ESTATE RECORDS ARE NOW OPEN TO RESEARCH
April 28, 2023
One of the most valuable sources for researching family history in Washington County is now available with the opening of the recently processed series of Estate Record Files found in the Probate Records of the Clerk and Master Records. These records document the settlements of the estates of 9697 deceased individuals in the county, spanning the years from 1778-2000.
The collection consists of 519 boxes (261 linear feet) of records. Files contain loose documents and include inventories of estates, settlements of estates, estate executor and administrator filings, correspondence, lists, reports, receipts, among other documents. Such documents can provide information regarding what was owned and owed by a deceased individual at the time of their death, listings of real property and personal possessions, cash held, the names of any individuals owed money and the amounts, as well as the names and amount of money an individual might have owed the deceased. The names of family members and other relatives can sometimes also appear in these records.
Also found in the Estate Records series are bound volumes of Inventory of Estates records (1779-2006) and Settlement of Estate Records (1796-1965). A guide to the Estate Record Files is available here:
Estates (A – L)
Estates (M – Z)
Washington County, Tennessee Department of Records Management and Archives 