The 1866 will of a relative is contained in the packet of loose probate papers along with receipts, original copies of orders, original inventories, etc. The packet of probate papers has been microfilmed and digitized. The will is difficult to read. But there’s another digital image of the will.
That digital image is made from the record copy of the will recorded in the will record book. That record copy, given the time period, is also handwritten. The will record has been microfilmed and digitized as well. It is much easier to read than the digital image of the original will.
The record copy of the will, contained in the probate court’s will record book, is admittedly a derivative copy of the will. Record copies are considered the equivalent of the original and there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the transcription. I could at some point, visit the courthouse that contains the original packet of papers to see the original will for myself.
But for now the record copy will do. It may do for the long term as well.
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