De Vasch

Abstracts of Wills on File in the City of New York Surrogate’s Office 1660-1680

Sample Last Will and Testament

Abstracts of wills on file in the surrogate’s office city of New York 1660-1680. From May 1787 to the present, county surrogate’s courts have recorded probates. However, the court of probates and court of chancery handled estates of deceased persons who died in one county but who owned property in another. An 1823 law mandated that all probates come under the jurisdiction of the county surrogate’s courts. Each surrogate’s court has a comprehensive index to all probate records, including the unrecorded probate packets. Interestingly enough, there are wills existing and on record at the Surrogate’s Office in New York City for the time-span of 1660-1680. Genealogical extracts of these wills have been provided below.

Will of Balthazar De Vasch – 1670

Balthazar De Vasch, a resident of Amesford, has left his home and departed from the country. In light of his absence, Capt. Elbert Elberts and Mr. Jacob Strycker from Midwood have been appointed as Trustees to manage his estate. This directive was formally documented on October 21, 1670, as noted in the estate records.