Macoupin County IL - Probate Index A (Earliest through 1881)
Contributed for "use only" on the Macoupin County Illinois Genealogy Pages by the Macoupin Research Group listed below.

©2000 Macoupin Research Group Volunteers for the earliest Macoupin Probate Index Project are Linda R. F. Arnold, Loretta Beeuwsaert, Carolynn Bettis, Patti Breaux, Mary Collins, Gloria Frazier, M Trover, Carolyn Gibbons, Marlene Johnson, Sue McMurry, Frank Oglesby, Ronnie Peralta, Melissa Robards, Irvina Russell, John Sissom, Yvonne Stedman, Joretta Weaver

Read all instructions then decide how to research:

• Go to the courthouse and county archives yourself. Need to check for times.
  
• Order microfilm through the Latter Day Saints History Center near you.
  

We had no intention of changing spellings of names in the original index even if we thought a spelling should be different. If you want to note a different spelling or other change, I will note it on the specific page. I will not change the original courthouse index entry. Sometimes entries were difficult to read so we did so note with a question mark or other notation.

Index letters, (example “B” names) are not alphabetized. You need to look at all pages of the same letter. Try the search engine on the main page.
I suggested an index to alphabetize each letter but a researcher replied that by browsing a letter in the mixed up order, she was able to find more throughout the records.

If you don't have time to browse an index page for a surname because it is not alphabetized, then use “Find” in your browser pulldown menu.

Original papers have dates.
Many original index pages do not have dates on them.

Index page numbers without links (and not defined as missing) are blank pages. There is no reason behind listing blank page numbers with a specific letter - just someplace to mention them.

Executor means there is a will. Administrator means there is no will. (Most cases)

The letter G by a Box number such as 1-G means those are guardianship records in the Box. Sometimes for a Conservator, the Box is listed with a C, like Box 25-C.  These deal with a guardianship of minor children or a conservatorship of someone impaired in any way.  They are wall boxes, but filed in a different part of the Circuit Clerk’s office.

The "Box"number is the most important source. The Box is where all of the original papers are located for an estate in the Circuit Clerk's Office.

If there is a Box number listed, you can request copies from the originals in the Box in the Circuit Clerk's Office at the courthouse. 

If there is no box listed and the Comments column in the index states, “Ledger pages listed” or “Many ledger pages listed” you can find in the courthouse or request from Linda copies from the Inventory series, the Appraisement series, the Bill of Sale series, Executor’s and Administrator’s report series, and several others, and lastly the Record Report series, which is the last court action on the estate, wrapping up money, land, etc.
[Probate court actions recorded in The Record/OrderBook series is a running account of who came into court and what they did, presented, asked for, etc.]
Linda will check the ledgers, and make copies from books in all of those series. She charges $10. an hour, 25 cents per copy, 50 cents for a mailer, and whatever postage is needed.  She will report on the research, including what money is due, you send a check, and then she mails out the pages.

The Circuit Clerk’s office still has the Inventory series, but all of the others are now at the Archives.  It is so much easier if there is a probate packet in a wall box, so we do not have to go to individual series books.

The Latter Day Saints did not microfilm the original papers in the “Boxes.” They microfilmed the ledgers - Inventory series, the Appraisement series, the Bill of Sale series, Executor’s and Administrator’s report series, the Will ledgers. Very important is the will book series which has handwritten copies of the wills which were in/are in the boxes. 

Might be cheaper to view/copy the microfilms. Go to the Family History Library Catalog site and do a formal search for the Macoupin County IL probate film numbers and read the up to date procedures for obtaining the microfilms to view at your local LDS History Center.