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Originally published by the Genealogical Publishing Company, the four titles reproduced on this Family Archive CD name approximately 135,000 individuals who are cited in wills, administrations, and inventories recorded in the probate records of North Carolina between 1665 and 1900. Probate records are among the very best genealogical sources because they provide "proof" of family relationships. Accessed by a single electronic index, the four titles on this CD are as follows:

North Carolina Wills: A Testator Index, 1665-1900, by Thornton W. Mitchell
Naming 75,000 persons who died and left wills in North Carolina, this may be the most important finding-aid in North Carolina genealogy. Gives name, date, location of will, and book and page number of the will book.

Abstract of North Carolina Wills, 1663-1760, by J. Bryan Grimes
Based on wills found in the Office of the Secretary of State of North Carolina this work furnishes such information as date of probate, place of residence, names of family members, and bequests.

An Abstract of North Carolina Wills . . . 1760-1800, by Fred A. Olds
Supplementing Grimes's work on state wills, this work contains abstracts of wills, 1760-1800, that were recorded on the county level for the entire state of North Carolina.

North Carolina Wills and Inventories, by J. Bryan Grimes
This book contains the full text of selected wills and inventories of North Carolina's pre-Revolutionary War families. Gives names of family members, relationships, date of probate, etc.

System Requirements: You must have a CD-ROM drive, and in order to read the CD you must use either the Family Archive Viewer (version 4.0 or higher), which is available as a free download at http://www.genealogical.com/content/dlfav6.html, or Family Tree Maker for Windows, version 4.0 or higher (Family Tree Maker software can be ordered from www.FamilyTreeMaker.com).

To access information on our Family Archive CDs using the Family Archive Viewer:

1. Install the Family Archive Viewer CD or download it from http://www.genealogy.com/dlfav6.html.
2. Start the Viewer if it is not already running
3. Insert the CD you wish to view into the CD-ROM drive. If you have 2 or more CD-ROM drives, the CD must be placed in the first one.
4. The CD should open automatically, but users of later versions of the Family Archive Viewer must click the CD/magnifying glass icon in the top toolbar (above the template in some versions) to read the CD.
5. When the screen entitled "About this Family Archive" appears, click OK where prompted.

To access information on our Family Archive CDs using Family Tree Maker:

1. Start your Family Tree Maker and open a Family File. (If the program is already running, skip to Step 2.)
2. Insert the CD in your computer's CD-ROM drive. (If you have 2 or more CD-ROM drives, the CD must be placed in the first one.)
3. From the View menu, select Family Finder, or select the Family Finder icon from the toolbar.
4. For FTM 2005, FTM 2006, or Version 16, you must go to the View menu, select Data CD, then View CD. For FTM 2008 or higher, you must download the Family Archive Viewer.

To search the CD for names, select the Search Expert button in the top right of your screen, then select "Search this archive for someone NOT from your Family File." You can also search for names by using the Index.

Note: If a window opens that contains a list of files on the CD, simply close it.