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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)

Title: Link: Index of Wills and Probate 1841 - 1925 Victoria Archives
Post by: tropicalj on Monday 08 December 08 02:25 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: trish251 on Monday 08 December 08 02:54 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: cando on Monday 08 December 08 04:41 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: cando on Sunday 14 December 08 08:34 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: trish251 on Sunday 14 December 08 08:58 GMT (UK)
I saw that today as well - "too many hits" perhaps. The demand for internet access to archives seems to often be underestimated.

Trish
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: sparrett on Sunday 14 December 08 09:50 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: tropicalj on Sunday 14 December 08 10:18 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: cando on Sunday 14 December 08 10:48 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: trish251 on Sunday 14 December 08 11:12 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: sarra on Sunday 14 December 08 22:38 GMT (UK)
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 :)
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: cando on Sunday 14 December 08 22:49 GMT (UK)
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

Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: Adrianne on Tuesday 16 December 08 06:17 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: mbiggar on Wednesday 24 December 08 03:01 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: sparrett on Wednesday 24 December 08 03:50 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: mbiggar on Wednesday 24 December 08 04:46 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: sparrett on Wednesday 24 December 08 05:01 GMT (UK)
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

Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: mbiggar on Wednesday 24 December 08 06:06 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: claireandsi on Wednesday 24 December 08 07:51 GMT (UK)
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  :)
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: tropicalj on Wednesday 24 December 08 08:22 GMT (UK)
Yes it is a "fun" site    have discovered a couple of new branches from dowloading some wills.

kind thoughts Jenn
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: grub on Wednesday 24 December 08 16:00 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: tropicalj on Wednesday 24 December 08 21:36 GMT (UK)
Hello there Grub

Merry Christmas to you Cuz I  hope you have an excellent 2009

kind thoughts Jenn
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: bkernos on Monday 26 January 09 00:03 GMT (UK)
Thank you so much for this, I found my GGG Grandfather is listed.
Title: Re: OnLine from ProVic Probate index1841-1925
Post by: JenClark on Friday 20 February 09 10:23 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: Link: Index of Wills and Probate 1841 - 1925 Victoria Archives
Post by: sarah on Monday 30 September 13 17:04 BST (UK)

Link now corrected and working fine  :)

Regards

Sarah :)