Hi Lis <snip> >Does anyone know of a way to search probate records for the >Beneficiaries of a Will rather than the name of the person who left the >Will? No, except curiously in South Australia. I suppose you are familliar with the 'SA WILLS BENEFICIARIES INDEX' by JACKSON Roxanne Jackson? Of course, it would only apply to Wills proved in South Australia - but if the deceased owned land in South Australia, there would have had to have been some Probate action there as well, so it is an outside chance. Ditto Queensland. But the fact that William Warwood came to Melbourne suggests that the main action respecting Probate took place in Melbourne. I'd be guessing that the deceased had retired to reside in Melbourne and his solicitors were in Melbourne. (Though Warwood I suppose might have disembarked in Melbourne to train it to Sydney or Brisbane, but without further knowledge, I guess you'd start by assuming that the main Probate was done in Melbourne.) >Does anyone know how I could access the probate records from South >Australia where I live? They're not digitised, so apart from the index, you'll have to come to Victoria to look at the papers yourself or pay a researcher. But you haven't got to that stage yet. >Does anyone have any suggestions on how else I might establish who the >person was who left his estate to Diana? Seeing you know that the deceased had relatives in South Australia, I'd be concentrating on them. Turn them over with a fine tooth comb. Look at every land deal of theirs, in case there was a transfer from the deceased person to a Simm (or other name that you know). Check all their obituaries in case one says something like "came out to join his uncle in (somewhere) to jackeroo, but later came to South Australia". Check all the girls' wedding notices, in case one of them mentions a gift from an uncle/cousin whatever - you'll have to investigate all the names, some of them will be friends and neighbours, but he might have sent a cheque. Wedding gifts are often listed in newspaper stories about weddings. Check all their death notices in case one of them was inserted by the deceased person. As we like to say in genie circles, work from the known to the unknown. You know the relations in South Australia, so that will be the section of Mrs Warwood's family where the relative belonged, one would assume. He might have even been present and witnessed a marriage or a burial. Mind you, if the story is true that the deceased had a few aboriginal wives at the time of his death, it doesn't sound like he was living in Melbourne after all. Best wishes, Lenore Frost Essendon, Vic