How do I know if my father had a will

You can check with the Probate Court in the county where your father resided to see if a Will was filed with it for safekeeping. Also, you can question other family members or his friends to see if he mentioned the existence of a Will to them. If that is of no help, then check for a letter or business card from an attorney. If you find one, contact that person and ask if they drafted a Will for your father. If you can't locate the lawyer any other way, start calling attorneys in town to see if they drafted a Will for him. If that doesn't work, you could try and contact any adviser that your father may have had such as a finacial planner, etc.) to see if they know something. Additionally, you can place a "lost will" ad in the local newspaper. Further, if he had a safety deposit box, look there. If that's not successful, then go through any papers that you can find in file cabinets, desk drawers, in the back of closets, etc. Further, you should be aware that some assets pass out side of probate such as life insurance proceeds, funds in a pension, IRA's, 401k's, etc., so these will not be listed in the Will, should you find it. Finally, if there is not Will, then his estate will be disitributed via "intestate succession" which is controlled by state law. Typically, a surviving spouse (if any) and the children of the deceased are the heirs. You can apply to be appointed the personal representative (this is like an executor when there isn't a Will) by the probate court. At this point, you can consult directly with a probate attorney for further information.