Rensselaer County
Wills and Probate Records
This page was last updated 1 April 2008.
In this section of our GenWeb site are transcriptions and abstracts of wills of Rensselaer County, NY residents that have been contributed by people like you. Below our list of testators, you can also find information about where to find wills recorded after 1791, wills recorded from 1787 to 1791, and wills recorded prior to 1791. We also provide some relevant offline links for you.

If you would like to transcribe and contribute wills to this website, they would be very welcome! You may send them to me, Lin Van Buren, in plain-text form, just typed or pasted right into the body of an email.

Wills and Probate Documents
NameDate written/probatedResidence
AKIN, Aaron B.1857/1858Clinton [now East Greenbush]
ALLEN, Benjamin, intestate1866Troy
ALLEN, Morgan L.1851/1857Petersburgh
ALLEN, Samuel1816/1816Hoosick
ALLEN, William1850/1850Petersburgh
ARNOLD, George1826/1829Stephentown
ARNOLD, Stephen1810/1810Stephentown
BARINGER, Peter1816/1817Brunswick
BARRINGER, Henry1859/1864Brunswick
BARRINGER, John D.1860/1877Poestenkill
BATEMAN, Hart [Mrs] 1828/1843Nassau
BETTS, Bathsheba [Wright]1842/1856[North] Greenbush
BETTS, Peter1835/1842Greenbush
BLOEMENDALL, John1833/1833Greenbush
BLOOMENDALE, Peter1828/1830Greenbush
BORNT, Lodewick1817/1818Brunswick
BROCK, Daniel M.*1867/1868Grafton
BROCK, Francis1823/1825Grafton
BRUST, Amos1854/1854Lansingburgh
BRUST, Henry1887/1888Brunswick
BRUST, Henry1888/1893Brunswick
BRUST, Jacob1832/1832Brunswick
BRUST, Matthew1827/1835Brunswick
CAMEL, John1818/1818Grafton
CAREY, Michael1910/????Troy
CAREY, Patrick1860/1861Troy
CAREY, Patrick1882/1883Troy
CARPENTER, Joseph1796/1797Stephentown
CARPENTER, Timothy1787/1806Pittstown
CASSIN, Dennis1852/1852Greenbush
CHAPMAN, John1817/1817Hoosick
CHAPMAN, John, Jr.1848/1854Hannibal, Oswego Co, NY
CHAPMAN, Mary [Nichols]1853/????Pittstown
CHAPMAN, Waity1837/????Pittstown
CIPPERLY, Michael1790/1791Schaghticoke
COON, Joseph.Hoosick
COONRADT, Adam.Brunswick
COONRADT, Philip.Brunswick
CRAVER, Johannes1799/????Greenbush
DECKER, Henry1799/1801Schodack
DECKER, Jacob1827/1827Schodack
DEFREEST, David1857/????North Greenbush
DERICK, Charly [Karel]1812/1813Brunswick
DERICK, George1858/1862Brunswick
DEVEREAUX, Jonathan.Schodack
DOUGHTY, Ezra T. (abstract)1843/1843Troy
DOWW, Hendrick1749/1751Rensselaerwyck Manor
DREW, John1854/1856Schodack
DUBOIS, Cornelius1862/1868North Greenbush
DWELLY, Abner????/1803Schaghticoke
EARING, Charles1846/1850Greenbush
EARING, Johannes1815/1824Nassau
EARING, Karel1798/1798Greenbush
EARING, Michael1804/1804Schodack
EARING, Peter1849/????Greenbush
EARING, Samuel1832/????Greenbush
FOLLETT, William (abstract)1808/1808Pittstown
FRAZEE, Henry1867/1876North Greenbush
FROST, Thomas1818/1820Schodack
GERMOND, Smith1840/1841Lansingburgh
GERMOND, Stephen1836/1836Lansingburgh
GREEN, James (abstract)1838/1840Pittstown
GREEN, Benjamin (abstract)1797/1797Stephentown
GREEN, John (abstract)????/1841Berlin
GREEN, John G. (abstract)1843/1850Berlin
GREEN, Pamelia Farnam (abstract)1833/1841Troy
GREEN, Richard (abstract)1805/1805Schaghticoke
GRINOLD, Jonathan.Berlin
GRUNMAN, Jonathan1813/1813Stephentown
HAMMOND, William1801/1810Pittstown and Hoosick
HICKOK, Ezra1802/1807Lansingburgh
HOAG, Thomas (abstract)1842/1843Nassau
HYDORN, Conrad.Brunswick
HYSER, Jeremiah1873/1880East Greenbush
IRELAND, Thomas1811/1812Schaghticoke
JEROME, Augustus1817/1817Berlin
JOHNSON, Rufus (abstract)1831/1837Hoosick
JOSLIN, Potter1829/1830Hoosick
KINNEY, Alonzo N.1869/1893North Greenbush
KOON, Delia (Sharp)1887/1889North Greenbush
LAPE, Andries.Sand Lake
LOHNES, John Nicholas1786/1792Rensselaerwycke
MABBETT, Joseph S.1805/1807Lansingburgh
MAXSON, Paul.Berlin
MCCHESNEY, Samuel R.1814/1814Brunswick
MERCHANT, Abel.Schodack
MILLARD, Elijah1821/1821Berlin
MILLER, Francis (abstract)1843/1843Schodack
MINICK, Jacob1879/1887Poestenkill
MOFFIT, Hosea1825/1825Stephentown
MORRIS, Darius1848/1858Schodack
MORRIS, William H.1875/1887Schodack
NICHOLS, Asa C.1885/1893Hamilton County, Nebraska
NICHOLS, Rowland1812/1813Essex County, NY
OSTRANDER, Jacob1787/1789Manor of Rensselaerwyck
PHILLIPS, David1897/1908East Greenbush
PHILLIPS, Dorcas (Vickery)1813/1813Greenbush
PHILLIPS, Roswell (abstract).Schodack
PHILLIPS, Thomas1830/1834Petersburgh
PHILLIPS, Timothy (abstract)1847/1848Schodack
POTTER, David.Berlin
POWERS, Polly1871/1880Petersburgh
ROGERS, Joseph.Stephentown
ROGERS, Stephen.Hoosick
ROSE, Daniel1806/1811Hoosick
RYAN, Edward1822/1823Pittstown
SAUNDERS, Charles.Berlin
SCHERP, Peter1780/1782the Camp, Albany County, NY
SCRIBNER, Samuel1820/1825Hoosick
SCRIVEN, Zebulon.Grafton
SHARP, George1813/1815Greenbush
SHARP, Nicholas1802/1802Greenbush
SHARP, Peter1800/1807Greenbush
SHARPE, Jacob G.1846/1850Greenbush
SHEPARD, Hazael1816/1819Pittstown
SHEPARD, William1812/1814Pittstown
SIMPSON, John1860/1860Hoosick
SLEAD [SLADE], Philip1803/1803Pittstown
SMITH, Paul.Brunswick
SNIDER, Christopher????/1815Pittstown
SNYDER, Christopher1811/1821Greenbush
SPOTTEN, William1815/1815Lansingburgh
SPRINGER, Jacob1815/1818Brunswick
STITT, James.Pittstown
STROPE, William1838/????Greenbush
SWIFT, Jack1811/1817Schodack
TAYLOR, Elianor1787/1815Lansingburgh
TEELIN, Alexander1826/1828Greenbush
THOMPSON, Alexander1806/1806Pittstown
THOMPSON, ElijahNov 1798Greenbush
TOWNSEND, Sally (abstract)1842/1843Troy
TRAVER, Emma Elizabeth (Phillips)1892/1902East Greenbush
TRAVER, Margaret E. (Hyser)1896/1897East Greenbush
UHLEIN / ULINE, Bernhard1804/1804Greenbush
VAN ALSTYNE, Barbary1840/????Troy
VAN BUREN, Abiather1903/1913Schodack
VAN BUREN, Cornelius H.1810/1811Greenbush
VAN BUREN, Henry P. (abstract)1841/1843Schodack
VAN BUREN, Hiram1882/1883Schodack
VAN BUREN, Jan1795/1796Greenbush/Troy
VAN BUREN, John M.1799/1799Schodack
VAN BUREN, Peter1805/1814Schodack
VAN BUREN, Tiney, spinster1841/1848Schodack
VAN BUREN, Tobias1805/1814Schodack
VANDER COOK, Simon1826/1829Pittstown
VAN DEUSEN, Mary E. 1890/1892Troy
VAN RENSSELAER, Killian1687/1687Watervliet, Albany Co, NY
WEATHERWAX, Andrew1810/1810Schaghticoke
WEATHERWAX, Elinor1819/1819Lansingburgh
WEATHERWAX, David1830/1831Peru, Clinton County, NY
WEATHERWAX, Peter, intestate (inventory only)1805Schaghticoke
WEATHERWAX, Johannes1814/1818Schaghticoke
WIDDERWAX / WEATHERWAX, Andreas1780/1784Tomhannock, Pittstown
WEDERWAX, Andrus1821/1824Greenbush
WITBECK, John W.1863/1865East Greenbush
YATES, Jacob1831Schaghticoke
YATES, Peter1807Schaghticoke
YATES, Stephen1842/1861Schaghticoke
* The Daniel M. Brock will is a scanned image, so it will take some time to download and
is not accessible by any search engines, including our own site search engine.

Wills recorded after 1791: Rensselaer County, NY was created on 7 February 1791 from Albany County, NY. Wills and probate documents recorded after that date for people who resided in Rensselaer County or who had resided in what later became Rensselaer County were recorded in the Surrogate's Court of Rensselaer County, the address of which is given below. You may research their records in person during normal office hours without making an appointment, but a word of warning: photocopies cost $1.00 per page, and some probate files run into well over 100 pages.

Wills recorded from 1787 to 1791: Wills and probate documents recorded between 1787 and 1791 for people who resided in what later became Rensselaer County were recorded in Albany County; the address of the Albany County Clerk's office is given below.

Wills recorded prior to 1787: Wills recorded before 1787, when the probating of wills at county level began, are less straightforward. I have found a website that gives an excellent, detailed explanation of how to research these early wills and probate records.

Wills and probate records from both Rensselaer County, NY and Albany County, NY can also be accessed through the LDS Church's network of Family History Centers (FHCs), and if you have in mind to copy every page of a lengthy probate file, you can save yourself quite a bit of photocopy money by going through one of the LDS FHCs. You do not have to be a Mormon to use their genealogical collection, which is the world's largest. If you do not yet know where your nearest local LDS Church FHC is, it's high time you discovered it! You can search for your nearest FHC as well as for much, much more at the LDS Church's genealogy website, http://www.familysearch.org.

To enable genealogical researchers to find the wills on this GenWeb site more easily, we have introduced "alternative search values" into the bottom of our will files. We prefer to present the wills themselves verbatim, but often, a testator will say, for example, "to my daughter Mary wife of John Smith". A researcher might know her only as "Mrs Mary Smith" because he doesn't yet know her maiden surname. He might key in "Mary Smith" as a search value on a search engine such as Google - but were it not for the alternative search values, the search engine's list of hits would not include this will page, because nowhere does the will say "Mary Smith". The alternative search values add the phrase "Mary Smith" at the bottom of the page, so that the search engine WILL include this page on its hit list, and the researcher will learn, from this online will transcription, the name of Mrs Mary Smith's father. If you have any questions, please email me, Lin Van Buren.

For a list of some Rensselaer County, NY testators, click here.

For a list of which will books and which probate files cover which years, click here.

Where to Find
Wills and Probate Documents
1791-present1791 and earlier
Rensselaer County Surrogate Court
Rensselaer County Courthouse
Second Street at Congress Street
Troy, NY 12180

Tel: (518) 270-3725
Fax: not published
Email: not published

Albany County Clerk
32 North Russell Road
Albany, NY 12206-1324
(off Central Avenue, next to Westgate Plaza)

Tel: (518) 487-5100
Fax: (518) 487-5099
Email: countyclerk@albanycounty.com

RENSSELAER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY: Stacy Pomeroy Draper, Curator of the Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS), emailed the following to me: "I don't know if you are aware that RCHS has the residual files of the [Rensselaer County, NY] Surrogate Court from 1791 to 1915. We maintain a name index and the original file number from the court, as well as over 31,000 estate files. As you know, these are phenomenal research records, and they are used on a regular basis. The court continues to keep the files from 1916 on and the bound books of wills from 1791 onward. The microfilm is wonderful as well, but there are times when people want access to the actual document. We can provide that access for onsite users or for mail/email requests. We will do look-ups in the index to see if there are any pertinent files, at no charge. If people come onsite, there is only the $5 ($4 for seniors) admission fee, plus any copying costs (25 cents a page). Email or written requests for pulling records are $10, which includes up to 10 pages of photocopying and mailing costs. If people want to contact us via email, they can send requests to research@rchsonline.org. Please feel free to add that info to your page." Thank you for this, Stacy!

STEPHENTOWN TESTATORS: Tina Ordone's Stephentown Genealogy website has a long list of abstracts of wills by testators who had lived in Stephentown, Rensselaer County, NY.

BARBARA JEFFRIES: Barbara Jeffries, for many years a generous contributor to the Rensselaer County GenWeb site, abstracted and compiled many Rensselaer County wills and made them available online at her excellent website. She no longer maintains her website. From time to time, it can be accessed through such conduits as the Wayback Machine, but it would appear that someone is regularly blocking these conduits. If I should find a new way of accessing what she posted online, I'll post it here.

SAMPUBCO: David Samuelson's Sampubco performs a fee-based service that provides photocopies of wills from the will books of many counties in many states. You can see the full index of the will books so far covered by visiting the Sampubco website, http://www.sampubco.com. For a list of some of the Rensselaer Co NY testators whose wills are available from Sampubco, click here.

BILL MCGRATH'S SURROGATE COURT TIPS: Bill McGrath writes, "If you are researching relatives who died in Rensselaer County, the Surrogate Court in the Court House on Second Street near the Troy Library is a great source. They allow you to see the files in the basement on Rensselaer County decedents. Records are either on 4 x 6 cards or in bound books, as follows:

Books
1794-1873One book covers A to Z
1874-1881One book covers A to Z
1881-1916One book covers A to K, and another book covers L to Z

Index Cards Are in Drawers by Years
1917-19281929-19451946-19591960-1969
1970-19791980-19891990-19992000-present

Index cards are 4 x 6 and are color-coded:
Yellow cards - testate (there was a will)
Pink cards - intestate (there was no will)
Green cards - small estate

Records on cards and in books have a volume and page reference which directs you to copies of legal documents in bound books on the shelves. Assistance is required if you need photocopies [Note from Lin Van Buren: See above re the cost of photocopies.].


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