One year ago, the Municipal Archives closed to the public, and the staff began to work remotely from home. Archivists quickly devised workplans to improve access to several collections by transcribing hand-written information into searchable formats. Creating an index to the 1816, 1819, and 1821 “Jury” census records is one of the on-going “remote work” projects.  When completed, the index will unlock essential data (names, ages, occupations) about thousands of New Yorkers. But like other early census records there is not detailed information about the households enumerated by the census-takers. This brings us to today’s blog subject, the Estate Inventory collection. These unique records fill the gap, providing a wealth of fascinating information not comprehensively available elsewhere.

The Estate Inventory collection dates from 1790 through 1860.  There are 11,472 inventories in two series: 1790 to 1833, and 1830 to 1860. The inventories had been filed in the New York County Surrogate’s Court by appraisers appointed by the court to inventory the assets of deceased individuals.  Both series had been acquired from the Court sometime during the 1970s by the late Dr. Leo Hershkowitz, professor of history at Queens College. He incorporated the inventories into the “Historical Documents Collection” he directed at the college. The Municipal Archives accessioned the estate inventories in 1990, when his program was discontinued.  Grant funding from the New York State Library in 2007 and 2012 supported conservation treatment, microfilming, and indexing of both series. 

Each estate inventory consists of a detailed list of the decedent’s assets, including enslaved people. They typically include furniture and other items such as paintings, books, furnishings, clothing, linens, and kitchen utensils. They include real estate, cash, bank notes, bonds, and other financial assets. Each inventory ranges in length from a single page for an individual of modest means, to multiple pages for wealthy New Yorkers with many possessions. (One immediate observation in examining the inventories is that the accumulation of “stuff” is clearly not a modern phenomenon.)

The inventory for the estate of Mr. J. Castillon, who died in 1812, lists, among other assets, 19 white linen and cotton shirts, valued at $38.00; 17 handkerchiefs, eight pairs of white cotton stockings, and two pairs of woolen pantaloons. His most valuable possession, a gold watch with chain, two seals and a key, were valued at $40.00.  The appraiser was apparently unable to assign a value to “some properties at the Colonies unknown.”

The more extensive inventory of the estate of Philip Andrew Collet, from 1811, shows the care taken by the appraiser in preparing the document. Along with furniture and clothing, the appraiser listed every pot, pan, spoon and fork in the kitchen, as well as the contents of the larder.  The appraiser found 100 French Guineas, and 27 “pieces of gold of different nations” in the decedent’s household. Some inventories, like Mr. Collet’s, indicate estate expenses. This meticulous appraiser listed amounts paid to the nurse, barber, washing woman, and “Mr. Guerrin,” his doctor, among others. He also noted Mr. Collet’s will directed that his sister “in France” receive $430. Mr. Collet’s wife “now in Jamaica West Indies” would receive the remaining balance, $168.   

Given the time period of the series, several of the inventories list enslaved people. The 1804 inventory of Samuel Kip included “ . . . three Negro girls, Jane, Phebe, and Hannah” in his 9th Ward household. It also noted that two “Negro men slaves, the one named Jack and the other Jacob both of whom run away from the intestate in his lifetime and never have returned or been brought back and very little or no prospect remains of recovering either of them.”

One of the more striking takeaways from an examination of the inventories is how many New Yorkers owned property elsewhere, especially in the West Indies, confirming the City’s importance in the triangle of trade between Europe, America and the Caribbean. Stephen Getting’s 1807 inventory lists numerous plantations that he owned in Santo Domingo, especially in Port au Prince.  (No surprise: it also indicated that he “owned” slaves.)

The place of death of several of the decedents—Cuba, West Indies, Ireland, Germany, England—further attests to the importance of trade to the economy and wealth of the City. Inventories of decedents who owned retail establishments provide valuable information about the goods available for purchase during the first decades of the19th century. The contents of a toy-store are particularly noteworthy.

Another observation is the wide range of occupations of decedents:  baker, blacksmith, carpenter, grocer, doctor, butcher, cartman, and broker, to name a few. And the maritime basis of the city’s economy is evident in the large number of estates inventoried for seamen, shipwrights, sea captains, mariners, and pilots.

Other collection highlights include a multi-page document, dated October 31, 1831, listing the possessions of Richard Varick, Esquire. James Roosevelt, a relative of the decedent’s wife, and father of the future President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, inventoried the estate. Varick, who served as Mayor of the City of New York from 1789 to 1801, died a very wealthy man with an estate valued in excess of $500,000. The estate of Albrecht Behrens, from October 1797, listed one “A. Burr” as the appraiser. Although it cannot be confirmed that this was Aaron Burr, it would seem likely, given his occupation as attorney and resident of New York City during this time period. 

Not only do the inventories add knowledge about many prominent New York families, such as the Stuyvesants, Livingstons, Vanderbilts, Roosevelts, Schermerhorns, Van Wycks, Astors, and Beekmans, they also provide valuable insight into lives of more ordinary citizens. The modest inventory of George Baum, a gardener, from 1814, is one example. His wife, Elizabeth Baum, applied her mark to the appraisal in lieu of a signature. The collection also includes inventories of women decedents. Jemima Johnson died in 1826 and left an estate valued at $87.30.

Several years ago, curators from the Dyckman Farmhouse and Museum, a late-18th century house in upper Manhattan, examined the inventories for documentation to help them re-interpret and re-furnish their historic building. They explained that most of their information about the house and its inhabitants previously came from folklore and family legends. Using the estate inventories, especially those of other farm families, helped them more accurately describe what life was like when the Dyckmans operated their farm. The inventories that listed tools and farm products (“one cask of shad,” “one cask of vinegar”), and farm animals (“one gray mare,” “one sow”) were particularly useful. Some inventories also recorded the names of creditors which helped piece together family relationships.       

The Estate Inventory collection is an exceptional series, often overlooked. It affords scholars, family historians and other researchers a unique opportunity for the study of material culture during 19th century New York. The Municipal Archives looks forward to welcoming back patrons to explore this collection and many of its other treasures.