Reading
inventories found in probate records are an excellent way to learn more about
our ancestors. Many assumptions can be
made about an ancestor’s wealth and lifestyle by paying close attention to the
possessions owned by that ancestor. In
my office, I have a desktop computer connected to two monitors, a printer /scanner,
a portable scanner, a netbook, and an iPad. There are shelves of genealogy
books, a closet full of binders labeled with family names, speech pathology
books, many travel books, a microfilm machine, old newspapers on microfilm, and
several pictures of my children. Just from my brief inventory, you can assume
that I am a well-traveled, tech savvy, mom and speech-language pathologist with
an obsession for genealogy.
If
you are lucky enough to find a probate inventory for one of your ancestors, you
may have the opportunity to view an intimate portrait of his or her home and
daily life. Few other documents contain
such information. Note the value of the
inventory for a clue of their prosperity. Look at furniture and household
items, livestock, and crops. The
inventory may or may not have included personal property of other family
members, slaves, or land. What is found
in the inventories are determine by the local government at the time of death.
Not
all probate records will include an inventory and not all probate inventories
are found with probate records. Inventories may be found in will
books, with administrative bond records and even in deed books. Where you find
the records will, again, depend upon the locality at the time of death.
Below is the
inventory of the estate of John W. Giddens, brother to my great-great
grandfather, George L. Giddens. John died in 1896 in Sampson County, North
Carolina. The inventory was recorded in Record
of Assets No4 page 362. This inventory was filmed by the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints and can be borrowed and viewed at local family history
centers.
I
am not sure who inventoried the estate below. Often two or three men in the community were
appointed to settle the estate. Appointed
men inventoried and put a value on each item in the estate. You can sometimes see by the lists, the order
that they moved through the family estate. These men could be neighbors, relatives,
and/or local officials. Three men appear to be handling this estate and may
have completed the inventory; W.W. Clifton, JP, J. K. Boyett, and J. D.
Clifton.
Record
of Assets - John W. Giddens – Sampson
County - 1896
- Fifty bushels of corn valued at $20
- 700 lbs. Fodder valued at $2.80 {feed, hay, etc.}
- Lot Sweet potatoes valued at $300
- Bale of lint cotton (480lbs) valued at $33.60 {ginned cotton}
- Lot cotton seed valued at $2.90
- 507lbs seeded cotton valued at $12.00 {unginned cotton}
- One Black horse (10 or 11 years old) valued at $45.00
- One Buggy valued at $5.00
- One cook stove, 2 tables and safe valued at $5.00 {The safe may have been a pie safe used to store baked goods, flour and other kitchen items.}
- One Lounge valued at $1.00 {chaise Lounge or sofa}
- One desk valued at $1.00
- 9 chairs valued at $2.80
- One clock valued at $2.00
The
total value of estate items was $136.10.
From the list of household goods, I can hypothesize that John and his wife lived simply. He may have grown some crops, but note that there are no tools listed. At one time he was a merchant and owned a turpentine distillery. Land
and a home were not mentioned. As I know
that this John W. Giddens owned businesses and bought and sold land frequently, I know that I might
have to look farther to determine his actual wealth.
Resources
Probate
Inventories: A Window to Your Ancestor’s World – Patricia Law Hatcher, CG,
FASG
Probate
Records
– From BYUtv.org. Learn about the kinds of records generated by the probate
process and details found in wills.
Next
– Part II – A large probate inventory for John Giddens, of Wayne County NC, who died in 1802.
Diana
© 2011, copyright Diana Quinn
