonprofit organization staffed entirely by volunteers, and the Society’s only revenue comes from membership dues, publication sales and research fees. Consequently, we place “partial” or “limited” versions of many of our hard copy publications online to help researchers quickly identify their ancestors. If they desire, the original records are available for a small fee. Research fees fund our ongoing non-profit educational, archiving and indexing efforts. But we do make our archive holdings and skilled researchers available to you (see more about this below).
HOW TO OBTAIN THE FULL PROBATE INDEX
For many years, the Rock County Probate Records from 1839 were unavailable. But recently these records been fully indexed by RCGS and made accessible to the public. The “Full Version” of the index lists the names of over 14,000 deceased Rock County residents and includes the death dates and the probate file number for each individual. For the first time, a “card catalog” exists for this massive record collection. This remarkable index has now been published, and a hard copy may be purchased from RCGS at its Society Publications web page. A non-circulating, reference copy is also available at the Society Library itself and in the Genealogy Room of the Janesville Hedberg Public Library.
HOW TO USE PROBATE RECORDS
Probate records are productive research sources, and it is rare that such records have been preserved, indexed and made accessible as they have been for Rock County. The state of Wisconsin was a crossroads for many families whose ancestors eventually traveled west and these probate records are a cache of previously untapped genealogical information. These are the kinds of facts you are likely to uncover in many probate records:
USE OF THIS INFORMATION:
All Rights Reserved. No part of this index table may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. COPYRIGHT © 2006, Rock County Genealogical Society. Use of data from this page is limited to the individual family researcher exclusively for the purpose of advancing her or his individual research.
Welcome to the 14,000 name Probate Index page of the Rock County Genealogy Society (RCGS). Here you can view key information abstracted from the original hard copies files of Rock County Probate Records for estates of people who died between 1839 and the early 1930s.
WHAT ARE PROBATE RECORDS
Probate records are court files that detail the final accounting of a deceased person’s assets (real estate, animals, equipment and personal belongings) and debts (outstanding loans, unsettled accounts and doctor, burial and legal bills). Probate records also describe the final distribution of the deceased person’s estate to surviving family members.
ACCESS TO THE FULL ORIGINAL PROBATE FILES (original paper records, not microfilm images)
This index is a brief name & date catalog of the many documents in the original hard copy probate files originally held in the the Rock County, WI courthouse. There are four ways to obtain copies of probate records from Rock County, Wisconsin:
- Visit the RCGS Library: The RCGS Archives & Library hours are Wednesday & Thursday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed major holidays) and Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For on-site researchers, the admission fee for research is $10 (free for Genealogical or Milton House Historical Society members). RCGS volunteer researchers will help locate and copy probate records. Document copy charges apply (50% discount for Society members). This is the best option, as it provides "no wait" access to digital probate records and allows you to carefully review and choose which documents to copy from probate files.
- Call the RCGS Library: Call during hours of operation (noted above) at either the Rock County Genealogical Society library at (608) 580-0149. They may be able to take your request, or alternatively, instruct you how to more formally write a request for copies. Research fees plus copy charges apply (50% discount for Society members).
- Write the RCGS Library: Using standard US Postal delivery, write us your specific request at Rock County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 936, Janesville, WI 53547-0936. Include your ancestor's probate index file number (or for a fee, we will look for your ancestor's probate record). A research fee plus copy charges apply (50% discount for Society members).
- Email the RCGS Library: Write us at RCGS.WI@gmail.com, with your specific request. Include the probate index file number (or for a fee, we will look for your ancestor's probate record). A research fee of $20 per hour plus copy charges of $1 per page ($0.50 for Society members) applies. Make sure to identify yourself as a RCGS member or Milton House Historical Society member to receive faster service and reduced copy fees.
WHY IS THIS ONLINE INDEX A “LIMITED VERSION” OF THE PROBATE INDEX?
The 14,000 probate records vary in size from a few pages to more than 100 pages. Scanning or indexing hundreds of thousands of pages isn’t practical. Moreover, RCGS is a nonprofit organization staffed entirely by volunteers, and the Society’s only revenue comes from membership dues, publication sales and research fees. Consequently, we place “partial” or “limited” versions of many of our hard copy publications online to help researchers quickly identify their ancestors. If they desire, the original records are available for a small fee. Research fees fund our ongoing non-profit educational, archiving and indexing efforts. But we do make our archive holdings and skilled researchers available to you (see more about this below).
HOW TO OBTAIN THE FULL PROBATE INDEX
For many years, the Rock County Probate Records from 1839 were unavailable. But recently these records been fully indexed by RCGS and made accessible to the public. The “Full Version” of the index lists the names of over 14,000 deceased Rock County residents and includes the death dates and the probate file number for each individual. For the first time, a “card catalog” exists for this massive record collection. This remarkable index has now been published, and a hard copy may be purchased from RCGS at its Society Publications web page. A non-circulating, reference copy is also available at the Society Library itself and in the Genealogy Room of the Janesville Hedberg Public Library.
HOW TO USE PROBATE RECORDS
Probate records are productive research sources, and it is rare that such records have been preserved, indexed and made accessible as they have been for Rock County. The state of Wisconsin was a crossroads for many families whose ancestors eventually traveled west and these probate records are a cache of previously untapped genealogical information. These are the kinds of facts you are likely to uncover in many probate records:
- A summary of property owned by the deceased, including both real estate with exact land descriptions and personal property from farm machinery and stock animals to jewelry and household goods listed in detail.
- A summary of debts owed, including physician's bills giving insights into the nature and cause of death,
- A reference to grave lot purchases or perpetual care fees revealing the exact location of burial,
- A comprehensive listing of descendants, including the spouse, living children (including married names of daughters), names of deceased children with living children - and the location of residency of each of these potential inheritors of the estate. This is particularly useful as a launching pad for research on maternal family branches.
USE OF THIS INFORMATION:
All Rights Reserved. No part of this index table may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. COPYRIGHT © 2006, Rock County Genealogical Society. Use of data from this page is limited to the individual family researcher exclusively for the purpose of advancing her or his individual research.