from the research of Jan Monnin
Wills are a legal document that provides for a person’s possessions to transfer to whom he wishes after he dies. If a person dies and has left a will, then an heir takes the will to the probate court and records it. Then the court will name an executor, whose job it is to usually inventory the estate and oversee the estate. After the debts of the estate are paid off, then what is left is divided up between the heirs, according to the will’s provisions.
The Tennessee State Library and Archives website
- The Tennessee State Library and Archives has a state-wide list of extant wills from 1779-1861. You can e-mail them with a request to search for one person. More information about this is on their website.
- After 1861, wills and probates will be found at Perry County.
If you have a will or probate packet that you would like to share (where the person was born from 1930 or before), please contact Jan Monnin, your Perry County TnGenWeb coordinator.