Scope and Content: The Board of State Charities  from 1863 oversaw the Massachusetts state immigration and pauper relief functions, as well as the state’s charitable and correctional institutions. In 1866 the board appointed a visiting agent, under its secretary, to track and visit state wards sent out to indenture. The Visiting Agency was made a separate department within the board  in 1869 to investigate applicants wanting to adopt or indenture children, approve placements, conduct visits of children that were adopted, indentured, or otherwise placed out, and provide ongoing follow-up. Visitation work was continued by the Dept. of Indoor Poor within the successor agencies the State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity in 1879 and State Board of Lunacy and Charity in 1886 (through Division of State Minor Wards from 1898, carrying over into the State Board of Charity), and then by the State Board of Charity in 1898.
Arrangement: Arranged by case no
Notes: Contents (Volume numbers. assigned on basis of page numbering/gaps in paging): volumes 2–501-1000, volumes 3–1001-1500, volumes  4–1501-2000, volumes 6–2501-3000, volumes 7–3001-3500, volumes 8–3501-4000, volumes 10–4501-5000, volumes 11–5001-5500, volumes 13–6001-6500, volumes 16–7501-8000, volumes 17–8001-8500, volumes 19–9001-9500, volumes 22-24–10501-12000, volumes 27–13001-13500, volumes 29–14001-14500, volumes 30–14501-15000, volumes 32–15501-16000, volumes 33–16001-16500, volumes 35–17001-17500, volumes 36–17501-18000, volumes 38–18501-19000, volumes 39–19001-19500, volumes 41-44–20001-22000, volumes 46–22501-23000, volumes 48-53–23501-25500
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