Re: PROBATE RECORDS
OGG, MCINTIRE, YOUNG, REINIER, COBLER, HELLER
Posted By: Joe Wright (email) In Response To: Re: PROBATE RECORDS (Mary)
Date: 9/29/2004 at 20:30:41
I don't think there is any need to panic. I live in Chicago, and a friend of mine organized a project to film various church records for the LDS library. Basically they asked him, a president of the local genealogical society, to arrange for the LDS library to film original church records.
The original records were put in his custody, he took them to a local space that had been arranged by his organization (the filming equipment is quite bulky), and then the records were filmed. The originals were then returned to the churches, along with a copy of the microfilm for their use (less handling of original records).
It is all very above board and carefully managed, and supervised by local genealogists. It is logical that it takes time to film a hundred plus years of probate records. Ancestry.com has nothing to do with this process. All LDS records on-line are available free to all. Microfilm is rented for about $3.50 per roll. Much cheaper than the cost of a trip. The added advantage,is that if there is a "couthouse fire", at least the microfilm copy exists. This is a win/win situation. (By the way, I am not LDS in any way.)
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