*** Source: Early California Wills, California: California Society, D.A.R., 1952, 952 pgs; Volume 3. *** ---page 002--- 2 PART I. continued ALL of the ESTATES which are FILED in BOXES called OLD COURT BOXES are written into the GENERAL INDEX in RED INK. These Estate Boxes are made up mostly of those estates appearing in ["]Old Court Register, Volume 2.["] These Old Court Estate Boxes are numbered from 1 to 268, but these numbers are preceded by a drawer containing Estate Boxes A, B, and C. Old Court Register, Volume 2 begins with the year 1870. Since California became a State in 1850 it would seem to appear that the first 20 years of Records of Probate Proceedings in the County Clerk's Office had vanished. Fortunately this is not true. The key to the mystery of what happened to the cases from 1850 to 1870 was found at the Office of the County Recorder, Mr Roger Howe, at Civic Center. Here the chairman found three Will Books and a book labeled "Deed Book I" in which the first entry was a Will. With these volumes is an index. This index is beautifully organized and records the date of Filing, Probate and record of Wills, beginning with Will Book I and continuing with Books II and III. However the first will of Record in San Diego County is found in the Recorder's Office in the Old Book marked "Deeds 1848-1852". It is the Will of JOSEPH FRANCIS SNOOK, formerly of England, but residing at San Benardo Ranch, San Diego County, Calif., on April 2, 1847 when his will was drawn up. Wife: Maria Antonia Alvarado Brother: John Snook Executrix: Maria Antonia Alvarado Snook Witness: Juan J Warner Recorded: April 11, 1848 Estate Box 2380 - County Clerk's Office. Will Books I and II contain most of the cases found in Old Court Register Volume 2 at the County Clerk's Office. However, there are volumes missing from this set of Will Book Records also as there is a gap of several years between the two books. Book III contains Ancillary Wills - Wills probated in another county or State but recorded here because the testator owned real property in this county. The chairman has been able to locate some of these wills in Estate boxes on file at the County Clerk's Office. Some of them appear in the Registers of Action at that office. The majority of them do not show either estate box number or Register Volume, so an extra chapter has been compiled at the end of Volume VIII, Which contains those Wills, giving as much information as possible. ---end---