At the request of the New York State Bar Association and The Historical Society for the New York State Courts, our Preservation and Publications Committees, in conjunction with the County’s local bar association, have begun work on a Legal History of Lewis County – a written and pictorial account of the County’s legal history – which we hope to publish and present to The Historical Society for the New York State Courts and make available to the public upon completion.

This project intends to collect, document and write the preeminent – if not only – history of the local courts, judges, lawyers and cases and trials of note from our inception to the modern day. Against the backdrop of our own early history, we hope to trace the legal beginnings of the County, describe and present pictures, drawing and postcards of the various courthouses used by the County from past to present, identify and biographically describe the judges connected with the County over time, from the earliest to the current, and spend some time on the Bar, covering the various district attorneys for the County, as well as notable lawyers who have practiced, come from or are somehow otherwise connected with the County. We also hope to create a detailed bibliography and identify the location of relevant records for historians or researchers in the future.

This is no small undertaking, to be sure – indeed, it is going to take a tremendous amount of work – and we would welcome any help any local lawyers or other interested people can provided. We look forward to letting you know when it is complete, so you can acquire copies for yourself, your family and your friends. In the meantime, if you would like to help or you have any relevant pictures, drawings, postcards or information, please do not hesitate to contact the Historical Society at 315-376-8957 or at hello@historicallylewis.org.