[New York] Calendar of Wills, on File and Recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626-1836; by Berthold Fernow; xvi + 657 pp.; Paperback; Published: 1896; Reprinted: 2007; ISBN: 9780806301105; Item # CF1800D

This sought-after volume contains abstracts of 2,162 wills, giving the name of the testator, place of residence, date, names of wife and children, legatees, names of executors and witnesses, and the number of the will. Arranged in rough alphabetical order and thereunder approximately chronologically, this work identifies some 15,000 persons from the wills filed, which were filed from all around New York State. The complete name index at the back of the book further enhances its usefulness. Fernow's Introduction, consisting of an explanation of New York testamentary law, is another outstanding feature of this collection of the earliest wills on record for New York State.