Victoria Wills & Probate

The wills and probate index includes the names of those deceased persons whose estates passed probate through the Supreme Court of Victoria. Each result will provide a transcript of important fields. Some results will also include an image of the original probate documents. Records cover the years 1841 to 1989.

Transcripts will provide you with the following details:

• First name(s)

• Last name

• Sex

• Occupation

• Residence

• Death year

• Death date

• Grant year

• Grant date

• Nature of grant

• To whom committed

• File number

• Order link – this will open a new tab in your browser that will take you to the catalogue record for the file on the website for Public Record Office Victoria.

• State

• Country

The original documents are held at Public Record Office Victoria.

Please keep in mind that the majority of this index was created by volunteers at the Genealogical Society of Utah. As such, there are some errors in transcription. Where images are provided, be sure to confirm all pertinent details, particularly where the grant year predates the death year. The more recent entries in this index were compiled by the staff of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

There may be several images attached to a transcript, covering the will and probate process.

Wills and probate records are invaluable in family research. Such documentation can provide details of next of kin, property owned, and significant dates.

Images may provide the last will and testament of your ancestor and an inventory of your ancestor’s estate (which may include an itemised list of assets and liabilities). These would provide not only insight into your ancestor’s economic standing, but also into your ancestor’s relationships with other family members, friends, and institutions. If you have a family heirloom, inventories can provide details of its acquisition and worth.

Dame Nellie Melba

A transcript for Dame Nellie Melba’s probate can be found in this collection. Her occupation is listed as ‘Dame British Empire’ and her residence as Coldstream. Her death date is recorded as 23 February 1931 and her grant date as 12 May 1931. Nellie was a famed soprano who spent the Great War fundraising and using her vocal talents to support organisations such as the Red Cross. It was this wartime effort that led to her being made a Dame. You can find mention of Nellie and her performances in Findmypast’s newspaper collection, which is linked to in the Useful links and resources section.

Sir John Monash

General Monash was a military commander during the Great War as well as being a civil engineer. He was involved in the Gallipoli campaign as commander of the 4th Brigade. He then went on to lead the Australian Corps in 1918; it was the largest corps on the Western Front during that time. He holds the honour of being the ‘most famous commander’ in the history of Australia. From the transcript in this collection, we see his death date recorded as 8 October 1931. His occupation is noted as ‘Knight’ and his residence as ‘Toorak’. The grant date is listed as 2 November 1931.

• If your ancestor’s record includes an image, click the image icon. If there are multiple images attached, use the previous and next arrows on the side of the image viewer to navigate the images.

• If the image shows in a horizontal orientation, use the rotation arrows in the upper left-hand corner of the image viewer to rotate the image.

• Click on the image or use the zoom buttons in the upper left-hand corner of the image viewer to get a better look at the documents.