VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA) WILLS AND PROBATES.

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:29 pm

Victoria (Australia) Wills and Probates.

Volunteers from the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations (VAFHO) and FamilySearch have completed the first stage of a collaborative project with PROV (Public Record Office Victoria) to index probates in Victoria. The first stage 1841-1925 is now online and allows researchers to search for wills and probates by family name, place, occupation and date and then to link to the digitised image of the will and/or probate file. There are 214,545 names in the index and in 2008 the FamilySearch volunteers digitised 4,724,965 pages of will and probate files which are progressively being made available on our website free of charge. www.prov.vic.gov.au

I saw it here.
http://www.sag.org.au/newsletters/dec08.htm

If it’s free it’s me,
Alan

trish1 · Post by **trish1** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:28 am

Merry Christmas Alan

This is the direct link
http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/ ... earchid=54

The search is fast, but the link to the catalogue & then the links to the scans (if they exist) are very slow, so don't give up - you get there eventually. I am finding most of my earlier wills have been scanned but from c. 1910 onwards they are not yet there - it may be by location rather than year, I don't have enough to really be sure, but it will be a wonderful resource when finished.

I have found one will where my direct ancestor scores no mention but her siblings are all in the mother's will - now to try and find out why!

Trish

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 3:07 am

Thanks Trish and Merry Christmas,

It’s great for anyone with connections to Victoria, not much there for me unfortunately.

With a bit of luck NSW will one day follow the lead. Now that would really make my day.

All the best,
Alan

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:45 am

Thanks for the link Currie, although it isn't any good for me! I was helping a friend earlier in the year and so I searched on that site for her family - the wife was there, so that will be a thrill for my friend.

Nina

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:12 pm

Excellent stuff Alan - I have a branch where a couple of that generation left Dunbarton and sailed for Victoria in the 1850s, and this link has just illuminated a fair bit about what became of some of them. Wonderful that it is free, too. What a treat!

Thanks!
Best wishes
Lesley

trish1 · Post by **trish1** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:27 am

I am finding this a fabulous (and free) resource. The scan linking speed seems to have picked up as well. Many of my families wills, initially not linked online are now available - the searching and download is faster also. It is very impressive and worth checking on a regular basis for additional scans.

It is however creating new mysteries related to why various relatives distributed their estates in the manner given ??

Trish

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:05 pm

Hi Trish

It is however creating new mysteries related to why various relatives distributed their estates in the manner given ??

Isn't that always the way of things...? Every answered question always seems to lead to at least half a dozen new questions!!

Best wishes
Lesley

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:51 pm

Hello Trish and Lesley,

I’ve only had one so far. The poor lady wrote her will on 1st April, 1917 and left two thirds of her estate to her eldest son who was with the Army in France. He was killed at Bullecourt on 3rd of May, and she died on 21st May, 1917. It’s not clear whether she ever actually got to hear about it, hope she didn’t.

All the best,
Alan

trish1 · Post by **trish1** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:50 am

One that I found was a great uncle who died 2 weeks before the armistice in 1918. I find the Oz war service records (and wills) wonderful for family history, but still seem to fall apart while reading all the stories on the naa.

Alan - I have found one that will not allow access at all (on or off line) - public access is listed as closed - she died in 1892. Have you come across this at all? I shall have to send an enquiry to Prov - it seems strange or do I make a mystery from nothing? I have her death certificate which shows nothing unusual.

Trish

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:50 am

Hello Trish,

My grandfathers will was declared null and void, or whatever, because he used a different pen to the witnesses. That was 1935 in NSW. Years ago, when I enquired by phone about getting a copy of the will I was told that it was confidential. I’m not sure now whether that was because it was just too recent or because of the problem with the will.

It seems a bit strange they could still have something blocked after 117 years. Unless it’s one of those estates that took a long time to be finalised or that end up never being finalised because they’re tied up with later estates and the file of papers contains personal information about people who are still around.

For example the beneficiary may have been left a life interest in the estate, where they have the right of residence etc, the property to be sold and proceeds divided on their death. Or maybe the estate proceeds were to be invested and the income used for a particular purpose more or less indefinitely.

I’m just guessing but it would be interesting to know what is going on.

All the best,
Alan