When students enrolled at New York Law School after the school opened its doors in 1891, they did so by signing a student registration ledger and handwriting certain basic information about themselves, e.g., their age (in years, months and days!), the college or graduate school they had attended (although a college degree was not a requirement for admission to NYLS until the 1960's), their address and the names and addresses of their parents or guardians. They did the same thing in each subsequent year of attendance (2 years for day students and 3 for evening students, which changed to 3 and 4 in 1937. That process continued with only slight variation until 1959. That is the last year for which we have located registration ledgers in our archives.

As you browse these ledgers you'll spot the signatures and pertinent registration information for many of the law school's illustrious alumni, including Moses Leonard Frazier, Class of 1899, NYLS's first African-American graduate (Book 7, page 13, line 9); Samuel Seabury, Class of 1893, President of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York from 1939-1941 (Book 5, page 8, line 6); David Wilentz, Class of 1917, the New Jersey State Attorney General who prosecuted the famed Lindergh Baby-Hauptmann Trial, (Book 8, page 41, line 8); Morris Leopold Ernst, Class of 1912 (evening division), one of the founders of Greenbaum, Wolff & Ernst, and a co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (book 7, page 57, line 29); and Roger J Miner, Class of 1956, a judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals from 1985 until his death in 2012.

  • Student Ledger Book 1
    Junior Class, Day Dept. 1891-92 to 1905/06 (pp.1-124)
  • Student Ledger Book 2
    Junior Class, Day Dept. 1906/07 to 1931/32 (pp.1-117)
  • Student Ledger Book 3
    Junior Class, Evening Dept. 1895/96 to 1917/18; 1919/20-1923/24 (pp.1-121)
  • Student Ledger Book 4
    Junior Class, Evening Dept. 1924/25 to 1939/40 (pp.1-49)
  • Student Ledger Book 5
    Senior Class, Day Dept. 1891/92-1905-06 (pp.1-111)
  • Student Ledger Book 6
    Senior Class, Day Dept. 1906/07 to 1912/13 (pp.1-48); Middle Class, Day Dept. 1913/14 to 1932/33 (pp.49-112); 2nd Year, Day Dept. 1935/36 to 1937/38 (pp.113-117); 2nd Year, Morning 1938/39 (pp.118-119) (pp.1-119)
  • Student Ledger Book 7
    Senior Class, Evening Dept. 1894/95 (p.1); Post-Graduate Lectures 1895; 1895/96 to 1912/13 (pp.3-61); Middle Class, Evening Dept. 1913/14 to 1932/33 (pp.62-124) (pp.1-124)
  • Student Ledger Book 8
    3rd Year Class 1892/93 to 1913/14 (pp.1-29); Senior Class 1914/15 to 1938/39 (pp.30-142); Senior Class 1939/40 (pp.143) (pp.1-143)
  • Student Ledger Book 9
    Summer Session 1892-1918. (pp.1-46)
  • Student Ledger Book 10
    1st Year Class, Day 1934/35; 1935/36; 1936/37; 1937/38 (pp.1-6)
  • Student Ledger Book 11
    1st Year Class, Evening 1939/40 (2 pp.); 1st Morning 1939/40 (1 p.); 2nd Morning 1939/40 (1 p.); 2nd Evening 1939/40 (2 pp.); 3rd Morning 1939/40 (2 pp.); 3rd Evening 1939/40 (1 p.); “Observer” 19 entries dated 1939 or 1940 (1 p.); “Alumni Observer” [31 entries – Fall 1939 & one Feb. 1940] (1 p.) (11 pp.)
  • Student Ledger Book 12
    Second Year Class, Evening Department 1935/36 to 1938/39 (9pp.) h1
  • Student Ledger Book 13
    Graduate Class, Evening Dept. 1934/35 (p1.); First Year, Morning Dept. 1937/38-1938/39 (pp.3-5); First Year, Feb. Admittance 1938/39 (p.6); tab reading: Summer School 1939 (p.97); tab reading: Special Students, Tentative (p.98); tab reading: Observer 1938/39 (p.100) (8 pp.)
  • Student Ledger Book 14
    Summer, 1954 [w/tabs labeled: 1st Year, 1st Term (Morning); 1st Year, 1st Term (Evening); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); [N.B. There is no 3rd Year, 1st Term (Morning)]; 4th Year, 1st Term (Evening); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Evening); Graduates; Specials] (17 unnumbered pages; some pages skipped)
  • Student Ledger Book 15
    Summer, 1955 [w/tabs labeled: 1st Year, 1st Term (Morning); 1st Year, 1st Term (Evening); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Morning ); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 4th Year, 1st Term (Morning); 4th Year, 1st Term (Evening); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Evening); LL.M.; S.J.D.; Specials] (20 pp.) –Spring, 1955 [w/tabs labeled the same as above] (21 pp.) –Fall, 1954 [w/tabs labeled: 1st Year, 1st Term Morning, continued; 1st Year, 1st Term (Morning) [skips a page between the left & right hand entries]; 1st Year, 1st Term (Evening); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 4th Year, 1st Term (Day); 4th Year, 1st Term (Evening); [N.B. There is no 4th Year, 2nd Term (Morning)]; 4th Year, 2nd Term (Evening); Graduates LL.M.; Specials (page heading reads: Specials Non-Matriculated”); Graduates S.J.D.] (22 pp.) (63 unnumbered pages; some skipped)
  • Student Ledger Book 16
    Fall, 1955 [w/tabs labeled: 1st Year, 1st Term (Morning); 1st Year, 1st Term (Evening); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Morning ); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 4th Year, 1st Term (Morning); 4th Year, 1st Term (Evening); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Evening); LL.M.; S.J.D.; Specials] – Spring, 1956 [w/tabs labeled the same as above] – Summer, 1956 [w/tabs labeled the same as above] (65 unnumbered pages, some skipped)
  • Student Ledger Book 17
    Fall, 1956 [w/tabs labeled: 1st Year, 1st Term (Morning); 1st Year, 1st Term (Evening); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 1st Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 2nd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Morning ); 2nd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 1st Term (Evening); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Morning); 3rd Year, 2nd Term (Evening); 4th Year, 1st Term (Morning); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Morning) [empty]; 4th Year, 1st Term (Evening); 4th Year, 2nd Term (Evening); LL.M.; S.J.D.; Specials] (22 unnumbered pages; some pages are skipped)

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Browse the Student Ledgers Collections:

Student Ledger Book 1

Student Ledger Book 2

Student Ledger Book 3

Student Ledger Book 4

Student Ledger Book 5

Student Ledger Book 6

Student Ledger Book 7

Student Ledger Book 8

Student Ledger Book 9

Student Ledger Book 10

Student Ledger Book 11

Student Ledger Book 12

Student Ledger Book 13

Student Ledger Book 14

Student Ledger Book 15

Student Ledger Book 16

Student Ledger Book 17