Research

• Full Finding Aid
• Arrangement
• Scope and Content Note
• Related Information
• Use of Records
• Administrative Information
• Access Terms

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Testator index to probated wills

Held by the New York State Archives

Overview of the Records

Arrangement

Alphabetical by name of testator.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of microfilm of a typescript "Index" to the "Record of Wills, Albany, New York, from a Collection of New York State Court Records" from the Queens College, Flushing, N.Y. Historical Documents Collection. A copy of the index may be found in the New York State Library.

The microfilm is an index to testators in New York State Archives series J0038-82, Probated Wills, 1671-1815. The index lists testators (makers of wills) in alphabetical order by surname. It provides name; date of will; place of residence (usually county); will in foreign language (Dutch); whether will was recorded ("R"); and file number (e.g., "AA23"; the second letter and the number designate the actual file).

There are also occasional annotations, including notes of the many wills listed in this index that are not indexed in Berthold Fernow's "Calendar of Wills on File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals," (New York, 1896).

Most of the wills indexed were made by testators residing north of Westchester County. Series J0038-92, Probated Wills, 1665-1787, includes mostly wills made by testators residing in New York City, Long Island, Staten Island, and Westchester County.

It is not known who compiled the index; it may have been staff or volunteers of either the Genealogical Society of Utah or the Historical Documents Collection, Queens College.

Use of Records

Access Restrictions

Restricted; microfilm is not available for inter-library loan or reproduction for any purpose.

Alternate Formats Available

Microfilm was produced by The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973. 1 microfilm reel : positive; 35 mm.

Related Information

Related Materials

Accretion J0038-82, Probated Wills (1671-1815), is indexed by this series.

Other finding aids

A published index to many (but not all) of the wills indexed in this series is Fernow, Berthold, comp., "Calendar of Wills on File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State" (Albany, 1896; repr. Baltimore, 1967, 1991).

Custodial History

Records indexed by this series were previously held by Queens College, but are now at the State Archives (series J0038-82, Probated Wills). Those records have been microfilmed by the Archives (11 reels) and by the Genealogical Society of Utah (12 reels).

This accession resulted from work by Archives staff in October 1999 to integrate or accession estrayed or unidentified records.

Location of Original MaterialOriginal held by Klapper Library, Queens College, CUNY.

Access Terms