Mining the Probate Files

I spent part of the early morning research hours this weekend combing through the Barren County, Kentucky probate files on FamilySearch, in the hopes of finding something, anything on the Cain family of my 2nd-great-grandmother Mary Alice Cain Read and her brother Harl Cain. This involved flipping through over 800 pages of probate files, carefully looking for any reference to the Cain family. So far, I haven't found anything, although I am still looking through Volume 14, 1883-1888.

I did find the estate settlement for my 4th-great-grandmother, Emily A.H. Ballard Read. The writing is faint but it looks like the estate was closed on 6 March 1887.

Source: FamilySearch, Barren County probate inventories, Image 261.

The estate was divided among the following: James William Read, Isaac Franklin Read, Guilford Dudley Read, George W. Read, Bland B. Read (all sons of Emily), Richard and Ella Tamblin (children of Emily's daughter Angelina Read Tamblin), Sarah Read Jewell (daughter of Emily), and the heirs of Samuel B. Read (shares held by Bland B. Read).