New York State Court of Chancery Clerks' Minutes of Decrees

Numeric by circuit, then chronological by date of issuance.

This series consists of copies of decrees and special orders (orders made on special application to the court) issued by the Vice Chancellors. A court rule stipulated that decrees and special orders would be entered together in separate books maintained by the Clerk of each circuit.

The decrees appearing in these series include those appointing court officials and providing relief to petitioners and complainants. After 1837 decrees involving mortgage foreclosure in the 4th, 7th, and 8th Circuits which previously had been entered in this series were recorded in Clerks' Minutes of Foreclosure Decrees. The heading of each decree and special order contains the names of the parties involved in the case, the date the decree or special order was issued, and occasionally the place of issuance. The main body of each decree generally contains the following information: what counties the parties in the case resided in; the names of the solicitors involved; the name and findings of the Master handling the case; the particulars of the case (i.e. amounts of money involved, the dates and nature of actions taken in the case (i.e. amounts of money involved the dates and nature of action taken in the case, description of property involved); and the Vice Chancellor's disposition of the case. The information in each special order generally includes: the name of the party requesting the order; the reason for issuing the order; the substance of the order;

and occasionally the particulars of the case. In the 8th Circuit after 1837, however, special orders were entered into seven separate volumes.

Microfilm is available for use at the New York State Archives or through interlibrary loan.

Series J0050, Clerk's Minutes of Foreclosure Decrees

Series J0061, Enrolled Decrees, in re Papers, and Other Case Files

Series J0081, Minutes of Courts of Equity

Series J1089, Vice Chancellor's Draft Decrees and Orders

and Series J2104, Draft Orders, Correspondence, Reports and Miscellaneous Papers, contain related records.

Each volume contains an alphabetical index to complainant's last name.

The Court of Appeals placed these records on deposit at the Historical Documents Collection, Queens College, from 1973-1982.

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