The four titles reproduced here were originally published by the Genealogical Publishing Company and reference approximately 134,000 individuals who were authors of or mentioned in a will or inventory. Ranging from abstracts to full, unabridged texts of wills, these probate records can help you gain an understanding of North Carolina's industrial and social life by giving you insights about its citizens and their property. Probates, such as those indexed and collected here, are especially valuable because they often provide details not only property held by a person but on the nature of that person's relationships with family and friends.