Monroe County Sheriff’s Office preserves presidential pardons including from Lincoln

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — News10NBC got a look at the presidential pardons of three Monroe County inmates on President’s Day.

A couple of years ago, historic pardons for local inmates were discovered and saved by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

After a pandemic delay, they are set to be on display. The three hand-written pardons are all from the 1800s and under the administrations of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant.

“I think it’s every historian’s dream to be able to hold a document that was signed by a president but to one that’s signed by Abraham Lincoln was quite awesome,” said Todd Allen, the historian for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The pardons will soon hang in a room at the sheriff’s office named after the pardons’ longtime caretaker, Andy Meloni.