Cumberland County Wills and Estate Files Online
In the spring of 2016 I stumbled upon a collection of Nova Scotia probate records that had been scanned and put online at Family Search. The Cumberland County files (including the index cards to the files) were digitally scanned in 1969 in Amherst. The quality of the scans is excellent and you can download the files in .jpg or .pdf. The indexing is another matter and I'm still figuring it out. There are many different types of files: estate files, decrees, probate files, and will books. I have concentrated on the estate files first because they typically contain a collection of files pertaining to an individual's estate including wills. The instructions below pertain to the Ripley estate files in Cumberland County but the same logic applies to other family surnames such as Coats, Pipes, Smith, etc.
Step 1: Locate the Surname in the Index
To access a variety of indices for the estate files, go to the Family Search website Nova Scotia Probate Records, 1760-1993
As of January 2018, you will need to create a free account at Family Search to access these files.
Click on Cumberland (ignore any error messages)
On the Cumberland page, in the right hand column near the bottom of the page you will see three key indices.
To access a variety of indices for the estate files, go to the Family Search website Nova Scotia Probate Records, 1760-1993
As of January 2018, you will need to create a free account at Family Search to access these files.
Click on Cumberland (ignore any error messages)
On the Cumberland page, in the right hand column near the bottom of the page you will see three key indices.
These indices contain images of paper index cards that were probably the "card catalogue" used to locate the paper files.
For last names that start with A-C, use Index to estate, 1893-1955, A-Chamberlain.
For last names that start with C-M, use Index to estate and wills, 1764-1938, Chamberlain, Bertha-Mitchell, Thomas.
For last names that start with M-Y, use Index to estate, 1764-1938, Mitchell, Sarah Jane-Young
You can use the left and right arrow keys to navigate through the images in the index file. However, you don't have to look at every image. You can jump to a part of the file by entering an image number in the image box. For example, the A-C index includes 1039 images. So, to begin searching for a name that starts with "B" , which should be in the middle of the index, type 500 in the image box and pressing the return (enter) key.
For Ripley estate papers, click on the Index to estate 1764-1938, Mitchell, Sarah Jane-Young.
The Ripley last names start at Image 730 and end at Image 769. You can jump directly to Ripley, Amos P. by typing 730 as the Image number and pressing enter.
For last names that start with A-C, use Index to estate, 1893-1955, A-Chamberlain.
For last names that start with C-M, use Index to estate and wills, 1764-1938, Chamberlain, Bertha-Mitchell, Thomas.
For last names that start with M-Y, use Index to estate, 1764-1938, Mitchell, Sarah Jane-Young
You can use the left and right arrow keys to navigate through the images in the index file. However, you don't have to look at every image. You can jump to a part of the file by entering an image number in the image box. For example, the A-C index includes 1039 images. So, to begin searching for a name that starts with "B" , which should be in the middle of the index, type 500 in the image box and pressing the return (enter) key.
For Ripley estate papers, click on the Index to estate 1764-1938, Mitchell, Sarah Jane-Young.
The Ripley last names start at Image 730 and end at Image 769. You can jump directly to Ripley, Amos P. by typing 730 as the Image number and pressing enter.
Step 2: Make a note of the Index Number
Once you have located your ancestor's name, look for the index number in the upper right hand corner of the card. For example, Ripley, Amos P. is #4458 and Ripley, Isabella is #1798. In general, the lower numbers are earlier files. Make a note of the index number because within the digitized collection, the files are organized by index number rather than alphabetically or chronologically.
Once you have located your ancestor's name, look for the index number in the upper right hand corner of the card. For example, Ripley, Amos P. is #4458 and Ripley, Isabella is #1798. In general, the lower numbers are earlier files. Make a note of the index number because within the digitized collection, the files are organized by index number rather than alphabetically or chronologically.
Step 3: Locate the Estate File Collection containing the Index Number
Once you have the index number, determine which collection includes that index number.
Go to the Cumberland page on the Family Search website Nova Scotia Probate Records, 1760-1993.
Find the letter corresponding to your ancestor's last name and the index range directly before that letter.
For example, for Ripley estate file collections with index numbers #1710-#1892, locate the first column on the Cumberland page and scroll down to the estate files that contain the letter "R". 1764-1938 refers to the date range. The "no" refers to the index card numbers that have been assigned to the collection of documents for one person, e.g. #1798 for Isabella Ripley. So Isabella's estate files will be the 7th collection in the group Estate files 1764-1938, no 1792-1845.
Estate papers with numbers #4322-#4515 are in the second column on the Cumberland page. So Amos P. Ripley's estate papers, index card #4458, will be located in the group Estate files 1764-1938, no 4420-4466.
Click on the appropriate group.
Once you have the index number, determine which collection includes that index number.
Go to the Cumberland page on the Family Search website Nova Scotia Probate Records, 1760-1993.
Find the letter corresponding to your ancestor's last name and the index range directly before that letter.
For example, for Ripley estate file collections with index numbers #1710-#1892, locate the first column on the Cumberland page and scroll down to the estate files that contain the letter "R". 1764-1938 refers to the date range. The "no" refers to the index card numbers that have been assigned to the collection of documents for one person, e.g. #1798 for Isabella Ripley. So Isabella's estate files will be the 7th collection in the group Estate files 1764-1938, no 1792-1845.
Estate papers with numbers #4322-#4515 are in the second column on the Cumberland page. So Amos P. Ripley's estate papers, index card #4458, will be located in the group Estate files 1764-1938, no 4420-4466.
Click on the appropriate group.
Step 4: Locate the files within the collection
Once you're in the digitized collection, remember that the estate files are not in alphabetical order or chronological order. They are in numerical index order and these numbers do not correspond with the Image numbers. For example, Isabella's estate files, index number #1798, begin at image 158. I've already identified the image number for Ripley estate files found in the index, so all you have to do is type in the image number, press enter, and you'll jump directly to the files. See Ripley Wills 1st & 2nd Generation,
Ripley Wills 3nd Generation, Ripley Wills 4th Generation, and Ripley Wills 5th Generation on this website for early Ripley wills.
For other surnames, you'll have to hunt around a bit. Some of the collections are only 2 pages long and others are over 100 pages. The files are in order by number so once you find a document with an identifying number stamped on it, you'll have a better idea of where you are in the collection. Look first for a file with an identifying number, usually at the beginning and end of a collection for one individual. Then use the image numbers and arrows to navigate within the collection. The index numbers are usually stamped on the first and last documents in a collection. One strategy I use is to first jump to the middle image in a collection and arrow through the pages until I find an identifying number to get my bearings within the digitized collection. On the image below, you can see #1798 stamped on the first document in the collection of Isabella Ripley's estate papers.
Once you're in the digitized collection, remember that the estate files are not in alphabetical order or chronological order. They are in numerical index order and these numbers do not correspond with the Image numbers. For example, Isabella's estate files, index number #1798, begin at image 158. I've already identified the image number for Ripley estate files found in the index, so all you have to do is type in the image number, press enter, and you'll jump directly to the files. See Ripley Wills 1st & 2nd Generation,
Ripley Wills 3nd Generation, Ripley Wills 4th Generation, and Ripley Wills 5th Generation on this website for early Ripley wills.
For other surnames, you'll have to hunt around a bit. Some of the collections are only 2 pages long and others are over 100 pages. The files are in order by number so once you find a document with an identifying number stamped on it, you'll have a better idea of where you are in the collection. Look first for a file with an identifying number, usually at the beginning and end of a collection for one individual. Then use the image numbers and arrows to navigate within the collection. The index numbers are usually stamped on the first and last documents in a collection. One strategy I use is to first jump to the middle image in a collection and arrow through the pages until I find an identifying number to get my bearings within the digitized collection. On the image below, you can see #1798 stamped on the first document in the collection of Isabella Ripley's estate papers.