Hilary,

I had a similar experience last week. I had a NYTimes listing >from
the Brooklyn Surrogate Court >from 1914 for a person I was so curious
about because I could not figure out who she was. The Times listed
her as "Bessie Szugy" and when I looked her up it was really "Resie
Szugy" which made a lot more sense as "Rasie" had died the year before.

At the Brooklyn court, because the file was prior to 1924 it took a
day to retrieve (the guy searched after hours) which was unexpected
and put a damper on my plans for the following day. *But* it was *all
worth it*. The file was so interesting and helpful because it named
names and relationships and told a story about the person I had no
idea about.

So I recommend retrieving a legal document concerning wills, estates,
etc. In Brooklyn there was no charge for anything, except that you had
to use crappy copiers that cost 35 cents a copy. $90 seems excessive.

Good Luck,
Alex Skolnick
Philadelphia