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About New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 This collection includes images of probate records from the state of New York. Probate records are among the most valuable records available for American genealogy but can be challenging to access because originals are kept in courthouses across the country.
The Probate Records Leaflet identifies and discusses the various courts and offices that have filed, recorded, or maintained probate records in New York since 1665. It also describes probate records held by the State Archives and lists all known indexes and abstracts of those records.
- Surrogate's Court Records
- Probate Packets
- Probate Petitions 1830 to Present
- Recorded Records
- How to Obtain Probate Records
- Published Materials
From May 1787 to the present, county surrogate's courts have recorded probates. However, the court of probates and court of chancery handled estates of deceased persons who died in one county but who owned property in another. An 1823 law mandated that all probates come under the jurisdiction of the county surrogate's courts. Each surrogate's court...
The most important probate record is the probate packet, or estate file. A much larger percentage of the New York population is represented in the estate files than in the will books. The file contains copies of all documents related to estate settlement, including will or administration, bond, and inventory.
Since about 1830, a petition that lists names of heirs, date of death of the deceased, relationships to the deceased, and the heir's residences may be included. These packets can be found at the county courthouse. Some of these packets have been microfilmed and made available at the FamilySearch Library for 29 counties of New York. "The probate pet...
Beginning in 1787, copies of probates have been recorded in books by the surrogate. The FamilySearch Library has copies of will books and index books for most counties. For example, the FamilySearch Library has New York County wills from 1665–1916 and an index to 1923 on 525 rolls of microfilm. The library also has microfilms of administrations boo...
William Applebie Daniel Eardeley abstracted wills, administrations, and guardianships for most of New York State for the period 1787 to 1835. His abstracts are held at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The New York State Archives has New York (State) Courts of Probate, Probated wills, 1665-1815.
There are several helpful statewide and downstate indexes and transcripts to help you search pre-1823 wills and other probate records. Some are indexed by name of deceased persons, heirs, witnesses, executors, and administrators: 1. Fernow, Berthold, compiler. Calendar of Wills On File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeal...
Jan 2, 2024 · Probate records were used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. If the deceased had made a will, the probate process transferred the following from the deceased to an executor or executrix: Legal responsibility for payment of taxes. Care and custody of dependent family members.
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1659-1999 New York, Wills and Probate Records Ancestry Abstracts of intestate records of Suffolk County FamilySearch Library Early Long Island wills of Suffolk county, 1691-1703 Cornell University Library
The New York State Archives holds probate records created or compiled by predecessor courts that had jurisdiction over probate matters. For that reason, this pathfinder is divided into two chronological sections: before 1787 and after 1787. Knowing approximately when the subject of your research died is the first step in locating records.
