Ontario Government Record Series RG 22-273

Lambton County Surrogate Court estate files

About these records

Title
Lambton County Surrogate Court estate files
Dates of Creation
1854-1963, 1966-1976
Physical Description

64.5 metres of textual records

Scope and Content

Series consists of estate files containing the original documentation filed with the court in proceedings leading to a grant of probate or administration. Typically, an estate file includes the original will in cases of probate, administration bonds in cases of administration, petitions for probate or administration and supporting affidavits, and the order for probate or administration.

Up to 1892 guardianship files were also included with this series. At some later date, these files were separated from the estate files and maintained as a separate series (RG 22-276).

While some inventories of estates exist for the early period, the occurrence of these in the files becomes more frequent after 1892 when the Succession Duty Act required detailed inventories and lists of heirs to be included in the files of taxable estates. When the value of taxable estates was lowered by an amendment to the act in 1907, the presence of these inventories and lists becomes even more common.

If the will or the grant of probate or administration was contested, the estate file should also include the caveat filed against the estate, relevant citations and affidavits, and the final judgment issued by the court.

Estate files are organized chronologically by grant number.

Administrative History or Biographical Sketch

Click on the link(s) below for more information.

Ontario. Surrogate Courts
Restrictions on Access
Researchers must use the microfilm version whenever it is available.
Terms For Use and Reproduction
Copyright is primarily held by the Crown. There are no restrictions on reproduction. Permission of the Archives of Ontario is required for publication; submit a Request for Permission to Publish, Exhibit or Broadcast Form.
Availability of Other Formats

The pre-1931 estate files are available on microfilm.
Accruals

The Archives of Ontario receives annual transfers of these records.

Finding Aid
A nominal province-wide index for 1793-1858 for all Ontario estate files is available online as part of the Archives of Ontario's Interloan Microfilm Catalogue. There is also a nominal index to the 1859-1900 estate files to be found in the bookcases of the Archives of Ontario's Reading Room. A microfilm listing for the pre-1931 Lambton County estate files is available online as part of the Microfilm Interloan Catalogue, and in the User's Guide to Surrogate Courts and Surrogate Clerk Microfilm Reels in the Archives' Reading Room. A nominal index to the pre-1859 Lambton County estate files is available online.

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Agency or agencies that created these records

These records were created by the following Ontario government agency or agencies. Click on the agency reference code for information about this agency and other records it created.

1854-1976 :

Surrogate Courts (BA44)

How to order these records

From our Reading Rooms

For the years 1854-1966, consult RG 22-270 (Lambton County Surrogate Court indexes) on GS 2, Reel 68. For those years after 1966 where the Archives does not hold an index, cotact the Superior Court of Justice, 700 Christina Street North, Suite 106, Sarnia, Ontario, N7M 3C2 for a file number and year,

For pre-1859 estate files, consult the online listing of self-service microfilm in the Finding Aid section.

For 1859-1930 files, consult the self-service microfilm listing for Lambton County available online in the Microfilm Interloan Catalogue or in the User's Guide to Surrogate Courts and Surrogate Clerk Microfilm Reels in the Archives' Reading Room.

The post-1930 files have not been microfilmed so the original records must be requested from offsite storage. A minimum of 1 business day is required to retrieve the material onsite. Please contact a Reference archivist for more information on how to order these records.

Scroll up to "Finding Aid" for more information about any available finding aids or listings.

By Microfilm Interloan
Some of this material is available through the Archives of Ontario's Microfilm Interloan Service, which allows you to borrow microfilmed archival records through a library or other institution that participates in the interlibrary loan system.

http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/microfilm/surrogate_court_lambton_t.aspx#estate1