Under Michigan’s probate law, a Will that is filed for safekeeping with the County’s Probate Court is opened after 100 years. The interesting thing about this is that for those who do ancestry investigation as a hobby, you generally have no idea if a Will has been filed with a Probate Court in Michigan, because the filing is confidential.

If you suspect a Will is on file, you can send to the Probate Court a copy of the individual’s death certificate (certified is probably preferred) and the Will is removed from safekeeping.