Hi everyone My name is Joy Light and I am fairly new to this list and NSW researching, having most of my families coming from Victoria, where I live. I am wishing to obtain a couple of wills, which I have found the reference numbers for in the Probate Index. Is there a cheap way of getting copies of these wills please? In Victoria we can go to the Public Record Office and either transcribe the will ourselves or get it photocopies for about 70c a page. The last and only time I ordered a will from NSW, I was charged $56 for just 6 pages. Now I admit the cover letter came on beautiful paper and the will was a good photocopy and it was in a nice little display folder, but I can do without all of that, I just need the information. At that rate, if I could hire a researcher to go and transcribe them for me and it would still be cheaper. The other alternative would be if I could transcribe it myself, would be to get a cheap flight up to Sydney for the day, and do it myself. Any advice would be truly appreciated on the best way to go. Regards Joy

----- Original Message ----- From: "Joy" <lyko@aanet.com.au> To: <AUS-NSW-SYDNEY@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 12:34 PM Subject: [ANS] OBTAINING WILLS Hi Joy > > My name is Joy Light and I am fairly new to this list > and NSW > researching, having most of my families coming from > Victoria, where I live. > > I am wishing to obtain a couple of wills, which I have > found the > reference numbers for in the Probate Index. > Is there a cheap way of getting copies of these wills > please? > You can get probate packets from NSW State Records, Kingswood 1800 - 1965 for cost of photocopying at .45c per A4 page via a personal visit See http://tinyurl.com/hyqz4 State Records also have deceased estate files 1880 -1958 which were inventories for the assessment of death duty See http://tinyurl.com/e4p7h For there to be either of these docs for any of your ancestors there must be a ref in the NSW Probate indexes . This is a large series of fiche to be found in many libraries . Also this is as cheap as chips to buy from the NSW Supreme Court Also State Records is making inroads with getting the Probate indexes on line via their Archives Investigator part of their web site > go to 'simple search ' type in a name and see what pops up > Any advice would be truly appreciated on the best way to > go. State Records have a copy service for Probate packets but not for DE files Probate packets can have just one sheet of paper to a wonderful assortment of docs on cream vellum with red wax seals ...........are just pot luck Are a few bodies who go to Kingswood and will get copies of docs for others for a small fee . Yell if you would like details FWIW . The SAG have film of NSW wills to about 1900 . You can transcribe from these films but not print just for cost of your time HTH Bye MargM Sydney List Admin

Dear Joy, If you have the numbers it is relatively easy to get the copies. The cost you paid is a universal one and includes a certain number of copies. Had the file been triple the size you would have probably got the whole file for the same cost. I believe that TURTLE the transcription agent does them for about $25 plus copy cost. >From time to time I go there, but haven't been for a while, and could do it for you just for copy costs if you can wait a few weeks. Sincerely, Bill > Hi everyone > > My name is Joy Light and I am fairly new to this list and NSW > researching, having most of my families coming from Victoria, where I > live.