MOWER COUNTY: PROBATE COURT:
An Inventory of Its Final Decrees of Distribution at the Minnesota Historical Society
Government Records
Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For
details, please see restrictions.
OVERVIEW
Creator: | Mower County (Minn.). Probate Court. | |
Title: | Final Decrees of Distribution. | |
Dates: | 1856-1971. | |
Language: | Materials in English. | |
Abstract: | Final decrees, 1884-1971 (reels 1-20) and miscellaneous orders, 1856-1964 (reels 21-27), containing data on decedents' estates and their distribution to heirs and/or legatees. Records (1920-1939) pertaining to county aid allowances for women with dependent children (mothers' pensions) and the guardianship of juveniles under the age of sixteen comprise the bulk of five volumes of the miscellaneous orders. | |
Quantity: | 27 microfilm reels and 1 volume. | |
Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
This microfilm reproduces volumes containing probate court final decrees of distribution of estates for Mower County for the years 1856-1971. The records consist of two subseries: final decrees, 1884-1971 (26 volumes); and miscellaneous orders, 1856-1964 (14 volumes). The records in each subseries are arranged in roughly chronological order. The dates listed are generally those on which the decrees and orders were issued by the probate judges or the dates of the court sessions.
The volumes in the final decrees subseries may consist of only final decrees, final decrees and related documents, or largely final decrees but with some other orders and decrees issued by the probate court also present. The volumes in the miscellaneous orders subseries comprise a variety of documents created as actions were taken by the court, including final decrees. In most instances in the final decrees subseries, entire volumes have been microfilmed; in some instances, however, only sections containing final decrees in volumes of otherwise nonarchival records have been filmed. All but one of the volumes in the miscellaneous orders subseries have been filmed in their entirety.
All of the final decrees volumes and all but one of the miscellaneous orders volumes include personal name indexes, primarily to names of decedents. Indexes that include citations to pages containing nonarchival documents that were not microfilmed are identified as such on the microfilm.
Final decrees of distribution record data on a decedent's estate and its distribution to his or her heirs and/or legatees. They generally include the following information: the name of the decedent; the date of the court hearing; the name of the attorney representing the estate; a statement that all required legal and administrative procedures have been carried out (early volumes may give the name and date of the publication containing the notice of the court hearing); the decedent's date of death and residence and whether he/she died testate or intestate (with or without a will); itemizations of the major personal property and of the homestead and/or other real property to be distributed; the names of the heirs and/or legatees and their relationship to the decedent; the terms of the distribution of the itemized personal and real property among the heirs/legatees, sometimes including excerpts or quotations from the decedent's will; and the date of the decree.
Some volumes may also include several other types of final decrees, recorded intermittently throughout the volume or in separate sections. Final decrees (summary proceedings) document the distribution of less complicated estates, in which each heir often is given a designated fractional portion of the decedent's real and/or personal property. The summary proceedings give much the same information as the decrees for more complicated estates; however, they tend to merely list the heirs who are entitled to portions of the estate, rather than itemizing property and its distribution. Decrees of distribution of exempt estates document the immediate distribution of estates, or designated portions thereof, that have been determined to be exempt from the payment of debt. Decrees of partial distribution document the distribution of portions of estates prior to the final distribution of the estates. Orders of distribution of insolvent estates document the distribution of monetary assets to creditors of estates against which claims exceed assets. Decrees of omitted or incorrectly described property and the more general orders of correction, modification, and amendment remedy deficiencies in previously issued final decrees. These other types of final decrees are identified in the roll contents or volume list only when they constitute a distinct unit within a volume, not when they are interspersed throughout.
Related probate materials: Several other kinds of probate documents also may be present among the final decrees in some of the microfilmed volumes. These are transitory administrative documents that usually pertain to transfer of real property or to various steps in the probate process; the individual probate case files contain a more complete compilation of such documents. The official record of real estate ownership and transfer is maintained by the county recorder.
Other materials: Records (1920-1939) of probate and juvenile courts pertaining to county aid allowances for women with dependent children (mothers' pensions) and the guardianship of juveniles under the age of sixteen comprise the bulk of five volumes in the miscellaneous orders subseries (Miscellaneous Records G, H, K, and 38 and Probate Minute Book E).
The Mower County Final Decrees of Distribution were microfilmed in order to permanently preserve their informational content. One volume (1856-1869, 1873-1882) was retained for the artifactual interest of the pages containing the earlier entries. The other volumes were discarded after microfilming.
Each subseries and each volume are preceded on the microfilm by an introductory "flash" target. A running target beneath each film frame gives the title and producer of the microfilm and the frame number.
Blank pages and some pages containing nonarchival records have not been filmed. When citing materials from this microfilm, include the following information: Document title and date; volume title, number/letter, dates, and page number(s); microfilm roll and frame numbers. Mower County. Probate Court. Final Decrees of Distribution. Microfilm edition. Minnesota Historical Society.
OTHER FINDING AIDS
Most volumes include a personal name index, primarily to names of decedents.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Access Restrictions:
Originals are closed. Please consult the reference staff for more information.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Mower County (Minn.). Probate Court. Final Decrees of Distribution. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Microfilm Production:
Saint Paul, MN : Minnesota Historical Society, 1998.
Available for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.
Location of Originals:
Originals (16.5 cubic feet) were disposed of after microfilming.
Alternate Form Available:
The original of Record-Probate Court A is in: Minnesota Historical Society (closed to general use).
Accession Information:
Accession numbers: 980-50; 980-71; 985-43; 991-77
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 990017122440104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 1 | Final Decrees, 1884-1971. 26 volumes: | |||||||||
Include indexes. | |||||||||||
Final Decree and Sale Bond Record 1, 1884-1893. | |||||||||||
Pages 1-150. | |||||||||||
Probate Orders Book P, 1893-1906. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 173. Pages 1-247. | |||||||||||
Order Book R, 1893-1906. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 314. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 2 | Order Book V, 1895-1905. | |||||||||
Pages 1-207. | |||||||||||
Probate Order Book 5, 1905-1909. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 233. Pages 1-191. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 3 | Probate Order Book 9, 1909-1915. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 4 | Probate Order Book 11, 1915-1919. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 5 | Probate Order Book-Decrees 17, 1919-1923. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 6 | Probate Order Book-Decrees 19, 1918, 1923-1927. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 7 | Probate Decrees Record 20, 1915, 1924-1930 (bulk 1927-1930). | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 8 | Probate Decrees Record 26, 1926-1934 (bulk 1930-1934). | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 9 | Probate Decrees Record 34, 1914-1918, 1926-1936 (bulk 1934-1936). | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 10 | Decrees of Distribution Record 41, 1934-1939 (bulk 1936-1939). | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 11 | Decree of Distribution Record 46, 1938-1944 (bulk 1939-1942). | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 12 | Decree and Letter Record 53, 1938-1945 (bulk 1942-1945). | |||||||||
Pages 1-250. | |||||||||||
Decree Record 58, 1943-1948 (bulk 1945-1947). | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 298. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 13 | Decree Record 64, 1942, 1947-1950 (bulk 1948-1950). | |||||||||
Decree Record 68, 1948, 1951-1953. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 359. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 14 | Decree Record 78, 1953-1956. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 15 | Decree Record 86, 1954, 1956-1959. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 16 | Decree Record 91, 1959-1961. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 17 | Decree Record 94, 1961-1963. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 18 | Decree Record 95, 1963-1965. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 19 | Decree Record 98, 1965-1968. | |||||||||
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SAM 323 | 20 | Decree Record 99, 1968-1970. | |||||||||
Decree Record 99 [sic], 1970-1971. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 388. Pages 1-152. |
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 21 | Miscellaneous Orders, 1856-1964. 14 volumes: | |||||||||
Most include indexes. | |||||||||||
Record-Probate Court A, 1856-1869, 1873-1882. | |||||||||||
No index. | |||||||||||
Record of Orders-Probate Court B, 1869-1873. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 301. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 22 | Record of Orders-Probate C, 1871-1880. | |||||||||
Final decrees, 1874-1880. | |||||||||||
Probate Record D, 1880-1904. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 263. Final decrees, 1880-1902. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 23 | Probate Record-Miscellaneous E, 1904-1914. | |||||||||
Final decrees, 1908, 1912-1913. | |||||||||||
Probate Record-Miscellaneous F, 1914-1919. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 323. Final decrees, 1914-1919. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 24 | Miscellaneous Record G, 1920-1926. | |||||||||
Final decrees, 1920-1926. Also includes juvenile records. | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous Record-Probate Court H, 1920-1931. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 315. Final decrees, 1926-1930. Also includes juvenile records. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 25 | Miscellaneous and Bond Record K, 1916-1932. | |||||||||
Final decrees, 1932. Also includes juvenile records. | |||||||||||
Probate Minute Book E, 1932-1936. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 343. Pages 109-596. Also includes juvenile records. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 26 | Miscellaneous Record 38, 1935-1939. | |||||||||
Final decrees, 1937-1939. Also includes juvenile records. | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous Record 45, 1939-1942. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 190. Final decrees, 1939-1942. | |||||||||||
Reel | |||||||||||
SAM 323 | 27 | Miscellaneous Record 51, 1942-1955. | |||||||||
Final decrees, 1942-1955. Also includes wills. | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous Record 81, 1954-1964. | |||||||||||
Starts on frame 270. Final decrees, 1955-1963. Also includes wills. |
131.A.1.1B-2 | Record-Probate Court A, 1856-1969, 1873-1882. | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED | |||||||||||
Not indexed. Original retained for the artifactual interest of the pages containing earlier entries. See microfilmed copy above for use. |
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Child support -- Minnesota -- Mower County.
- Decedents' estates -- Minnesota -- Mower County.
- Family allowances -- Minnesota -- Mower County.
- Guardian and ward -- Minnesota -- Mower County.
- Juvenile courts -- Minnesota -- Mower County.
- Mothers' pensions -- Minnesota -- Mower County.
- Document Types:
- Microforms.