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Wills and Probate Records in Australia

Web Sites for Genealogists - An Australian gateway site for tracing your family history by Cora Num

National
Graham Jaunay's site has a How to Locate Australian Wills section that explains what indexes are available, lists relevant addresses and access conditions.
 
New South Wales
State Records New South Wales Indexes Online, Deceased Estates and Probate include:
• Deceased Estate Files 1880-1923. This index, to the records covering death duties, contains 118,000+ entries from the index to registers of deceased estates. This ongoing project currently covers 1887-1923 with entries being added as they become available.
• Index to Intestate Estate Case Papers. These records relate to those individuals who did not leave a will. The index currently covers the years 1823-1902.
• Probate Packets for 1817-May 1873 (Series 1), 1873-1876 (Series 2), 1876-c1890 (Series 3) and 1928-1932 and 1941-1942 from Series 4. These can be name searched using Archives Investigator. Click on Simple Search, enter the name (add the word death after the name) in the Keyword box, then select Using 'all words' . The series number, item, name, exact death date and date probate was granted are returned. This information can be used to order Probate Packets from SRNSW (fee applies). See Archives in Brief 84 - Probate Packets for further information.
• Probate – Early Records . This index is for supplementary probate records that are not part of the main probate series. It records the name, date, item number and page number. The index to the main probate series is available on microfiche 1800-1985. See Archives in Brief 84 - Probate Packets for further information.

Queensland
Queensland State Archives Wills and Probate indexes include:
Equity Files 1857-1895
• Instruments of Renunciation Index 1915-1983 lists names, death date, date filed and QSA reference. Renunciations are where the Executor/Executrix no longer wishes to administer the will. 
Trustees Files Index 1889-1929
• Wills Index 1857-1935
compiled from original Supreme Court files. It lists names, district, will number and QSA references. 
Copies of the documents are available from QSA for a fee.

Tasmania
LINC Tasmania. LINC (Learning and Information Network Centre) brings together the services of the State Library of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office (TAHO) and others. TAHO online name indexes include:
• Wills - index of wills and letters of administration of estates registered for probate (1824-1989). Copies of Wills and Letters of Administration to 1989 have been digitised and are freely available online. To view a digitised record, search the index by name and then click on the 'will number' link in the 'search results' screen.

Victoria
Public Record Office of Victoria's Digitised Records and Online Indexes include Victorian Wills, Probate and Administration Records 1841-1925. There is an index and digitised records available online. PROV Guide 29 Wills and Probate Records 1841-1925 outlines how to use this online index and how to access digitised copies of wills and probate records for free.  PROV Guide 68 Wills and Probate Records from 1926 explains how to access these records from 1926. 

Western Australia
State Records Office of Western Australia. Click on The Collection then Birth, Deaths and Marriages then Probate and Administration Records for details of the Western Australian Records. References to probate records can be located by surname searching AEON the online database. See the online Information Sheet - Grants of Probate (Wills) and Letters of Administration.

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© Cora Num 1997-2012. Last updated 10 January 2012