Probate records and family history  Information from Probate
records can provide vital pieces of the genealogical puzzle.
Although often not as useful as records of births, marriages and
deaths, which can evidence crucial links to previous
generations, they can provide evidence of relatedness within
generations, and often contain fascinating insights into the
financial affairs of people in times past.  Probate is a process
whereby some person or persons, usually the executor(s) of a
Will if there was one, or one or more of the next-of-kin if
there was no Will, are appointed in law to administer the estate
of someone who has died.  This is usually only necessary if the
deceased person left fairly substantial assets, so don't expect
to find any Probate record relating to the estate of a person
who had little or no estate of their own.  The Probate concept
of 'estate' refers just to assets held in the sole name of the
person who has died, and so Probate isn't necessary for the
release of assets held jointly with