New to Probate?
3 steps: find the docket, pull the file, map the heirs.
Open the beginner guideQuick Links
These links jump to the essentials: record start dates, where the records live (courthouse, PA State Archives, FamilySearch/Ancestry), how to search, and contributed abstracts.
Record Start Dates
Quick table for wills, administrations, registers.
See the tableWhere to Access
Courthouse, State Archives, FamilySearch, Ancestry.
Open access pointsFamilySearch Catalog
Jefferson probate & Orphans’ Court items.
See catalog pointersNew to Probate? — A 3-Step Guide
- Find the docket/index entry.
Search courthouse indexes (or microfilm/digital dockets). Note volume and page/folio, the record type (will, letters, guardianship), and dates. - Get the full estate packet.
Don’t stop at the book entry. Ask for the file (wills, bonds, inventories, accounts, receipts; guardianship bonds if minors). - Map the heirs & land.
Guardianships list minor children; partitions and accounts identify heirs and property—correlate with Deeds and Obituaries.
Pro Tip: If no will exists, look for Letters of Administration and guardian bonds. Buyers at estate sales are often neighbors or in-laws.
Record start dates (quick view)
| Record type | Jefferson start | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Probate (Register of Wills / Orphans’ Court) | c. 1830 | Wills, letters (testamentary/administration), inventories, accounts, guardianships, Orphans’ Court dockets. |
| Marriages (Clerk of Orphans’ Court) | 1885–present | Applications include parents & officiant. Early county attempt 1852–55 was short-lived. |
| Births (county) | 1893–1905 | Registers at Orphans’ Court; statewide registration begins 1906. |
| Deaths (county) | 1893–1905 | Registers at Orphans’ Court; state death certificates from 1906. |
Need exact volume/film info? See the Access section and FamilySearch Catalog pointers below.
Where to access these records
Jefferson County Courthouse
Register of Wills · Clerk of Orphans’ Court
- Wills & estate files, Orphans’ Court dockets (c. 1830 → present)
- Birth & Death Registers (1893–1905)
- Marriage dockets & applications (1885 →)
Bring names with dates, township, and volume/page or case no. Fees vary.
PA Archives • FamilySearch • Ancestry
- Pennsylvania State Archives (RG-47 County records): microfilm/digitized dockets and registers for Jefferson.
- FamilySearch: Jefferson probate (indexes, will books, estate files, Orphans’ Court dockets; some images require a Family History Center).
- Ancestry: Pennsylvania, Wills & Probate Records, 1683–1993 (Jefferson coverage varies by volume).
Coverage & access differ by volume—check catalog notes.
What you’ll find in probate
Wills & Letters
Testators, bequests, executors, witnesses; Letters authorize administration.
Inventories & Accounts
Assets, debts, distributions; receipts can name widows, children, in-laws.
Orphans’ Court
Guardianships, partitions, adoptions, settlements—key for naming heirs and land.
Jefferson PDFs (auto-updating)
This list pulls from our PDF Index and auto-updates as we add new scans. Prefer browsing everything? Visit the PDF Index or the file directory.
FamilySearch Catalog — Jefferson County Probate
- Jefferson County probate & Orphans’ Court (Catalog search)
- Open FamilySearch Catalog (broad search) and try: Jefferson County Pennsylvania probate
Note: Some images require sign-in or viewing at an Affiliate Library/Family History Center.
Related research
Contribute Probate Material
Have Jefferson County probate notes, photos, or abstracts? Email the coordinator (see footer) with files (.pdf/.jpg/.png) and a short description. File names like SURNAME_Given_YYYY_recordtype.pdf help others find things quickly.