How do you find an old will?

Answer 1

If a person has died and you can not physically find a will after searching their house, you should contact the person's legal adviser to see if the document was lodged there.

In most countries, once a will has gone through probate, it becomes a public document. You should be able to find the will at the public records office where the person lived.

If someone dies without a valid will (dies intestate) then most countries have a procedure that must be followed to deal with disposal of the person's estate.

See related question links for how to find a lost will and for determining who inherits when there is no will.

Answer 2

It depends on how far back you're talking about but, in general, you might do best to locate the probate record in the county where the person last resided. You can do that by contacting the county clerk's office. Some counties now have record search functions on the web. The county archives may have a copy of the will included with the probate records (you might ask if you can get a copy of the "probate packet").

If not, you may be able to determine if a local attorney's office handled the estate. If so, they might still have a copy of the will.

For more info, see the related links below.