Scope and Content: Resolves 1840, c 21; 1841, c 52; 1843, c 47; 1844, c 117; 1845, c 5 and c 83; and 1847, c 81 directed the state secretary as record keeper for the Commonwealth to assemble state-owned records and to purchase or otherwise obtain those held by societies or individuals relating to military service by Massachusetts forces during the Revolutionary War; and to index them.  Resolves 1891, c 100 authorized publication under the secretary’s direction of data derived from the indexing (see below).  Series consists of records so assembled and bound, with indexes created. –Records include enlistment, descriptive, muster rolls; payrolls; receipts for pay, bounties, provisions, clothing; bonds; orders; lists of prisoners, deserters, casualties; lists of prize vessels, contents, privateers; and lists of pensioners.  Personnel include members of the Massachusetts militia, Continental Army, and naval forces.
Arrangement: Arranged by regiment or subject
Notes: Vols. 1-60 compiled by 1885 (see report cited in finding aid below). Vols. 61-62 are rolls purchased from Samuel Drake pursuant to Resolves 1893, c 33.  Vols. 63-76 compiled from 1894 from hitherto unidentified secretary’s records.  Vol. 77 and appendixes A-B listed as unnumbered vols. in 1885 report (p. 33); appendixes are transcripts from mostly unidentified records
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Scope and Content: The state secretary holds constitutional and statutory responsibilities for elections.  Certain provisions of election law relating to the use of official ballots by local party caucuses were to become applicable upon acceptance by a majority vote of the caucus, held on written request of fifty voters of that party (St 1894, c 504, s 36; St 1895, c 507, s 24; St 1898, c 548, s 100; St 1907, c 560 s 113).  The 1894, 1895, and 1898 acts were to apply in any case to the city of Boston (hence the name “Boston caucus law”), and the 1895 (s 25), 1898 (s 101), and 1907 (s 113) acts provided that notice of such vote be filed with city or town clerk, state party chair, and the state secretary.  This series includes notifications to the state secretary.
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 93A
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Scope and Content: Pursuant to MGLA c 42, s 10, county commissioners are authorized to grant permission for removing, covering up, or obliterating boundary markers so long as they make provision for preserving the exact location of the original boundary or mark by proper witness marks or other designation and measurement.  Full description and designation of such witness marks and monuments are recorded in the office of the town clerk of the contiguous towns and copies transmitted to the state secretary.  Notices of changes of town boundaries are the copies transmitted to the secretary, bearing the signatures of county commissioners.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by year, thereunder alphabetically by town
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, boxes 82, 93
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Scope and Content: Pursuant to MGLA c 42, s 2, selectmen of towns must perambulate town boundaries and locate boundary markers once every five years.  A record of the perambulation is kept permanently with the town clerk and copies are sent to the clerk and selectmen of contiguous towns.  Although not required to do so by law, selectmen of many towns also transmit notices of perambulation to the state secretary’s office to certify that perambulation has occurred.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
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Scope and Content: Pursuant to St 1819, c 161, an act to provide for separation of the District of Maine from Massachusetts as a state, a constitutional convention met in Portland, Oct. 11-29, 1819 and Jan. 5-7, 1820; the resulting constitution was submitted to Maine inhabitants and ratified Dec. 6, 1819.  Transcripts of convention proceedings, constitution, and returns of ratification vote (See: Maine. Constitutional Convention (1819)–series (M-Ar) 103-105)) were sent by convention president William King per order of Jan. 7, 1820 to Governor John Brooks.  Series contains related documents.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by date of document
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 18. Forms part of: Separation of Maine papers
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Scope and Content: Legislation originates in the General Court as petitions filed by members on their own behalf or that of citizens or groups of citizens; appropriation bills from the House Ways and Means Committee; messages from the governor; or reports from state officers, agencies, or commissions.  Passed acts are bills resulting from the ensuing legislative process that have been approved by the legislature and signed into law by the governor.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by legislative session
Restrictions: Some restrictions may apply
Notes: The state secretary is custodian of these and other foundation records.  Series is in part filed with the Massachusetts Regulations Division of the secretary’s office until the end of the following legislative year, after which it is transferred to the Archives
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Scope and Content: Legislation originates in the General Court as petitions filed by members on their own behalf or that of citizens or groups of citizens; appropriation bills from the House Ways and Means Committee; messages from the governor; or reports from state officers, agencies, or commissions.  Resolves, originally used for most legislative actions, in modern times have dealt with matters of a relatively immediate or temporary nature.  Passed resolves are those resulting from the legislative process that have been approved by the legislature and signed into law by the governor.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by legislative session
Restrictions: Some restrictions may apply
Notes: The state secretary is custodian of these and other foundation records.  Series is in part filed with the Massachusetts Regulations Division of the secretary’s office until the end of the following legislative year, after which it is transferred to the Archives
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Scope and Content: Individuals or corporations depositing funds with the state treasurer for perpetual care, maintenance, improvement, or embellishment of cemetery plots in any cemetery in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are required by MGLA c 114, c 20 (derived originally from St 1901, c 351) to file with the treasurer and with the state secretary a written instrument declaring that the funds are intended for this purpose and including, if the cemetery is owned by a corporation, an agreement signed by the president thereof to accept income derived from such funds for stated purpose.
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, boxes 93A-E
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Scope and Content: Between 1939 and 1961 the Parole Board, known in this capacity as the Advisory Board of Pardons, was required to file certified copies of petitions and other documents relating to pardons with the state secretary’s office to be kept as a permanent record (St 1939, c 479; St 1961, c 467, s 1).  Petitions for pardon contain certified copies of petitions, statements and signatures appended to petitions, and all written recommendations submitted to the governor by the Dept. of Corrections, the attorney general, and the district attorney in whose jurisdiction sentence was passed. –For a listing of related series see: Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State. Records of commissions, proclamations, pardons, and other official documents, 1713-1945 (bulk 1747-1936) ((M-Ar)161X)
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by year, thereunder alphabetically by petitioner
Restrictions: Evaluative information restricted by statutory provision MGLA c 4, s 7, d 26(c) and c 66A. For conditions of access consult repository
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Scope and Content: St 1890, c 428 enabled municipal officials or directors of railroad companies to petition Massachusetts Superior Court to abolish or alter railroad grade crossings; a court-appointed commission then made a decision to be confirmed by the court.  Series consists of copies of petitions maintained by the state secretary. –For related records see: Massachusetts. Treasury Dept. Railroad crossing abolition assessments, 1893-1926 ((M-Ar)2214X)
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 91
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