LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION

In Delaware County, Letters Of Administration are found in the Probate Court Records. These dates give us at least a 'dead by' date to work with when other documentation has not been found. Early in the 1990s, the estate files were stored in a remote basement outside of the courthouse. Local genealogist, Nona Nunnelly, went there to do some research and discovered estate packets had been under water. The contents of the packets incuded, among other items, the original wills and estate settlements. Nona contacted the Indiana State Archivist who ordered the responsible official to rescue them. Nona, along with other interested parties began the long and tedious project to empty the water from the packets, remove the mildewed contents, unfold the papers, hang them out to dry, then return to the packet envelope. Some of the papers were too fragile and could not be unfolded. Consequently, much of the the contents of the packets was lost to posterity. The remaining documents and packets went back to the courthouse. In some cases, possibly many, the only surviving record was the index stored elsewhere. The following information was gleaned from the Book 1846-1852 Index to the Letters of Administration by, and used here, courtesy of Juanita (Weaver) Lewis.