The human instinct to game the system is innate

This weekend I came across this observation in The Townsend Newsletter, Winter 1999-2000, newsletter of the Townsend Society of America.

In colonial Queens County, Long Island, where so many Townsends lived, most wills were forwarded to the provincial capital, New York City, to be proved in the Prerogative Court. These are the probate records abstracted in 17 volumes of the Collections of The New-York Historical Society, published from 1892 to 1908, available in print in many libraries and now also available on CD-ROM with an overall index. The original wills and will books are at the New York State Archives in Albany (they were previously at Queens College, Flushing, N.Y.). Transcribed copies of the will books are at the New York County Surrogate’s Court in Manhattan. All of these records are also available on film at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some of these wills have been published in previous issues of this newsletter.

However, not all colonial Queens County wills ended up in New York City. For many years, if an estate was valued at under 50 pounds, it could be settled at the county court. This was a less expensive and less time-consuming process, and it appears that estates were sometimes undervalued in order to take this route. For example, when John3 (Thomas2, John1) Townsend died in 1709, his estate was appraised at 49 pounds 18 shillings, just two shillings under 50 pounds and a surprisingly low figure for such a prominent citizen of Oyster Bay. The will was then proved at the county court.

Or should I say that it is always about signals and incentives. Create the incentive and provide the signals and the system will be gamed.