Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Massachusetts

Re: Records of Inheritance

The records you are looking for are open to public inspection. Go to the Registry of Probate in the county in which the decedent's estate was probated (that would be the county in which he or she lived) and look in the index of estates for the decedent's name. If the estate has been probated you will find a docket number. Copy it and bring it to the desk. You will be given the file which will contain the will, inventory of the estate and, hopefully, an account. This will tell you what you want to know. These records are all public. Good luck.

Bill St. James

Re: Records of Inheritance

These records are only available if the estate has been probated or if the heir(s) filed an affidavit of claiming successor (which is used in Oregon for estates with personal property assets of less than $40,000 and/or real property worth less than $90,000).

You can go to the county where the estate was probated and request the files from the court records clerk. They are public record and available for review.

If the estate was not probated, or if the decedent used a trust to pass on assets, there will not be a record of the inheritance unless real property was received. If real property passed through a trust, there should be a record of a deed in the county where the property is located. You would need to request a copy of the deed from the county recording office which may or may not be at the courthouse, depending on the county.