Scope and Content: The state secretary was authorized by St 1846, c 244, to license to hawkers, peddlers, or petty chapmen selling any goods excepting jewelry, wines, spirituous liquors, playing cards, indigo, and feathers.  Applicants were required to file with the secretary a certificate signed by the mayor or majority of selectmen of applicant’s city or town stating residency and good repute.  The secretary included the name of each city and town in which the applicant was to sell goods on the license, receiving one dollar from the applicant for each name so listed.  Receipts (later ones on printed forms) show these revenues as received by the state treasurer from the state secretary.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 93
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Arrangement:  In three subseries (as indicated below after each descriptive section): (1) Commissions, etc., 1734 (1713)-1919. 23 v. (Vol. 23 formerly: Record of commissions, 1916-1919 ((M-Ar)2038X)) (2) Proclamations, 1888-1945. 3 v. (3) Pardons and requisitions, 1839- 1862. 6 v.; arranged within each subseries chronologically
Notes: Formerly known as: Transcripts of public documents
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Per resolves 1896, c 87, the governor appointed commissioners to consolidate and arrange the Public statutes of the Commonwealth, collecting those relating to the same subject matter under appropriate titles and chapters, on the plan of the code then in force.  A joint committee of the General Court was appointed by order of Feb. 26, 1901 to review and amend the report of the commissioners.  The resulting codification known as the Revised laws was enacted on Nov. 21, 1901 (effective Jan. 1, 1902) and printed with federal and state constitutions per a resolve of Nov. 21, 1901.  Series was created to record deliberations of the special joint committee.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Subcommittee reports; (2) Journal; arranged by chapter no. –arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Various acts and resolves authorized payments by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture (also known as the Massachusetts Agricultural Society) and county agricultural societies. These include Resolves 1813, c 125 (1814) and Resolves 1816, c 141, authorizing payments to the society and to the Berkshire Agricultural Society for research, publication, and dispensing premiums relating to domestic animals, seeds, trees, fabrics, and useful inventions. Resolves 1829 c 82 (1830) and Resolves 1830, c 79 (1831) provided for annual payments to the Massachusetts Agricultural Society for the use of the Botanic Garden in Cambridge. An official bounty program starting with St 1818, c 114 (renewed every five years by St 1823, c 22; St 1828, c 101; St 1834, c 178) authorized annual payments to agricultural societies raising at least
Notes:  Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 56, 84. Formerly called: Agricultural society accounts
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Following an Aug. 4, 1862 presidential call for troops during the Civil War, a subsequent federal War Dept. order of Aug. 8, 1862 required travel restrictions on anyone liable for the draft, to prevent evasion of military duty. Men between the ages of eighteen and forty-three were required to gain permission of the state secretary to leave the Commonwealth. These two registers listing men wishing to travel out of Massachusetts include date, name, residence, and destination for those men requesting such permission. –Applications of persons listed in this series are found in: Applications for travel permission, 1862 ((M-Ar)129X)
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: As part of its responsibility for the education and training of mentally retarded youth, the Commonwealth, pursuant to Resolves 1851, c 44, paid tuition costs for indigent families at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded (known until 1883 as the Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Youth).  The school in turn was to admit, at no charge, thirty indigent children approved by the governor.  Applications filed by parents or guardians were forwarded to the governor for authorization upon recommendation by the secretary of the Board of Education.  Authorized applications were recorded in this register by the state secretary.  Entries document that the approved application was sent to the director of the school with a request for admission. –Also included in the volume is a request from Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind for a transfer of students from its Experimental School for Teaching and Training Idiotic Children (the first Massachusetts School’s predecessor) in 1851 and a list of beneficiaries authorized by the governor from September 1886 to June 1887.  The list includes date, name, age, parent or guardian, and town of residence. –Applications for those listed in this series are found in Applications for admission to the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded ((M-Ar)156X).  For later admissions see: Walter E. Fernald State School. Applications for admission, 1918-1947 ((M-Ar)958X).
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Per U.S. Const Art 1, S 2, a country-wide census is conducted every ten years. Originally the data was recorded by hand in triplicate (federal, state, and local). Series consists of Massachusetts state copies (BKS), paralleled or supplemented by microfilm copy (sets kept in the Archives reading room (RR) and with series (SER–incomplete and with some duplication)) as listed below. Maine  (as part of  Massachusetts until 1820) is included for 1790, 1800, 1810. Published censuses (with name index) for Massachusetts and Maine , 1790, available
Arrangement: Chronologically by year, thereunder by county, then by municipality; subseries interfiled by municipality or arranged numerically
Notes: Contents: 1800–Population (RR–7 reels); 1810–Population (RR–6 reels); 1820–Population (with manufacturing) (RR–9 reels); 1830– Population (free/slaves) (RR–10 reels); 1840–Population (free/slaves) (RR–11 reels) –1850–Sched. 1: Population (free) (BKS– 39 v., sched. 3-6 interfiled) (RR–43 reels) (SER–31 reels); Sched. 3: Mortality (BKS–see sched. 1)(RR–1 reel); Sched. 4: Agriculture (BKS– see sched. 1) (RR–3 reels, sched. 6 interfiled); Sched. 5: Industry (BKS–see sched. 1) (RR–1 reel) (SER–5 reels); Sched. 6: Social statistics (BKS–see sched. 1) (RR–see sched. 4) –1860–Sched. 1: Population (free only) (BKS–39 v., 2 cops v. 28-34) (RR–38 reels); Sched. 3: Mortality (BKS–v. 40) (RR–1 reel); Sched. 4: Agriculture (BKS–v. 41-42) (RR–2 reels); Sched. 5: Industry (BKS–v. 43) (RR–1 reel); Sched. 6: Social statistics (BKS–v. 44) (RR–1 reel) –1870-     Sched. 1: Population (BKS–38 v.) (RR–38 reels); Sched. 2: Mortality (BKS–v. 39) (RR–2 reels); Sched. 3: Agriculture (BKS–v. 40-41) (RR– 1 reel); Sched. 4: Industry (BKS–v. 42-43) (RR–1 reel); Sched. 5: Social statistics (BKS–v. 43) –1880–Sched. 1: Population (BKS–36 v.) (RR–39 reels) (SER–35 reels); Sched. 3: Industry (RR–5 reels) (SER– 2 reels); 1890–Population (Civil War veterans/widows) (RR–6 reels); 1900–Population (RR–67 reels); 1910–Population (RR–63 reels); 1920–Population (RR–74 reels) –Maine–1790 (RR–1 reel); 1800 (RR–3 reels); 1810 (RR–2 reels)
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: From 1790 to 1837, population censuses in Massachusetts were limited to those taken decennially by the federal government under constitutional provision.  Starting in 1837 the General Court authorized state decennial censuses to supplement the federal ones, for determining representation in the legislature and other purposes.  These state censuses have been conducted by authority of constitutional and statutory provisions under the auspices of the secretary of the Commonwealth.  St 1914, c 692 directed the Bureau of Statistics to undertake a decennial census of inhabitants and legal voters as required by Amendment Articles 21 and 22 of the state constitution and to make a return of the results to the secretary of the Commonwealth that would show the numbers of inhabitants and legal voters in each town and in each ward of cities in Massachusetts.  This register of final count includes total numbers of families, males, females, and veterans by ward or district; also the total number of legal voters for each county, including additions made as a result of a final count.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by county, thereunder alphabetically by municipality
Notes: Cover title: Decennial census of 1915–final population count
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: From 1790 to 1837, population censuses in Massachusetts were limited to those taken decennially by the federal government under constitutional provision.  Starting in 1837 the General Court authorized state decennial censuses to supplement the federal ones, for determining representation in the legislature and other purposes.  These state censuses have been conducted by authority of constitutional and statutory provisions under the auspices of the secretary of the Commonwealth.  St 1855, c 439 directed that a census of inhabitants of each city and town be taken.  The secretary provided city and town officials with printed forms to insure uniform results.  The enumeration itself was made under the officials’ authority.  Completed forms were returned to the secretary’s office and bound into the volumes comprising this register.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by county, thereunder alphabetically by municipality
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: From 1790 to 1837, population censuses in Massachusetts were limited to those taken decennially by the federal government under constitutional provision.  Starting in 1837 the General Court authorized state decennial censuses to supplement the federal ones, for determining representation in the legislature and other purposes.  These state censuses have been conducted by authority of constitutional and statutory provisions under the auspices of the secretary of the Commonwealth.  Amendment Articles 21 and 22 of the state constitution, ratified in 1857, changed the basis of representation in the Massachusetts legislature from inhabitants to legal voters.  The purpose of the 1865 decennial census, authorized by St 1865, c 69, was to enumerate the numbers of both legal voters and inhabitants in each city and town.  The secretary of the Commonwealth provided city and town officials with printed forms to insure uniform results.  The enumeration itself was made under the officials’ authority.  Completed forms were returned to the secretary’s office and bound into the volumes comprising this register.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by county, thereunder alphabetically by municipality
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC