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Court
Records
Court records are the raw essence of American history. From colonial
times to the present, legal documents reveal the customs, the attitudes,
the social structures, and the struggles of the rich and the famous as
well as those of otherwise unnoticed men and women.
The Source, a Guidebook to American Genealogy
Edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandrea Hargreaves Luebking
Succession (Probate) Records
* A
testate
succession occurs when a person dies leaving a valid written
will. The court verifies the instrument and orders its
provisions carried out. An executor is appointed, and
property is distributed according to the will. These records
preserve the decedent’s stated intentions and named
legatees.
* An intestate succession
occurs when a person dies without a valid will. The court
identifies the lawful heirs under the Civil Code and
appoints an administrator. The estate is inventoried, debts
settled, and property distributed by statute. These records
often reveal kinship otherwise undocumented in civil
registers.
Miscellaneous Records
Notes:
1. Mary
Cordelia Buckley. Affidavit of identity [Photographed 21 Feb
2015 by George L. Buhler Jr., 16034 Glenbrook Knoll Lane,
Houston, Texas, 77095, from original in
possession of Mary Buckley Buhler.]
updated 28 June 2026
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