Perhaps I am missing something here. How do you get into the actual records to transcribe the details. All I see are the indices that indicate that there is more information available, but you have to pay for it. How do I get into the "inner circle" to see if it is worth buying? Dean

At 03:59 PM 6/27/2008, you wrote: >Perhaps I am missing something here. How do you get into the actual >records to transcribe the >details. All I see are the indices that indicate that there is more >information available, but you >have to pay for it. How do I get into the "inner circle" to see if >it is worth buying? > >Dean Perhaps the best answer I can give you is to report (and I'm sure others can do so as well) just what sort of information a will would contain. Depending on the circumstances of the one making the will - ie how much living family and/or estate to disburse most likely would determine the length of the will. From one from my own family it started out with the usual wording - I, so and so, being of sound mind to hereby bequeath - followed by a listing of who was to get what from his estate and their relationship to him followed by what remains of the estate after my bills are paid to my dear wife's upkeep. This was followed by witnessed by so and so - which can also give clues to one's history. Wills can be very detailed or very brief. They can offer clues to relatives you were unaware of in locations you were also unaware. If you are unsure if your relative had much of an estate or not, the thought occurs to me that you could check the last census prior to the relatives decease which from 1850 on, I believe, gave the value of property of those household members who had real estate or personal property. Having checked those details out prior to purchase may give you a clue whether or not such is of interest to you. What I can say for a fact is that the service offered is much less expensive than getting it from the state or local offices. Tim Stowell list admin