Source Information
New York (State) Department of State. Executive restorations of citizenship rights, 1869–1931, Series B0046 (8 volumes). New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
New York (State). Executive clemency application status ledgers, 1883-1899, Series A0626 (5 volumes). New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
New York (State). Executive clemency and pardon application ledgers and correspondence, 1849-1903, Series A0629 (41 volumes). New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
New York (State) Department of State. Respites and commutations, 1854-1931, Series B0048 (5 volumes). New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
New York (State) Department of State. Executive orders for commutations, pardons, restorations, and respites, 1840-1929, Series B0049 (27 volumes). New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
About New York, U.S., Executive Orders for Commutations, Pardons, Restorations, Clemency and Respites, 1845-1931
A felony conviction can mean loss of some citizenship rights, including the right to vote, possess firearms, and serve on a jury. Throughout much of the nineteenth century in New York, the right to vote was denied to anyone convicted of an “infamous crime,” but citizenship rights could be restored at the governor’s discretion. This collection includes eight volumes of restorations to citizenship that New York governors issued to convicted felons.
Each record includes the felon’s name, crime, date and county of conviction, sentence, and prison. Signatures on the records can include the governor, secretary of state, and/or deputy secretary of state.
Updates:
7 Apr 2020: Added 39,246 new records of executive clemency application ledgers and correspondence.
