Scope and Content: In Massachusetts, the Board of State Charities at the time of its creation in 1863 had a department of settlement and bastardy, which was responsible for prosecuting cases of bastardy to provide support for affected children. With the formation of State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity in 1879, the board split its duties among four departments: health, lunacy, indoor poor, and outdoor poor; with indoor poor responsible for bastardy cases. The State Board of Lunacy and Charity, formed per St 1886, c 101, continued as its predecessor with departments of indoor poor and outdoor poor. In 1898 this was changed with the establishment within the board of a division of state adult poor (with indoor and outdoor units) and a division of state minor wards, both of which were continued under the State Board of Charity, which was established per St 1898, c 433 by separating out a State Board of Insanity. The State Board of Charity was assigned by this act to the prosecution of all cases of bastardy of non-settled persons. St 1919, c 350 established the Dept. of Public Welfare as successor to the State Board of Charity, with divisions of aid and relief and of child guardianship, the latter division a successor to state minor wards. –St 1906, c 501 directed fines for non-support of children be paid to the state board of charity if the minor child was under its custody. St 1911, c 456 included mothers as also potentially responsible, and increased term of payments to up to two years, with fines payable to probation officers, city treasurers, or legal representatives of the wives or minor children. St 1913, c 563 authorized courts to issue orders compelling the father to provide support to the mother or probation officer for confinement or care of the child. St 1918, c 199 allowed the money to be designated for support of the child.
Arrangement: In three alphabetical groupings: ledger, 1915-1916, folders 1916-1919, 1919-1928
Notes: Includes contents of former series (M-Ar)1654X
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