Wills and probate in Jamaica

Original wills are today kept at the Island Record Office (which by Law 6 of 1879 replaced the office of Island Secretary), part of the Registrar General's Department of Jamaica. Copies of proved wills for the past 100 years or so are kept at the Supreme Court, but these are primarily for the use of the legal profession.

District Courts operated from 1867 until March 1888, when on 2 April 1888 they were replaced by the Resident Magistrates' Courts. There is a Resident Magistrate's Court for each parish. The Supreme Court was established by law of 1879.

Wills are proved in a Resident Magistrate's Court or the Supreme Court, depending on the value of the estate.


Some sources for information on early Jamaican wills:

(I thank Madeleine Mitchell for some of the above.)

For details of some wills not filmed by the LDS see http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/cgw_archive/jamaica/wills.htm.


Testators of wills proved in Jamaica

The following lists are based on the microfilms, produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah, of wills and records of probate of the Supreme Court of Jamaica. The film numbers are those in the catalogue of the Family History Library™ of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The microfilms are of documents of various periods, as detailed in the following table.

LDS FHLC
film number
Item no.
on film
Year
(range)
1937926 [Start]2 refilmed pages from item 2
11756 - 1799
21800 - 1879
31880
41881
51882
1937927 11883
21884
31885
41886
51887
61888
71889  [See also 1937930]
1890 is missing
81891
1892 and 1893 are missing
1937928 11894
21895
31896
41897
51898
61899
71900
81901
91902
101903
19379291904 - 1913, 1917 - 1919, 1921
19379301889, 1914 - 1923, 1925
19379311924, 1926 - 1930

(For films no. 1937929 through no. 1937931, the above is taken from the computer FHL catalogue.)


I make no claim as to the completeness or accuracy of the above information. Any comment, addition, or correction to the data is welcomed.



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