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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.  The 1975 decennial census was taken in accordance with a constitutional amendment passed in 1974 to reduce the size of the House of Representatives from 240 to 160 members (Const Amend Art 101).  The census was to be used as a basis for determining representative, senatorial, and councillor districts and for distributing state and federal reimbursements to cities and towns (St 1975, c 10).  City and town decennial census files are returns made by city and town officials to the state secretary’s office, specifically to the state census director, head of the Census Division, for verification.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by municipality
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Scope and Content: In 1837 the General Court authorized two censuses, in both cases stipulating the secretary’s involvement: a population census to be used for allocating federal funds to towns in the wake of the dissolution of the United States Bank (St 1837, c 85); and a decennial census of “ratable polls” to be used for apportioning membership in the House of Representatives (St 1837, c 128) as required by the state constitution (Const Amend Art 12), ratified that same year. (Prior to 1837, censuses in Massachusetts were generally limited to the U.S. decennial censuses that commenced in 1790.)  Each state census, with a few exceptions, was authorized by an enabling act that further defined its scope. Censuses were supervised by the state secretary, who was responsible for providing city and town officials with blank forms, for collecting returns, and for tabulating results. Enumeration itself was carried out by city and town officials.Const Amend Art 13 changed the basis of representation from ratable polls to inhabitants and provided for state decennial censuses beginning in 1840. St 1855, c 439 mandated a decennial census at mid-decade, beginning in 1855, which had the effect of providing for a state census every five years. St 1857, c 60, however, abolished the end-of-decade census, taken in 1840 and 1850, which had coincided with the federal one. The scope of the census was changed to include an enumeration of legal voters to serve as the basis for determining representation, along with the census of inhabitants (Const Amend Arts 21-22). Decennial censuses of legal voters were used for determining legislative apportionment until 1970, when Const Amend Art 92 once again established a decennial census of inhabitants as the basis for representation. –In 1874 responsibility for the decennial census was transferred to the Bureau of Statistics of Labor (St 1874, c 386), which was put in charge of the 1875 and later enumerations of population, as well as of the decennial census of industries, which had been required of the state secretary since 1865 (St 1865, c 146). (The agency was renamed the Bureau of Statistics in 1909.) Returns of census results, however, continued to be filed with the state secretary’s office.  St 1919, c 350, s 25 returned sole responsibility for the decennial census to the state secretary and authorized him to appoint a supervisor of the decennial census who would be responsible for collecting, compiling, and publishing census information. (Responsibility for industrial statistics was given to the successor to the Bureau of Statistics, the Division of Statistics in the new Dept. of Labor and Industries (St 1919, c 350, s 69)). St 1920, c 157 redesignated the supervisor as state census director. St 1924, c 453 gave the secretary the authority to verify census information returned by the cities and towns and to make inspections of records if necessary.  Under constitutional and statutory provisions in effect through 1990, the state decennial census of inhabitants was conducted for the purpose of determining representative, senatorial, and councillor districts and as a basis for distributing state funds to cities and towns (Const Amend Art 101, as amended by Amend Art 109). In 1986 the state secretary for the first time exercised his statutory power by challenging returns from the City of Boston in the 1985 decennial census. The governor established a Decennial Census Commission to investigate. Among other things, the commission’s report ((M-Ar)738X) questioned the need for a state decennial census and in 1987 and 1990 the General Court, meeting in successive constitutional conventions, voted to abolish the Census Division and its functions. This action was ratified by the electorate in Nov. 1990 (Const Amend Art 117)
Restrictions: Use of copies at following website strongly recommended if feasible: http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/122027
Notes: CONTENTS: Abstract of the census, 1855. Secy of the Commonwealth. Boston: W. White, 1857. — Census of legal voters, 1857. Secy of the Commonwealth. Boston: W. White, 1857.– Abstract of the census, 1865. Secy of the Commonwealth. Boston: W. White, 1867.  — Statistical information relating to certain branches of industry in Massachusetts, 1865.  Secy of the Commonwealth. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1866. — Census of Massachusetts, 1875. Bureau of Statistics of Labor. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1876-1877. 3v.  I: Population and social statistics. II: Manufactures and occupations. III: Agricultural products and property. — Compendium of the census of Massachusetts, 1875. Bureau of Statistics of Labor. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1877. — Census system of  Massachusetts for 1875. Bureau of Statistics of Labor. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1876. — Census of Massachusetts, 1885. Bureau of Statistics of Labor. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1887-1888. 3 v. in 4.  I. Pts. 1 & 2. Population and social statistics.  II. Manufactures, the fisheries, and commerce.  III. Agricultural products and property. — Census of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1895. Bureau of Statistics of Labor. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1896-1900.  7 v.  I-IV. Population and social statistics. V. Manufactures. VI. The fisheries, commerce, and agriculture. VII. Social statistics and general summaries. — Census of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1905.  Bureau of Statistics of Labor.  Wright & Potter, 1908-1910. 4 v.  I. Population and social statistics. II. Occupations and defective social and physical conditions. III. Manufactures and trade. IV. Agriculture, the fisheries, and commerce. — Decennial census, 1915. Bureau of Statistics. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1918. — Decennial census, 1925. Secy of the Commonwealth. [Boston] 1926. — Decennial census, 1935. Secy of the Commonwealth. [Boston] 1935. — Decennial census, 1945. Secy of the Commonwealth. [Boston] 1945. — Decennial census, 1955: population and legal voters of Massachusetts. Secy of the Commonwealth.  [Boston] 1956. — Decennial census, 1965: population and legal voters of Massachusetts. Secy of the Commonwealth. [Boston] 1966. — State Census, 1965: statistics on age distribution by sex in cities and towns of Massachusetts. Secy of the Commonwealth. [Boston] 1967. — .Massachusetts 1975 decennial census. Census Division. [Boston,1978?]  — Massachusetts 1985 decennial census. Census Division. [Boston,1986?] (Photocopied from copy at  Watertown (Mass.) Public Library–full text not available at website noted above)
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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 1971, c 820 provided for the taking of a special census of inhabitants of wards and precincts of cities and towns to be used as a basis for redividing representative, senatorial, and councillor districts in accordance with Const Amend Art 92, ratified 1970.  The census was taken by city and town officials and returns made to the state secretary, for whom the Census Division inspected results for errors and inconsistencies before submitting them to the General Court.  Returns consist of census lists recording number of inhabitants in wards and precincts, ward and precinct maps, certified statements about returns, receipts, and some correspondence relating to redivision of wards and precincts.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by municipality
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Scope and Content: The commission was responsible for coordinating agreements with other states on matters that benefit by reciprocity or interstate standards, such as labor and commerce, law enforcement, and provision of human services.  These history materials were created for reference purposes, to assist the commission in understanding its mandate.  The file includes typescript, carbon, and photocopied materials relating to the creation, authority, and jurisdiction of the commission and its membership.
Notes: These materials were brought together after the dissolution of the commission, from records discarded by them. Collated 1988
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Scope and Content: The commission was responsible for coordinating agreements with other states on matters that benefit by reciprocity or interstate standards, such as labor and commerce, law enforcement, and provision of human services.  To fulfill this mandate, the commission held meetings and public hearings as recorded in these minutes.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Minutes from 1966 until the commission’s dissolution in 1988 were dictated by the agency
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Scope and Content: The state secretary (since 1961 through a unit currently called the Commissions Section) attests to all commissions of office signed by the governor, administering the oath of office to and/or recording the name of these and other public appointees.  Abstracts were created by the secretary to provide alphabetical access to qualification certificates issued to notaries, justices of the peace, and other appointed officials taking the oath of office (Qualification certificates of appointed officials ((M-Ar) 181)). –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 in three sequences (1902-1981, 1914-1984, 1944-1987) alphabetically by surname (third sequence unarranged).
Notes: Dates for second sequence derived from sample box
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Scope and Content: The state secretary (since 1961 through a unit currently called the Commissions Section) attests to all commissions of office signed by the governor, administering the oath of office to and/or recording the name of these and other public appointees.  In a related function, the secretary must also be notified of the acceptance of, rejection of, or failure to act upon an act or resolve of the General Court requiring a vote by a municipality or corporation (St 1883, c 100, amended by St 1935, c 69).  Abstracts were created by the secretary to provide access by subject or name of municipality or corporation to that series: Returns of acceptance of local option statutes ((M-Ar)192) and to: Registers of returns of acceptance of local option statutes ((M-Ar)194X).
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by municipality or corporation, thereunder chronologically; or by subject, thereunder by municipality or corporation. –arranged by subject after chronological file
Notes: Collated: original date unknown
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Scope and Content: The state secretary (since 1961 through a unit currently called the Commissions Section) attests to all commissions of office signed by the governor, administering the oath of office to and/or recording the name of these and other public appointees.  Such appointees include notaries public.  Const Amend Art 69, s 2 requires a notary who changes name to reregister under the new name.  Certificates are copies of the secretary’s statement of the reregistration. –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: In two subseries: (1) Notaries  (2) Justices of the peace. arranged chronologically by year, thereunder alphabetically by surname (1977-1980, 1984: new name; 1981-1983, 1992-2002, 2004, 2007-2014: original name)
Notes: Files for 1949-1976, 1985-1991, 2003, 2005-2006 lacking
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Scope and Content: The state secretary (since 1961 through a unit currently called the Commissions Section) attests to all commissions of office signed by the governor, administering the oath of office to and/or recording the name of these and other public appointees.  Such appointees include notaries public.  St 1964, c 231 authorizes the secretary to validate work performed during the lapse of time when notaries may have failed to reregister or may have changed name, creating this series of certificates. –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; 1972-1990: in reverse order within each folder
Notes: Box 1: 1964-1978. Box 2: 1979-1990
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