Final answer:
A notary public's journal should be turned over to the appropriate court or the secretary of state's office after their death, as per legal requirements, to preserve the records of notarial acts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question surrounding the fate of a notary public's journal after their death touches on the legal procedure for handling such documents. Notary journals are official records that must be managed with care even after the death of the notary. The handling of these journals may vary by jurisdiction, but generally, they should be turned over to the appropriate probate court or the secretary of state's office. In some cases, a legal successor or executor of the estate may be responsible for the disposition of the journal. The contents of the journal, being part of the notary's professional duties, contain records of notarial acts that could be significant for legal matters, hence must be preserved according to the laws governing notarial records.