Railway drawings roll into PROV’s collection

Digitised copies of railway rolling stock drawings and tracings have been added to PROV’s collection this month. Also new in are indexes and caveat books for probates and administration, commercial and common civil law case records, and a burial register for Malmsbury Cemetery. 

In addition to these new transfers, we recently digitised 450 images compiled by the Brunswick Historical Association in 1939 making them easier researchers to access – further details below. 

Railway rolling stock drawings, tracings and diagrams

From Hawthorn’s Melbourne Tramway Museum come physical diagrams of rolling stock circa 1920 through to 1990, and digitised railway rolling stock drawings and tracings spanning more than 100 years. 

The drawings were originally created by the Rolling Stock Branch of the Victorian Railways. They include plans, sections and elevations for steam, diesel electric, hydraulic and mechanical locomotives, electric suburban trains, rail tractors, carriages, vans and wagons. 

You can view the digitised collection at the first link below, with the second and third series’ available to order and view in the North Melbourne reading room.

Malmsbury burial register

The Malmsbury cemetery register and ledger spans 115 pages dating back to 1862. Handwritten pages detail the name, age, residence, denomination and funeral date of the deceased. Also listed are undertaker’s names and officiating ministers. 
 

A valuable resource for family history research, you can view a digitised copy of this record below.

Supreme Court of Victoria probates and administrations

This records transfer comprises several series related to probate and administration files including the final version of the index created for the period 1853 to 1888, the self-indexing register of files introduced circa 1900 in use until the court introduced their first electronic system in 1990, and the ‘rough index’ that was used to allocate file numbers from around 1909 to 1989. Also included are caveat books for 1973-2009. 

Caveats are legal documents seeking to prevent the granting of an order of probate or letter of administration. These red and blue volumes record the name of the deceased, residence, date of death, the date the caveat was lodged, whether it was against the estate or will, the caveator, proctor for caveator, caveat renewal details (if applicable), papers filed, proctor for applicant and date of grant (if applicable).

Find more information and order these records for viewing in the reading room via the table below.

Supreme Court of Victoria commercial and civil law case records

Records from the commercial and civil law divisions of the Supreme Court from 1991 through to 1992 include documents such as a writ (including the plaintiff’s claim), motions, particulars, and final judgement among other details. 

These cases include commercial disputes, liquidations or building and engineering disputes, or failure to pay money owed. 
 

When researching these records, it can be helpful to familiarise yourself with the following abbreviations:
- vs, v = versus
- P/L, Pty Ltd = Proprietary Limited
- ors = others
- anor = another
- dec'd = deceased 

These records can be ordered for viewing in our North Melbourne reading room. 
 

Historic Brunswick photos

A group of Brunswick residents and councillors formed the Brunswick Historical Association way back in the lates 1930s to prepare for planned centenary celebrations. They collected photographs from the community dating back to white occupation in the 1830s through to 1939. 

Photos feature various people and places, drawings and reports. Bushranger Steve Hart is among the photo subjects, as well as various street views and businesses, and even local sporting teams. Copies of these images were used as part of a “slide night” held on the 27th of August 1939. After the event, the images were donated to the Brunswick City Council before eventually making their way to PROV’s collection some time ago.

Thanks to PROV’s digitisation team, the images can now be viewed online by searching ‘Brunswick City Council 1939’.