The Huyck Bain Crandell Collection, Document BH048
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1796-01-06 Promissory Note, 16 Blank Promissory Notes to Pay the Administrators of Aron Huyck's Estate
Image: BH048.jpg
Image: BH049 left.jpg
Image: BH049 right.jpg
Image: BH036.jpg
Image: BH078.jpg
Image: BH080.jpg
Image: BH081 pg 1.jpg
Image: BH081 pg 2 left.jpg
Image: BH081 pg 2 right.jpg
Transcription (typical)
For Value Received in a ______________________________ Promis{sic} to pay unto Burger J Huyck & Samuel van Slyck or Order Administrators of the Estate of the late Aron Huyck Deceased the sum of _________________________________ New York Currenty on or Befor the Seventh day of April Next after that date if not paid on Lawful Interest untill paid as witness our hands & Seals
Commentary
There are several variations in the wording of various copies of these blank forms but the gist is the same. One includes a date of execution of January 7, 1796 and I will assume that date is in error as the 4 forms at BH028 include a January 6th execution date, and will assume they all were drafted with that date in mind.
Notes:
- Burger J. Huyck and Samuel Van Slyck as administrators — Arent’s estate was administered jointly by Burger J. Huyck — almost certainly Burger Jacobus Huyck, Arent’s brother, Jacobus’s son — and Samuel Van Slyck, Christina’s brother and Arent’s brother-in-law. A family administration on both sides.
- Multiple blank forms — the administrators had these promissory note templates prepared, presumably by a local lawyer or scrivener, leaving blank spaces for the debtor’s name, the specific sum, and the date. The April 7th, 1796 due date was pre-printed one one example, suggesting all of Arent’s outstanding debts were being called in with a common deadline.
- The variations between forms suggest they were written out by hand by several schriveners — some including “Lawful Interest until paid,” others omitting it, and one simplified version without the estate administrator language — possibly for new debts being created rather than old ones being called in.
- “Burger J. Huyck” — this is the first appearance of Arent’s brother Burger in a formal legal capacity. Born in 1764, he would be in his early 30s in 1794-95 when the estate was being administered.
- The April 7th due date — a specific date pre-filled suggests the administrators gave all debtors a common settlement deadline, a practical approach to winding up an estate efficiently.
- Samuel Van Slyck — now confirmed in a formal legal role as co-administrator, consistent with his presence at Pomponick noted in Andries J. Huyck’s 1791 letter.
These forms represent the formal legal machinery of estate administration in post-Revolutionary Columbia County — a generation removed from the Dutch-language receipts and hand-written bonds of Burger Sr.’s era, but serving exactly the same function of settling accounts and calling in debts after a death.
— Notes by Claude.ai 4.6 2026-05-08 - jhc
Metadata
Document: BH048
Date: 1796-01-06
Language: English
Type: Prommisory note
Subject: Estate administration
Principals: Burger Huyck son of Jacobus, Samuel Van Slyck, Arent/Aron Huyck
Places Mentioned: None
— page revised 2026-06-14 - jhc
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Huyck Bain Crandell Collection © 2026 by John H. Coxon is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
