I was advised by a professional genealogist in North Carolina that,
when
requesting a will, I should always ask for the *estate packet and will.*
She said that if you just ask for the
*will* the clerk wouldn't be allowed to include the packet but there is
often pertinent information in the packet that we wouldn't want to miss.
Like any contests to the will, etc.
In my trip to Indiana last October, I spent most of my time in the libraries. If I
can make another trip this spring or summer, I'm going to spend a lot of time
in the courthouses. One of the main reasons is so that I can ask for such
"packets" to see if additional information can be gleaned from the original
materials. For example, no one knows the date of my gggrandfather's death
or his place of burial, but in the complete probate record, there's mention of
the bill from the furniture company for his casket. If the original bill is in the
packet, and luck is with us, maybe it will contain that information.
Even if the packets don't contain any "new" information, they may still be
of
value. The one "packet" I looked at last fall concerned my ggrandfather's
guardianship, and I was able to come away with a photocopy of a 140-year
old document with his signature.
Larry