[PW] Re: Presumption of death

[Bill Davis]

Found this online:

Berkshire County Probate Index

Berkshire County, MA, Probate Records, Index 1761-1930. This index is on 
microfilm in the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, Boston, MA. 
To obtain copies of Berkshire County Probate Records, write to the 
following address. Include name, place, date, type of record, and case number.

Francis B. Marinaro, Register
Probate and Family Court Dept.
44 Bank Row
Pittsfield, MA 01201

http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/berkprobmain.html



Bill Davis



At 05:20 PM 11/29/2006, you wrote:

>This is for me, so there's no rush.
>
>When a person has been missing for a certain length of time their heirs may
>go to court to petition that the person be declared dead.
>
>I've checked at the Maine Law Library and they tell me that this concept
>goes back in English common law at least to the 16th century, so I'm taking
>it for granted that it was in use in the colonies in the 18th.
>
>I'm trying to find information about a Revolutionary War soldier who lived
>in Lanesborough, Berkshire County, Massachusetts and apparently never came
>home after the war. I know it's a long shot at this late date, but I'd like
>to know what happened to his estate (he owned quite a bit of acreage there)
>and how his heirs made out.
>
>How can I find out which court would have handled this, to see if any papers
>survive that may apply to this particular case? Would it be the Probate
>Court? (This would be in the 1780s). If not, what? Land records haven't been
>any help so far.
>
>I'll be very appreciative of any suggestions that will help me learn more
>about this.
>
>Edie in Maine