Reading old probate records has always been interesting for finding out whom was left what.  Cows, pigs, and bed linens being passed along to the children helps in keeping track of which sons were still alive, and if lucky, seeing the married names of the daughters.  The value of these estate items is also interesting when it is put into prospective of the time and place of the family.

The value amount became even more interesting after reading Estate Inventories: How to Use Them by Kenneth L. Smith.  I learned how to convert the estate amounts into current currency.  Reading newspaper advertisements for understanding the costs of day to day items during those times, and comparing that to the finances of the estate, brings together a better picture of how the family lived or how wealthy or not they might have been.

Kenneth’s book also has a great glossary of words that are found in estate inventories.  I know now that dozen is not only 12 but also a coarse woolen cloth.  That cleared up a lot of confusion in one particular probate record.