.

Massachusetts Archives

Search collections

Collection categories

Browse collections

information

Public Safety (200 collections) CHC

Massachusetts Surgeon-General’s Office: Physical examination of officers

Part of: Massachusetts Surgeon-General's Office

Physical examination of officers, 1904-1913.

2 volumes
Call no.: PS1.04/732X

Scope and Content: The post of Surgeon General was established during the Civil War to administer and oversee the medical department of the state militia.  Inspection of officers and recruits was among the duties performed by the surgeon general’s department.  This series records information from medical examinations undergone periodically by each officer of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia for the purpose of certifying his fitness for continued duty.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Massachusetts Surgeon-General’s Office: Roster of medical officers of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia

Part of: Massachusetts Surgeon-General's Office

Roster of medical officers of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, 1861-1903.

2 volumes
Call no.: PS1.04/444X

Scope and Content: The post of Surgeon General was established during the Civil War to administer and oversee the medical department of the state militia.  Selection of qualified physicians for military serivce was among the duties performed by the surgeon general’s department.  This series consists of a record of those persons who had qualified to serve as a part of medical staff.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically by military unit
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.): Accounts with the Board of War

Part of: Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.).

Accounts with the Board of War, 1775-1788.

1 document box
Call no.: PS1.052/2451X

Scope and Content: The defense of the eastern Maine coast from the British during the Revolutionary War was a concern of the Massachusetts General Court and the Continental Congress, addressed by two ventures: (1) establishment at Machias of a truckhouse for regional Indian tribes to encourage their participation in the war effort under the Continental Army agent (later superintendent) for Indian affairs in the Eastern Department, Col. John Allan  (see: Massachusetts. Council. Correspondence relating to Indian and military affairs at Machias, 1776-1783 ((M-Ar)2402X))  (2) stationing of troops and naval forces in the area, serviced by a commissary whose functions were closely tied to those of the truckhouse (see: Massachusetts. Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.). Commissary books, 1777-1783 ((M-Ar)2409X); Truckhouse books, 1776-1780 ((M-Ar)2408X))
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.): Commissary books

Part of: Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.).

Commissary books, 1777-1783.

3 volumes in 1 document box
Call no.: PS1.052/ 2409X

Scope and Content: The defense of the eastern Maine coast the British during the Revolutionary War was a concern of the Massachusetts General Court and the Continental Congress, addressed by two ventures: (1) establishment at Machias of a truckhouse for regional Indian tribes (see: Truckhouse books, 1776-1780 ((M-Ar)2408X)) to encourage their participation in the war effort under the Continental Army agent (later superintendent) for Indian affairs in the Eastern Department, Col. John Allan (see: Massachusetts. Council. Correspondence relating to Indian and military affairs at Machias, 1776-1783 ((M-Ar)2402X)) (2) stationing of troops and naval forces in the area, serviced by a commissary whose functions were closely tied to those of the truckhouse. –Militia, state troops, and a Continental artillery company (Continental Congress Journals, Jan. 15, 1781), were served by Stephen Smith as commissary official from 1777 (Resolves 1780, Oct Sess, c 45, Nov. 15, 1780), until 1783 (Resolves 1783, Sept Sess, c 6, Sept. 30, 1783), during which time Smith also held the posts of truckmaster and naval officer.  Supplies were furnished by the Board of War until its discontinuance in 1781, at which time, per Resolves 1780, Apr 1781 Sess, c 80 (Apr. 25, 1781), responsibility for providing supplies and accounting for them to the General Court was placed with the state commissary general.
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.): Military payrolls

Part of: Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.).

Military payrolls, 1776-1783.

Not available
Call no.: PS1.052/2452X

Scope and Content: As the northernmost settlement in Maine during the Revolutionary War, Machias was judged by the Massachusetts General Court to be a vital military installation. Accordingly, troops were called out on several occasions to defend the post from real or perceived British threats.  Initially local militia companies defended the settlement for short periods, but other troops also served at Machias at various times until the end of the war.  In 1777, Massachusetts authorized the creation of an expedition to Nova Scotia (Resolves 1777-78, c 20, June 7, 1777), and these companies were formed in and around Machias.  When the Nova Scotia enterprise  was discontinued (Resolves 1777-78, c 219, Aug. 8, 1777), some troops remained there. Shortly thereafter, the Massachusetts legislature provided for the permanent defense of Machias (Resolves 1777-78, c 277, Sept. 16, 1777), initially in the form of three infantry companies, eventually reduced to one company of artillery (Resolves 1777-78, c 967, Apr. 17, 1778), which served until 1783.
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.): Truckhouse books

Part of: Massachusetts Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.).

Truckhouse books, 1776-1780 (Bulk: 1776-1779).

Not available
Call no.: PS1.052/2408X

Scope and Content: The defense of the eastern Maine coast from the British during the Revolutionary War was a concern of the Massachusetts General Court and the Continental Congress, addressed by two ventures: (1) establishment at Machias of a truckhouse for regional Indian tribes to encourage their participation in the war effort under the Continental Army agent (later superintendent) for Indian affairs in the Eastern Department, Col. John Allan  (see: Massachusetts. Council. Correspondence relating to Indian and military affairs at Machias, 1776-1783 ((M-Ar)2402X) (2) stationing of troops and naval forces in the area, serviced by a commissary whose functions were closely tied to those of the truckhouse (see: Massachusetts. Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.). Commissary books, 1777-1783 ((M-Ar)2409X) –The Massachusetts General Court ordered the opening of the truckhouse, or trading post, for commerce with the St. Johns, Micmac, and Passamaquoddy Indian tribes (Resolves 1775-76, c 633, Feb. 12, 1776), the truckmaster being allotted four hundred pounds to acquire ammunition and other goods such as cloth and rum for the Indians in return for their furs and other hunting trophies. The existence of a truckhouse in Machias was also a condition of the Watertown Treaty signed on July 19, 1776 between the United States of America and the St. Johns and Micmac tribes, who agreed to act as military allies against the British; the treaty was the first made between the new government and a foreign power. By July 1776, the truckmaster, Stephen Smith, was granted an additional thousand pounds for purchase of trading goods (Resolves 1776-77, c 231, July 13, 1776). Smith, who also served as commissary for troops stationed at Machias, and as naval officer, was discharged as truckmaster as of May 1781 (there is no evidence of truckhouse activity itself after 1780), presumably on the gubernatorial licensing of a person with exclusive right to trade with Maine Indians, as provided by Resolves 1780, Oct Sess, c 96 (Nov. 29, 1780)
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Office of Chief Medical ExaminerL Medical examiner case files

Part of: Massachusetts Office of Chief Medical Examiner

Medical examiner case files, 1908-1980.

222 record center cartons; Index: 24.24 cubic feet (cards; in 39 boxes and 18 double card file trays)
Call no.: PS8/668

Arrangement: Arranged by examiner, thereunder by case no
Restrictions: Personal medical information restricted by statutory provision MGLA c 4, s 7, d 26(c) and c 66A. For conditions of access consult repository
Notes: Pre-1908 case files for Southern District apparently lost by agency. Pre-1934 case files for Northern District destroyed while in agency custody
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Restrictions: Personal medical information restricted by statutory provision MGLA c 4, s 7, d 26(c) and c 66A. For conditions of access consult repository

Paymaster General: Bounty pay records for Washington, D.C. and southern recruits

Part of: Massachusetts Paymaster General

Bounty pay records for Washington, D.C. and southern recruits, 1864-1866.

1 volume
Call no.: PS1.06/479X

Scope and Content: Series consists of a number of records and indexes concerning bounty payments made to soldiers recruited in Washington D.C. and other southern locations by Massachusetts paymasters duirng the Civil War. Most recruits were African-American and were assigned to the U.S. Colored Troops, but others were enlisted into the Veteran Reserve Corp, U.S. Army as well as units from other states. Records generally indicate name of recruit, military unit, payroll no., soldier bounty numbers, date, amount (most 325 dollars) and to whom paid (name or self). Paymasters Gilbert R. Thornton and W.F. Johnson recruited in Washington D.C. Series also includes pay records of southern bounty paymasters: Eugene A. Albee in Hilton Head S.C., H.K. Starkweather in Fortress Munroe/Norfolk, Va., J. Spencer Drayton in New Bern, N.C., H.R. Fletcher in Nashville, Tenn., and Charles J. McCarty in Vicksburg, Miss.  Also included are summary bounty payroll records of Paymaster (later Paymaster General) James F.B. Marshall. More detailed description of each of the ten volumes follows:
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by surname
Notes: After 1866, when the post of Paymaster General had lapsed, the Adjutant General’s Office had custody of records of the Pay Bureau
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC 

Paymaster General: Bounty payroll accounts

Part of: Massachusetts Paymaster General

Bounty payroll accounts, 1865-1866.

2 volumes
Call no.: PS1.06/439X

Scope and Content: As head of the Pay Bureau and in charge of paymasters appointed pursuant to St 1863, c 254, the paymaster general was responsible for administering and recording all business pertaining to the payment of state bounties to military personnel during the Civil War.  Bounty payroll accounts document transactions of the paymasters with the paymaster general regarding payment of bounties and other obligations to military personnel.  They detail expenditures and receipts both in chronological (journal) and account (ledger) formats.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Bounty payroll journal; –(2) Bounty payroll ledger; __arranged chronologically –arranged by account
Notes: After 1866, when the post of Paymaster General had lapsed, the Adjutant General’s Office had custody of records of the Pay Bureau
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Paymaster General: Cashbook

Part of: Paymaster General

Cashbook, 1864.

1 volume
Call no.: PS1.06/463X

Scope and Content: As head of the Pay Bureau and in charge of paymasters appointed pursuant to St 1863, c 254, the paymaster general was responsible for administering and recording all business pertaining to the payment of state bounties to military personnel during the Civil War.  The first several pages of this account book document daily receipts and disbursements of Gilbert R. Thornton, paymaster, with entries from June to Nov. 1864.  The balance of the book details payments on rolls of James F. B. Marshall, paymaster general.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by payroll date
Notes: Bureau.; Cover title: Accounts with paymaster
Related Catalog Records:

OCLC