Scope and Content: In order to assist the legislature in assessing the need for education of blind residents of the Commonwealth, the mayor of Boston and town selectmen were required to report to the state secretary, the number of blind individuals in each municipality (Resolves 1828, c 74).
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by municipality
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Scope and Content: Censuses to ascertain the numbers of deaf residents in the Commonwealth were conducted by order of Resolves 1817, c 24 and again in 1827 by House Order dated June 11.  Returns of these surveys were required to be filed by town officials with the state secretary.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
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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 1865, c 146 provided for an additional decennial gathering of industrial statistics of cities and towns in the Commonwealth.  The secretary issued printed blank tables to city and town  officials for recording information.  The enumeration itself was made under the officials’ authority and these returns were sent to the secretary’s office where they were abstracted for use by the legislature.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by municipality
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Scope and Content: The state secretary received an annual statement of the real estate, funds, and investments from a majority of the directors of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company as prescribed by the act incorporating the company (St 1817, c 180 (1818)).
Notes:  Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 43. Returns dated following January, i.e., 1825-1882
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Scope and Content: The Commonwealth, pursuant to St 1828, c 113, s 7 as amended by Resolves 1833, c 28, was required to pay to the Trustees of the New England Asylum for the Blind (later known successively as the New England Institution for the Education of the Blind (1832), the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind (1839), the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind (1877), and the Perkins School for the Blind (1955)) an annual sum to provide for the tuition of up to twenty indigent children certified by a physician to be blind.  Returns of the supervisor of the school to the governor or the state secretary, acting as the governor’s secretary, are quarterly notifications of the name and number of beneficiaries.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 106
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Scope and Content: The state secretary was ordered by the Massachusetts General Court, Mar. 9, 1870, to furnish the legislature with the appropriate mode of assessment of school taxes where school districts were abolished by St 1869, c 110, by obtaining answers from municipalities (not including any in Suffolk County) to five questions.  Series consists of completed printed forms so responding.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by county, thereunder alphabetically by municipality
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 30
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Scope and Content: In response to a request from the state secretary dated Apr. 16, 1832, the towns and districts of Massachusetts and the city of Boston filed returns documenting expenses in surveying their territory as required by Resolves 1829, c 50 (1830).
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 75
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Scope and Content: From the establishment of the first turnpike commission in the Commonwealth (St 1796, c 5), legislation required corporations building toll roads and bridges to file annually an account of expenses with the state secretary and a report of income and expenses with the governor.  The state secretary maintained these filings.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 11
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Scope and Content: St 1692-93, c 36 mandated the language of the royal writ issued to each county sheriff in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay for initiating the process of selecting representatives to the legislature, the sheriff’s subsequent precept to town selectmen, their return indicating representative chosen, and town constable’s statement that the one chosen had been notified (see: Massachusetts archives collection ((M-Ar)45X), v. 48, p. 206-208).  Series includes for each locality (generally as a single document) signed and sealed sheriff’s precept (Aug. 1693) ordering election for the Sept. 27, 1693 General Court session, selectmen’s return, and constable’s statement. –The September session did not take place for lack of a quorum; another was called for Nov. 8, 1693.  In that session legislation (St 1693-94, c 14) imposed penalties for future neglect of duties in the elections process by sheriffs, selectmen, constables, or representatives. –For returns from 1778-1866 (i.e., for the State of the Massachusetts Bay and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) see: Returns of votes for state representatives ((M-Ar)197X)
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by county
Notes: The state secretary, who currently has constitutional and statutory responsibilities for elections in Massachusetts, has preserved corresponding records from earlier periods
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Scope and Content: The state secretary holds constitutional and statutory responsibilities for elections.  Returns of votes for representatives in the Massachusetts General Court were transmitted by municipalities to the secretary.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by county, and then alphabetically by municipality or district
Notes: Returns from 1864 missing
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