From: keith_nuttle@sbcglobal.net   
      
   On 4/17/2020 10:50 AM, Geoff wrote:   
   > Are the early probate records in FamilySearch chronologically in order   
   > by the date the will was written, or by the probate date?   
   In the US records and I assume in Britain, they are generally in   
   chronological order, BUT there are exceptions.   
      
   The easiest way to get into these records is to use the native indexes   
   from the individual book ie those indexes create by the person who was   
   responsible for creating and keeping the records.   
      
   There is usually an index in the first pages of the book. Note I said   
   book, not file.  Some files have several books in the file.   In the US   
   you can usually find the first page of the book by dividing the total   
   number of images in the file by the number of books.   ie if there are   
   900 images and 3 books the index for the first will be a image 1, the   
   second book at image 300, and the third as 600.  Useing the page number   
   in the images You may have to scroll ahead or back to find the index.   
      
   Most are simple indexes, (A on page one, B on page two etc.).  However   
   there are the records with a propietary index system, some times it   
   takes more time to figure out the index system that to find the document   
   in the book.   
      
   Finally there are the files where they opened a folder and scanned the   
   documents as they came from the folder.   These are the most difficult   
   because there is no set length to the number of pages in the probate   
   record, and in most incidence the pages are not numbers.   
      
   Don't ignore these files.  I know of one probate record of over 155   
   pages, that you must go through page by page as there is no index, BUT   
   is the most complete genealogy of the family I have found for the family.   
      
   While some records have digitized indexes, I alway check the native   
   indexes because the people transcribing the records may mis transcribe   
   the name, or only include the principal in the probate record. ie the   
   deceased, not the administrator, or others.   
      
   Remember the is from my experience with the US records, it may be   
   different in Britain or Europe.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)