Template:NY Probate Intro

Probate records (wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions) for New York are held in the office of the county Surrogate Court beginning in 1787, or when the county was formed. Prior to 1787, most are housed at the New York State Archives. Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence. Probate Petitions In 1830, state law required the Surrogate Court clerk to issue a probate petition for a deceased individual with property. This petition, unique to New York, usually lists the deceased's death date. It also lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, and their residence. These petitions are often found in the estate files. See New York Probate Records for online resources and information about using probate records.