In 1792, the PA General Assembly passed an act empowering executors or administrators of a deceased person’s estate to fulfil their contractual obligations. The executor or administrator could submit a petition asking for the right to finalize an incomplete land transaction, in which case they would be required to submit written evidence of the original sale or contract. They could also submit a separate petition asking the court to receive written proof of the agreement from the other party involved in the original transaction.
The information contained in these petitions include the name of the executors or administrators, decedent, residency of the parties involved in original contract, as well as the location and description of the property in question. After 1834, these petitions were filed with the Court of Common Pleas Appearance Papers. See “Guide to the Records of the Court of Common Pleas, 1681-1900” (pg. 89) for more information.
Index for Proof of Contracts, 1792-1834
Our thanks to Mary Sproat for creating this index.