The holdings of the New York State Archives documenting the development of the state constitution prior to 1900 are generally limited to engrossed copies of proposed or adopted versions. However, post-1900 holdings include administrative and financial records of conventions, published reports, transcripts of proceedings, and records of individual convention committees.
The New York State Archives holds over 10,000 cubic feet of records of trial and appellate courts, dating from the 1660s to the 1990s. The State Archives holds almost all surviving records of trial and appellate courts exercising jurisdiction throughout the colony and state of New York during the period 1665-1847. The State Archives acquires post-1847 records of certain appellate courts, including the State Court of Appeals and to a lesser extent, the Second (Brooklyn) and Third (Albany) Departments of the Supreme Court Appellate Division.
The Naturalization Pathfinder will direct you to the best sources for records of naturalizations that took place in New York from the British colonial period to the present.
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.
The New York State Archives is part of the Office of Cultural Education, an office of the New York State Education Department.