Probates, also known as post-mortem inventories, are documents produced in order to relay and distribute the inheritance of a deceased individual. Nowadays, they mainly document significant assets, such as real estate properties, stocks, and vehicles. Up to the late nineteenth century, however, they detailed virtually all of the individual’s belongings, including clothing, furniture, and appliances. This database comprises 396 probates produced in the city of São Paulo in the years of 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1900. The database includes general information on each document, as well as lists of assets. Reflecting the original purpose of the research, some of these lists are more detailed than others, but although details might be missing, no data has been omitted from the database.
