New York State Court of Chancery Miscellaneous Filed Papers

Alphabetic by complainant's last name, then numeric by file number corresponding to alphabetical arrangement.

This series consists of records filed in cases handled by the Chancellor or by the Vice Chancellor of the 1st Circuit without resort to an enrolled decree (i.e., through dismissal, a court order, an agreement between the parties, etc.).

Files vary in content but may contain copies or originals of any or all of the following: bills of complaint; petitions; answers to complaints; Master's and other reports; depositions; transcripts of testimony; exhibits and documentary evidence, including maps; and other routine legal papers. Files do not contain decrees nor do they usually contain orders.

The series includes some post-1823 files of cases appealed from the Chancery Circuits or County Surrogate's Courts to the Chancellor. These files contain copies of records from the lower courts. Some files are incomplete, with additional records relating to the same case appearing in Chancery Papers. This series and Chancery Papers are closely related and contain the same types of records. Files in this series vary in informational content. Each file, however, will usually contain alone or in conjunction with the records in Chancery Papers the particulars of the case from the complainant's and often the defendant's points of view, and the results of investigations conducted and testimony taken by a Master or other officer of the court.

Files do not often contain information on the court's final determination of cases. This information appears in Chancery Minutes, 1781-1829 for cases before 1830 and after that date in either Register's Minutes of Decrees, 1830-1847 or Register's Minutes of Common Orders, 1830-1847.

Series J0070, Chancery Papers, contains additional records related to the cases in Series J0087.

Series J0071, Court of Chancery Index to Miscellaneous Filed Papers, indexes Series J0087 alphabetically by complainant's last name.

Container list is available at the repository.

The Court of Appeals placed these records on deposit at the Historical Documents Collection, Queens College, from 1973-1982.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