Hawaii Probate Records
This entry was originally written by Dwight A. Radford for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Probates were filed with the circuit court, and the records begin during the 1840s. There are no earlier probates except for royal families. Many probates (1845'1900) are on file at the Hawaii State Archives and on microfilm at the FHL in Salt Lake City. Indexes (1814'1917) are also available. Additional records are available at the various county courthouses.
Probate records on file at the state archives and the FHL are as follows: first circuit court (Oahu), beginning in 1845; second circuit court (Maui, including Molokai), beginning in 1849; third and fourth circuit courts (Hawaii), beginning in 1849; and fifth circuit court (Kauai), beginning in 1851 (see Hawaii Court Records).