Probate, Estates & Equity
Wills, administrations, inventories, guardian bonds—and equity for messy family disputes.
Estates name heirs, relationships, property, and sometimes enslaved persons. Equity court files can be gold for contested inheritances, partitions, and trusts.
- Search both testate (wills) and intestate (administrations) paths.
- Read inventories and sales—buyers are often relatives and neighbors.
- Guardian and apprenticeship records identify minors.
Common questions
When civil vitals are late, why start with probate?
Wills, inventories, and equity name kin, property, and sometimes enslaved people decades before statewide birth and death registration.
What if the probate packet is thin or missing?
Search neighboring counties, parent districts, SCDAH microfilm, newspapers, and federal substitutes rather than assuming total loss.