New York State Court of Chancery Registers of Causes and Matters

Numerical by circuit, then chronological by date of first action in a case.

Rules of the Court of Chancery directed the Clerks of the various circuits to keep a record of "titles of causes with memoranda of the proceedings in such cases."

This series consists of summary chronological records of actions taken and documents filed in cases heard by the Vice-Chancellors. Cases include both adversarial cases commenced by complaint ("causes"), and those commenced by petition ("matters").

The names of the parties in a case and their attorneys, as well as a chronological listing of each document filed and action taken and its date, are recorded for every case. The format for recording this information varies slightly from year to year and between circuits. The actions taken by the complainant and defendant are occasionally listed in separate columns while in other places they are listed together. Some of the entries date several years after a case was commenced. The registers do not contain information on the substance of filed documents, preliminary motions and orders, and final decrees.

J0055Series J0055, Register of guardians, receivers, and committees

J0085Series J0085, Clerk's register of petition cases

J0095Series J0095, Clerks' registers of causes

JN321Series JN321, Clerks' registers of causes. Case files and minute books of the Court of Chancery for the 1st Circuit are held by the New York County Clerk's Office, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. The minute books have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Those files are indexed by respondent or petitioner in the following published work: Indices to Notices of Suits in Equity

Filed in the Office of the Clerk of the City and County of New-York, from 1823, to December 31, 1855 . . ., 8 vols. (New York: 1857), available at the New York State Library.

Alphabetical index by last name of complainant in each volume.

Volume list is available at the repository.

The Court of Appeals placed these records on deposit at the Historical Documents Collection, Queens College, from about 1966-1982.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.