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	Record Group Number:	800000
	Series/Collection Number:	.L 179
	Creator:	Florida. Circuit Court (4th Circuit : Nassau County)
	Title, Dates:	Probate records, 1865-1931.
	Amount:	3.00 microfilm reel 35 mm.
	Medium Included:
	Organization/Arrangement:	By record type.
	Restrictions:
	Terms Governing Use:
	Biographical/Historical:	Nassau County was created by an act of the Legislative Council from the northern portion of Duval County in 1824 (Territorial Laws, 1824). The Nassau County Courthouse was destroyed by fire on March 24, 1876. The Clerk of the Circuit Court in each county serves as the official custodian of deed, marriage, and probate records.
	Summary:	This series consists of a microfilm copy of the probate records of Nassau County, Florida, circa 1865 to 1931. The series includes wills (1873-1908); letters and bonds (1873-1889); orders (1873-1897); appraisements and sales (1873-1931); and a probate docket (ca. 1865-1930s). Probate is the transfer of property title and rights and of legal responsibility for payment of taxes or custody from the deceased to another party, from a person judged incompetent or insane, or from a minor to an appointed guardian. Probate records document the administration and distribution of an individual's estate after death. A will is a legal instrument by which people declare how they wish their property or estate to be disposed of after their death. Wills usually contain direct statements of the relationships between the deceased and his family and denote ownership of specific property and goods. The will book is indexed. The book of letters and bonds records the appointment of an estate executor, administrator or guardian. Letters testamentary or letters of administration or guardianship are the formal instruments of authority and appointment given to a person by the probate court, giving him the powers of executor, administrator or guardian. The appointee then takes an oath and files a bond to guarantee the performance of the duties of the position. The letters and bonds are indexed. The order book is a record of petitions to the probate court and the corresponding orders handed down. The book includes ordersto appoint or discharge executors or administrators, to sell and appraise personal and real property, and to admit wills to the probate court. The order book is indexed. The record of appraisements and sales documents the sale of personal and real property of decedents. Appraisals consist of estate inventories with appraised values for each item. The record of sales lists the property item and the sale amount. The book is indexed. The returns book is a record of the annual returns filed in the probate court by estate guardians, administrators or executors. Each entry gives an itemized account of estate profits and expenses during the year along with the final balance. The returns are indexed. The probate docket serves as an index to other probate records. It is arranged by estate and lists all probate actions taken on each estate. Each entry includes the date of action, the nature of the proceeding, and the page and book in which the action is recorded. The probate docket is indexed.
	Finding Aids:	Microfilm listing available.
	Additional Physical Form:
	Reproduction Note:	Microfilm.
	Location of Originals/Duplicates:	Circuit Court, Fourth Judicial Circuit, Nassau County. Office of the Clerk. Fernandina Beach, Florida.
	Associated Materials:
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	General Note:
	Electronic Records Access:
	Subject Access Fields:	Probate records Florida --Nassau County Decedents' estates Florida Insurance, Surety and fidelity Florida Guardian and ward Florida --Nassau County Real property Valuation Florida Guardianship Property appraisal. Probate records. aat Wills. aat Estate inventories. aat Letters of administration. aat Bonds (Legal records) aat Nassau County (Fla.)
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