For The Record
5/8/2000 - Archive

Both the handwritten will record books and the original wills are available on LDS Family History Library microfilms. The will book transcribed the name as Abraham Dekeinere (Liber 8:490, noted as copied from Old Liber: 419, FHL Microfilm 874,517). When I went to the original wills, the source for the error in the published abstracts was immediately apparent—DeReinere was the misread name on the jacket in which the will was filed, but the name in the will was plainly "DeReivere."

The will itself, however, was that of Abraham de Reivere Sr. Unlike the "my" for the first and second wives in the abstract, it lists children Hana and Mary "by his first wife," although there is no antecedent to which this refers, and then "by the second wife" John, Rachel, Safia, and Jane. Even more telling was this tidbit omitted from the abstract: "and as for my dofter-in-law she have had what she is to have." It was signed with an X, showing that he himself could not write, and explaining the difference from the spelling of the name in his literate son's memoranda, as copied into the church records (Will 530, FHL Film 501144; Rev. David Cole, translator. First Record Book of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow (Yonkers, N.Y.: Yonkers Historical and Library Assn., 1901, reprinted Rhinebeck, N.Y.: Palatine Transcripts, 1986). Later the death of Abraham Jr. before 1716 was confirmed by a newly discovered family record showing his widow's remarriage by 1712. (N.Y. Geneal. & Biog. Rec. 112 (July 1989):134).

Despite the perils of relying on published abstracts, they have one great advantage—an every-name index to all the people mentioned. The probate court indexes seldom list anyone but the decedents, or sometimes minor children for whom formal guardianships were established. It is this lack of complete indexing that probably deters many family historians from making greater use of probate records. Without any every-name index, you must first have the names of ancestors before you can use their probate records.

Other than the will and affidavits of the witnesses, probate records may include the petition of the proposed personal representative, inventories, accountings of receipts and disbursements, and distribution lists. In more recent years, you may find a death certificate (perhaps unobtainable from a vital records office under new restrictive policies). You should check everything that is available. Some probate records, in addition to wills, may have been copied into will-record books, but in other jurisdictions they will remain as loose papers in probate files or packets.

Each type of probate record offers different insights about the relatives, economic status, and lifestyle of the deceased. The will is especially useful for the relationships it states, and for clues to unstated relationships from the identities of the witnesses, executors, and heirs. From names omitted, or included without a stated relationship, a genealogist experienced in a particular locale might make assumptions on which a hypothesis can be based, to be tested by further research, or might draw conclusions that strengthen or weaken earlier hypotheses. Be careful, however, not to draw unwarranted conclusions from usages with which you are unfamiliar, like "son-in-law" meaning a stepson, or "my sister" meaning a member of the same religious group. The omission of a known child could mean that the person had died before the will was made, or that the child had already received its portion, like a daughter who had a dowry at marriage. The petition will usually state the date of death, which may not appear anywhere else. If it does not appear, the death date can be approximated between the date of the will and the date of probate. For appointment of an administrator, toe petition will name all those who are of the same or a closer relationship to the decedent as the proposed administrator, and show that they have renounced their rights to serve. Inventories and accounts will tell you much about a person's economic status, occupation, and lifestyle. Distribution lists, particularly for intestate estates, can suggest previously unknown relationships that you can attempt to verify from other sources.

Probate records are often the key to opening previous dead ends in family history research. The closer you can come to viewing the original documents, the less likely that you'll be misled by other people's errors.