New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971
Images from probate records in various county Surrogate Courts in New York. The content of the probate records and their year range vary by county. Most records end in the 1920s with some indexes continuing to the year 1971.
New York, Probate Records
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/New_York,_Probate_Records_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
What is In This Collection?
The records are probate records in various county Surrogate Courts in New York. The content of the probate records and their year range vary by county. Most records end in the 1920s with some indexes continuing to the year 1971. This collection does not include records from metropolitan New York at this time.
Records in this collection include:
- Wills
- Executor and administrator accounts
- Petitions
- Administrators bonds
- Oaths to inventory and other loose papers
- Appraiser appointments and letters
- Guardianship letters
- Real estate decrees and sales
- Letters testamentary
- Books of dower
- Registers and indexes of undertaking
- Judicial statements
New York has a complicated history regarding the recording of probates. Before 1787, probates were handled by a variety of courts whose jurisdictions changed often.
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
- Liquidation of debts
- Transfer of property title to heirs
These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
To Browse This Collection
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971. |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Name of the deceased
- Death date
- Age or birth date
- Name of spouse
- Names of children, parents, siblings, or other relatives
- Adoption or guardianships
- Neighbors and associates
- Residence
- Occupations
Collection Content
Sample Images
1864 Application for Probate
1830 Summons
1830 Petition
1830 Testimony
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
Multiple county courthouses, New York
"New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 3 December 2024. County courthouses, New York.
