D'Olive Family Wills & Probate Records

The estate of Dominique D'Olive, founder of the American branch of the family, was administered following his death in the early nineteenth century. The estate included the original Spanish land grant of approximately 640 acres on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, personal property, and livestock. The administration proceedings document the transfer of the land grant to his heirs and establish the legal foundation for the family's continued presence on the Eastern Shore.

The will of Ruben H. L. D'Olive is one of the most significant documents in the family archive. As the third-generation patriarch, Ruben's will documents the disposition of the family's remaining Eastern Shore land, his Mobile County property, and his personal estate. The will names his wife and children as beneficiaries and provides biographical information not available elsewhere in the record. A letter in the family archive, written by Ruben in approximately 1850, provides context for understanding his intentions.

The estate inventory prepared following Ruben H. L. D'Olive's death provides a detailed accounting of his personal property, real estate, and financial assets. Estate inventories of this period typically list every item of personal property with its appraised value, providing a vivid picture of the material world of a mid-nineteenth century Alabama family.

The will of Edward D. D'Olive, fifth-generation member of the family, documents the disposition of his estate in the mid-twentieth century. Edward was the son of Joseph Morgan D'Olive and the father of Chester M. D'Olive Jr. His will reflects the family's material circumstances in the postwar period and names his wife Mattie Kane and their children as beneficiaries.

The will of Mattie Kane D'Olive, wife of Edward D. D'Olive, documents the disposition of her estate following her husband's death. Mattie Kane's will is one of the few documents in the archive that places a woman of the fifth generation at the center of the record. It names her children and grandchildren as beneficiaries and provides information about the family's property in the postwar period.

The will of Chester M. D'Olive Sr. documents the disposition of his estate in the mid-twentieth century. Chester Sr. was the son of Joseph Morgan D'Olive and the father of Chester M. D'Olive Jr. His will reflects the family's material circumstances in the postwar period and provides information about the transmission of family property and identity to the sixth generation.