Scope and Content: Fortifications at Castle Island, Boston Harbor, used since the 1640s for military and penal purposes, were rebuilt after being burned by evacuating British forces in 1776, and then manned by various militia troops, at times under the command of Paul Revere.  A military garrison consisting of a company of men was established there in 1779; the island became the site of a prison facility for Massachusetts from 1785 to 1798.  In Mar. 1786 the governor was authorized to order appropriate disabled (invalid) military pensioners to serve garrison duty (Resolves 1785, Feb 1786 Sess, c 134), while concern over limited space in the garrison for prisoners led to authorization of construction of a separate building for the prison (Resolves 1785, Feb 1786 Sess, c 166).  Increase in the number of prisoners led in July 1786 to a general policy of placing disabled pensioners in the garrison (Resolves 1786, May Sess, c 123), a practice ended in Nov. 1788 (Resolves 1788, Oct Sess, c 73).  Pensioners were paid both their existing pension and and increment for time spent as members of the garrison.  Series consists of rolls drawn up quarterly by the garrison’s commanding officer for submission to governor and council, which issued a warrant authorizing payment by the state treasurer, per Resolves 1786, Jan 1787 Sess, c 43 and Resolves 1787, May Sess, c 74.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Rolls include: Mar. 17-Sept. 17, 1786; Jan. 25-Apr. 25, 1787; Apr. 25-July 25, 1787; July 25-Oct. 25, 1787, Oct. 25, 1787-Jan. 25, 1788.  Records not represented here are found as official or clerk’s copies in: Castle Island payrolls for soldiers ((M-Ar)1732X)
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