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Probate & Wills

Probate records include wills, estate inventories, letters of administration, and other documents relating to the administration and settlement of deceased persons’ estates. These records contain information on the property of decedents, the identity and relationships of heirs, and legal actions taken to prove wills and settle estates.

Finding Aids 

Finding aids provide detailed information about individual record series held by the State Archives. Follow this link to read descriptions of record series that contain information relating to probate in New York Colony and State.

Guides

The Probate Records Pathfinder will direct you to the best sources for probate records created in New York from the British colonial period to the present. 

Will of William Tom, of New Castle 1687

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.

Name Index

The Name Index includes individual names appearing in selected records series held by the New York State Archives.  The following series contain information specific to probate records and are referenced in the index.

  • Index to the New York State Supreme Court of Judicature (Albany) Record of Wills Proved at Albany