Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BOSTON (AP) — Ancestry.com is making available online for the first time tens of millions of wills and probate records from ordinary Americans to the nation's most famous citizens.
The massive of trove of information that before had been buried in courthouses throughout the nation is sure to be an invaluable resource to historians and professional genealogists, as well as to people who just want to research their family history.
Experts say wills provide fascinating insights into family relationships that can't be found in most historic records or history books.
For example, patriot Paul Revere left his grandchildren $500 each, except for one grandchild — who got just $1.
The records are available on ancestry.com starting Wednesday.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
