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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Australia Resources & Offers => Topic started by: tropicalj on Monday 08 December 08 02:25 GMT (UK)
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Hello there
I received this notice in an email today
Vic Public RecordsOffice have released for testing - a searchable online version of the Vic Probate Index for 1841 to 1925 ... This is a wonderful development for historians and family researchers .. the probate indexes generally contain the death date, occupation, residence - often removing the need to purchase death certifcates -but that is not all ...If the actual probate document is digitized then it appears possible to access it as a PDF image - an option which has been available for sometime - but with the added benefit provided by the searchable index - an invaluable addition to any serious researchers toolbox.
http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=54 (http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=54)
I had a look and very very good
kind thoughts Jenn
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Hi Jenn
It looks so interesting - my gg grandparents are listed!! WOOHOO!! I just had 1 minor correction to your link
http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/index_search.asp?searchid=54
Trish
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Ah PROV would have had my old email address :( Thanks Jenn for passing on the info.
All my lot are there... :) :) and this is going to save a trip to PROV once they are all digitised.
Another good resource.
Cheers
Cando
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Notice from website...I had endless trouble trying to order any wills to see if they were digitised. Evidently there had been a problem with servers and now....
This database is currently undergoing pre-release testing.
The index has been taken down to address some issues identified by testing. The index will be launched later in December 2008.
Cheers
Cando
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I saw that today as well - "too many hits" perhaps. The demand for internet access to archives seems to often be underestimated.
Trish
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SOoo,
Still not quite time to list it on our Reources List at the top of the board.
Looks like it won't be too long though.
I am looking forward to it. In the little while it was up I got an exact death date for one of mine . It was one of those things where the month of death actually made a difference.
It was wonderful to not have to get a cert, or partial transcript to learn what I wanted to know.
Sue
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I was able to download the will of Thomas Adams Bayley last week just fluked it I think, when it is fully operational it will be a bloody marvellous resource.
Jenn
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You should be able to still Order Wills if you have the index number...it is only the new database that has been taken down. Unfortunately none of my ancestors will have been digitised yet. :(
Cheers
Cando
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I don't know if mine are digital or no - when I clicked the link to the catalogue - nothing happened (well nothing happened before I gave up waiting :( )
I look forward to it returning
Trish
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Hope it's not too long before it's back Online - I think it will be a great help to a lot of people.
I did manage to download one Will last week - before it was taken off.
It did take quite a long time to download - however it was worth the wait.
Sarra :)
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I have once again phoned PROV....there has been a problem with their whole website all weekend and they are working on it now. I was informed the Wills and Probate Index has been taken down....as advised on their website....nothing to do with this current problem. They have no idea at this stage, when the website will be up and running.
My understanding is you have been able to download wills for sometime now....if you had the Index number and the will had been digitised. The new Index database removal should not prevent you downloading digitised wills. Hope I've got that right :)
Cheers
Cando
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Hi
The index is back up and running, :) but it seems that the link to the images is down :( I get a 'cannot display webpage' screen
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Thanks for the information and link, Jenn. Christmas came early at our house! I found the probate and will that proves the death of my great great grandfather, William Gelston, and also seems to prove the family story that he entrusted the care of his two children to a family friend, who then took the money from the will and farmed off the children to different families! Very interesting. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Monica
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Hi Monica,
That's terrible.
They never knew that down the years we would know how badly they behaved!
I am interestred in your avatar/photo and I hope you won't mind me asking about it.
I have one of my grandmother as a young woman and there are strong similarities in the setting style, clothes and hair. I,m wondering whether yours was also taken about 1910 and in Australia [mine is here in Melbourne]
My picture is outside in the regular house garden one woman is seated and one stands. They have lovely white lacy dresses and their hair up like your woman.
There is just something in the mood which much the same.
Sue
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Hi Sue,
The woman in the photo is my grandmother, Ivy Mary Powell, who married my grandfather, William Thomas Gelston, in 1907 In Tasmania. We believe the photo is a wedding photo, probably taken at home. I imagine it was taken in the style at the time. The pose is a bit unusual, compared to other time periods. There's probably a royal person of that time who posed in such a way and started a trend!
William was one of the two orphaned children mentioned in the will. Ivy had also lost her parents at a young age and was raised by a relative's family. She was fortunate that she was raised in a very loving household, as if she were one of their own children. She and her siblings were also separated and raised by different families, and in different towns, so I imagine it was considered acceptable at the time. In her case, after her mother died, the father abandoned his children and moved away to find work. Hard to understand how someone could leave 3 children like that, but he probably thought it was for the best.
Cheers.
Monica
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Hi,
What an interesting family tale.
You certainly have a lot of complexities to unravel.
Thanks for the details on the photo. I agree with you about the style of the time.
Mine too shows the subjet gazing wistfully into another direction and like yours, with a draped sort of arm which she seems to have forgotten about ;)
Sue
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Your comments about the photos got me thinking about who might be famous enough to have started a trend in wedding poses. There are photos on a website with info on Queen Mary (wife George V 1893) from the late 1890s and early 1900s that show a similar pose in repose by several royal brides of that time period:
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2819766000094285158XVInnj
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2574462120094285158WWOGjO
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2873905180094285158QkvKJD
Our ancestors were obviously trying to be very fashionable in their poses!
Monica
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Thanks so much for the link - I was able to download 2 digitized wills and one of them has solved a minor puzzle straight away.
Claire :)
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Yes it is a "fun" site have discovered a couple of new branches from dowloading some wills.
kind thoughts Jenn
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Hi Jenn
I had the will for TAB, but not the probate section.
Thanks so much!
I'll sticky your post until such time as it can be moved to Resources.
Merrry Christmas, cuz!!
Grub
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Hello there Grub
Merry Christmas to you Cuz I hope you have an excellent 2009
kind thoughts Jenn
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Thank you so much for this, I found my GGG Grandfather is listed.
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Thanks for the link guys,
I just found my ggg grandfather in the index in 1863 ;D but unfortunately his will & probabte info has not been digitised yet..... :'(
I am in Qld so I e-mailed the PROV about obtaining a copy, they got back to me today pretty much letting me know that they cannot provide copies unless I can make my way to the reading room, or pay a search agent to do so for me.....
Does anyone know when the rest of the wills & probate records will be available to view online? I am guessing it will be much simpler to wait for it to be digitised rather than pay a search agent...unless anyone else has any ideas??
Jenny
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Link now corrected and working fine :)
Regards
Sarah :)