Heirlines Professional Genealogy Resources:

Historical Court System of New York State - Part 3: Courts of Limited Jurisdiction

1. Court of General Sessions

a. Court of General Sessions Established 1664

1. Jurisdiction: petty criminal causes, civil causes over 40 S, equity, administration of estates.
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1691
3. Appeals From: Justice Courts
4. Appeals To: Court of Assize over £20

2. Justice of the Peace

a. Justice of the Peace Established 1664

1. Jurisdiction:
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To:

3. Town Courts/renamed Justice Courts

a. Town Courts Established 1683

1. Jurisdiction: Small causes under 40 S
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1691
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To: Mayor’s Courts

b. Justice Courts Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: Small causes under 40 S
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To: County Courts

2. Assistant Justice Courts/renamed New York District Courts

a. Assistant Justices Courts Established 1781

1. Jurisdiction: /after 1807 under $25
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To:

b. New York District Courts Established 1807

1. Jurisdiction: 12 Districts, NYC has 5 with one in each ward
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To:

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2008, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Resources:

Historical Court System of New York State - Part 2: Courts of General Jurisdiction

1. Court of Burgomaster & Schepen/renamed Mayor’s Courts/renamed County Courts of Common Pleas, General Session

a. Court of Burgomasters Established 1653

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction at law, civil cases over 50 guilders, non-capital crimes, Bastardy, Probate, Divorce, Admiralty
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1664
3. Appeals From: Justice Courts
4. Appeals To: Director General

b. Mayor’s Courts Established 1664

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction at law, civil cases, non-capital crimes, Bastardy, Probate, Divorce, Admiralty
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From: Justice Court
4. Appeals To: Director General

c. County Courts of Common Pleas/General Session Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction at law, civil cases, non-capital crimes, Bastardy, Probate cases under 50 pounds, Divorce, Admiralty
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From: Justice Court
4. Appeals To: Supreme Court of Judicature, Prerogative

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2008, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Resources:

Historical Court System of New York State - Part 1: Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction

1. Director General/Council

a. DG Established 1623

1. Jurisdiction: All judicial cases, capital crimes,criminal appeals
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1653
3. Appeals From: Court of Burgomasters
4. Appeals To: Amsterdam Chamber of Dutch West India Co.

b. C Established 1653

1. Jurisdiction: All judicial cases, capital crimes, criminal appeals
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1664
3. Appeals From: Court of Burgomasters
4. Appeals To: Amsterdam Chamber of Dutch West India Co.

2. Court of Errors (Upper Chamber of Legislature)

a. C of E Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: Impeachments, appeals on errors of law
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1846
3. Appeals From: Supreme Court of Judicature
4. Appeals To: King in Council

3. Supreme Court of Judicature

a. SC of J Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: Same as English Courts of King’s Bench, Common Pleas,
Exchequer
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1846
3. Appeals From: County Courts, Mayor’s Court
4. Appeals To: Court of Errors

4. Court of Appeals

a. C of A Established 1846

1. Jurisdiction: Appeals only
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From: Supreme Court
4. Appeals To:

5. Supreme Court

a. SC Established 1846 (1895 established as only court of general
jurisdiction in New York.)

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction, criminal (Oyer & Terminer) Civil
(Circuit), Probate Appeals, Became only court of general jurisdiction
in New York in 1895
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1895 - Became only court of general
jurisdiction in New York in 1895
3. Appeals From: Inferior Courts, Surrogate’s Courts – same after became
only court of general jurisdiction in New York in 1895
4. Appeals To: Court of Appeals – same after became only court of general
jurisdiction in New York in 1895

6. General Term of Supreme Court/renamed Appellate Terms of Supreme Court in
1895

a. GT of SC Established 1869/ AT of SC Established 1895

1. Jurisdiction: Appeals only/same
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1895/GT of SC
3. Appeals From: Both - Circuit, Oyer & Terminer, County,
4. Appeals To: Both - Court of Appeals

7. Commission of Appeals

a. C of A Established 1869

1. Jurisdiction: Backlog of appellate cases before the Court of Appeals
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1872
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To:

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110
© 2008, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.