Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Massachusetts

Wills - Open to the public?

Hello,

This is a geneology project for my own family. They lived in Worcester County of Massachusetts.--name removed--seem to hit a dead end when trying to find out about the wills of various Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, etc.--name removed--Have had no luck contacting the the Worcester Probate Court nor the AG's office. While helful most advice from these sources is to seek the info from family members or their lawyers. Unfortunately, this is not an option.

--name removed--have 2 questions:

1)Is a deceased person's will a matter of public record in Massachusetts?

2) If these records are public, how do--name removed--get access to them?

Thank you.


Asked on 8/26/04, 8:41 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Re: Wills - Open to the public?

Probate Court Records are open to the public. If a Will is probated in a county, that record is available to the public.

However, not every Will is necessarily probated. Moreover, the Will may not provide very much information if the Decedent had a trust.

Also, just because someone is buried or lived in a particular county does not mean their Will was probated there. For instance, if their last residence was a nursing home in a different county or state the will may be probated there.

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Answered on 8/28/04, 10:44 am


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