New York State Library
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New York State Wills

The New York State Library is not the official repository of the wills of New York State residents. These records can usually be found in county courthouses. The court of probate in New York is the Surrogate's Court.

The New York State Library does have probate records such as calendars, abstracts, indexes and inventories of wills and administration papers. It also has some copies of actual wills in print form and microfilm.

Abstracts of Wills

Barber, Gertrude A. Abstracts of Wills, Letters of Administration and Guardianship of Schoharie County, New York. 1938, 5 vols. (R,974.745,qAb2) Covers the years 1795 through 1863.

Barber, Gertrude A. Abstracts of Wills of Cayuga County, New York. 1947, 5 vol. (MA/FF,929.373,G326,86-24269, LH4019)

Barber, Gertrude A. Abstracts of Wills of Oneida County, New York. 1939, 6 vol. in 1. (MA/FF,929.373,G326, LH4022)

Harris, Edward Doubleday, comp. Abstracts of Surrogate Records in Saratoga County, 1791-1806. 1877. (MA/FM,974.748,Ah)

Hix, Charlotte M. Staten Island Wills and Letters of Administration, Richmond County, New York, 1670-1800. Heritage Books, 1993. (R,974.726,H626)

Nagle, Eric C. Abstracts of the Wills of the County of Albany, State of New York, 1787-1800. Albany, NY: Bureau of Historical Services, Dept. of Human Resources, 1979. (R,974.742,qN149)

New York Historical Society. Collections: Abstracts of Wills 1665-1800, on File in the Surrogate's Office, County of New York. 1892-1973. (R,974.7,N552,v.25-41)

Pelletreau, William Smith, ed. Early Wills of Westchester County, New York. 1898. (R,974.727,P38) Covers the years 1664 through 1784.

Ulster County Genealogical Society. Three Hundred and Seventy-plus Random Ulster County, New York Wills: With Index. The Society, 1987. (R,974.734,qU46,88-20888)

Other Helpful Sources

Fernow, Berthold, comp. Calendar of Wills on File and Recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626-1836. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967. (R,974.7,F36a and MA/FF,929.373,G326, LH3633)

Kelly, Arthur C. M. Index, Names of Principals: Abstracts of Wills on File in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York. Palatine Transcripts, 1981- . (R,929.37471,qK29)

Queens College, Flushing, N.Y. Historical Documents Collection. Record of Wills, Albany, New York from a Collection of New York State Court Records. Genealogical Society of Latter-day Saints, 1967. (MA/FM,974.7,Q3) A reference guide to this work is located in the microforms area. (MA,016.9747,qQ3, also copy in R)

Sawyer, Ray C., comp. and ed. Index of New York State Wills, 1662-1850, on File at the Office of the Surrogate of New York County in the Hall of Records, New York City. NY: 1932. (R,974.71,qS27)

Scott, Kenneth. Genealogical Data from Administration Papers from the New York State Court of Appeals in Albany. National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York, 1972. (R,929.374,S427,74-5084)

For additional titles, please search Excelsior, the Library's online catalog, using the word "wills" combined with a county name. Then click "Search."

Last Updated: February 8, 2024