The PROV - Public Records Office of Victoria - has a number of fantastic online resources for family history researchers, from Asylums to Wills and so much in between. They even have 16 short video tutorials will introduce you to popular research topics to get you started on your journey!
Below are the details of a few of the many Victorian State Government records that have been digitised and are available free online.
Inquest records up to the year 1937 have been digitised and can be viewed online. Inquest records from 1938 onwards are not digitised and can only be viewed in the reading room after you place an order. You need to know an approximate year of death, and the name/s of the deceased. It is worth noting that not all deaths resulted in an inquest. However, records of a post-mortem and initial investigation may be available - consider searching through the Body Cards as well.
Ward of the State and Care Leaver records for the period 6 December 1864 to 12 October 1923 have all been digitised and individual children can be found by typing their names into the search form. You can use the 'date' fields to narrow the list if you are searching for a commonly used name. Currently there are five volumes covering the period 1923-1925 which are in the process of being digitised and/or indexed. Digital copies of the volumes covering this period will be progressively made available on the catalogue and then will be made name searchable shortly thereafter.
Passenger Lists. An “assisted” immigrant had their voyage subsidised from the UK by the Victorian government for the purpose of being employed on their arrival. Indexers transcribed the names and ages recorded on lists of passengers aboard ships which arrived at Victorian ports from overseas, between 1839 and 1871. For Unassisted Passengers, indexers transcribed the names and ages recorded on lists of passengers aboard ships which arrived at Victorian ports from overseas, between 1852 and 1923 (for passengers post 1923, try searching records of the National Archives of Australia).
The Central Registers of Male and Female Prisoners (1855–1948) cover individuals held at Melbourne area prisons (Collingwood, Carlton and Williamstown stockades, the Eastern Gaol, the Hulks and Pentridge). The records also include regional prisons for female prisoners only. Search by a prisoner’s surname (or alias), or prisoner number.
Wills 1841-1950 and Probates (1841-1937) can be viewed online. A will is a legal document in which a person can give instructions on how their property should be distributed after they die, and naming executors to do this on their behalf. A probate file contains documents received or created by the Supreme Court to verify the will and issue the grant of probate that authorises the executors named in it to distribute the estate. An administration file contains documents received or created by the Supreme Court to issue the grant of letters of administration that authorises the distribution of the estate in cases where the deceased left no will or new executors had to be named. Digitisation of these records is ongoing; the next batch that will be digitised and published online will be for the period 1926-1950.
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