New York, Kings County Estate Records Index
Manual Record Search link (Heading 4):
This wiki article describes a collection that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search –
Pilot Site. To access the collection see: New York Kings County, Estate Files 1866-1923 (Heading 4)
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Collection Time Period (Heading 2):
This index includes county probate records for the years 1866-1923.
Collection History (Heading 2):
Kings County was created in 1683 as one of the original counties. The county has kept probate
records since the time it was created. The records were kept by the Surrogate Court.
Probate records are generally recorded in the county where the person resided. Estates were
probated for approximately 25 percent of the heads of households in the United States before
1900, whether or not the individual left a will. The percentage of heads of households listed in
this collection of estate files will probably be higher than 25 percent because a much larger
percentage of the New York population is represented in the estate files than in the will books.
Wills are more likely to be found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas.
Why This Collection Was Created (Heading 3):
Probate records are used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. The probate
process transfers the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent
family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title to heirs from the deceased to
an executor or executrix if the deceased had made a will, to an administrator or administratrix if
the deceased had not made a will, or to a guardian or conservator if the deceased had heirs under
the age of twenty-one or if heirs were incompetent due to disease or disability.
Collection Reliability (Heading 3):
The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time of the probate proceeding
are quite reliable, though there is still a chance of misinformation. The records may omit the
names of deceased family members and those who have previously received an inheritance, or
the spouse mentioned may not be the parent of the children mentioned.
Collection Description (Heading 2):
Probate records were court documents and may have involved loose papers and/or bound
volumes. These records were generally known as an estate file or probate packet. These files
included all documents related to estate settlement, including settlement papers, inventories,
receipts, and other records pertaining to the estates, including accounts, administrations,
appraisals, minutes, bonds, petitions, guardianships, inventories and settlements. The wills for
this collection are described separately.
Collection Content (Heading 3)
Probate records include petitions, inventories, accounts, decrees, oaths of executors, forms about
guardians and other court documents. Genealogical facts in entries include:
 Name of testator or deceased
 Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
 Names of witnesses
 Residence of testator
 Lists of belongings, property, and so forth
 Document and recording dates. (Sometimes the date of death will be given. Recording
dates are also used to approximate event dates, i.e. a letter of administration was usually
written shortly after the time of death.)
How to Use the Collection (Heading 2):
Use probate records to identify heirs and relatives. Probate records may contain person’s death date, the
names of family members, family relationships, and residences. Use this information to search for
information in other records. You may learn about adoptions or guardianship of minor children and
dependents. You may need to use probate records as a substitute for civil birth and death records because
they exist for an earlier time period.
Related Websites (Heading 2 – stub heading):
This section of the article is incomplete. You can help FamilySearch Wiki by supplying links to related
websites here.
Bibliographic Information (Heading 2):
Kings County, New York. Probate Records. Digital images of originals housed in the Kings County
Surrogate Court, Brooklyn, New York.
Related Articles (Heading 2):
New York Probate Records
Author statement:
Dorothy Horan, User Guidance Supervisor
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