The folowing file contains a listing of probate files for Monmouth residents from 1799-1865, arranged alphabetically by last name. The date of death or of the file is given when known. The actual files are kept by the Probate Court of Kennebec County, located in the Kennebec County Courthouse at 95 State Street in Augusta, and the telephone number is 207-622-7558.

It should be noted that only a fraction of Monmouth's population is represented here, since most people either did not have much of an estate or they made arrangements before their death to turn over all property to another person. If the name of the person you are looking for is not listed here another avenue for determining the disposition of their property is checking the Kennebec County Registry of Deeds to see if the individual deeded his or her property to a relative or another person.

Not all of these files deal with the settling of estates after a person's death. The other types of files, indicated in the "comments" column, are:

Probate files can be a rich source of information for social history or genealogy. The types of documents that can be found in a probate file can include a will, inventory of an estate, accounts of the settling of an estate and the paying of the deceased's debts, and legal documents appointing the executor/executrix of the estate. Wills can sometimes illuminate family relationships. Probate inventories, especially before the 1890's, can offer detailed information about the economic status of a family or individual; if the deceased operated a business and was a younger person, a probate file can often include an inventory of that business, such as an inventory of tools or of the contents of a store. Accounts can provide information about borrowing practices and the structure of a person's debts. Probate files on the custody of a minor can provide information about the legal status of children, and the accounts in particular can indicate the level of care the child(ren) received. Files dealing with incompetence will sometimes be very sparse, but can also contain detailed information in the accounts on the care of the elderly and the mentally ill.