Scope and Content: The Council served both as the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court as reconvened during the Revolution, July 1775, and, under the Constitution of 1780, as an advisory body to the governor.  Like the House of Representatives, and, from 1780, the Senate, it was paid per diem attendance (see Resolves 1777-78, c 401; Resolves 1780, Oct Sess, c 44).  Series contains payrolls issued at varying periods of quarterly or less, listing members with miles travelled, days attended, amount paid, and receipting signature, accompanied by a warrant from governor and council authorizing payment by the state treasurer.  There are also a few orders, 1782-1791, from councillors directing the treasurer to consign payment to a third party.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Massachusetts county treasurers originated with the founding of their respective counties, and their offices were continued under the 1780 Constitution, as acknowledged by St 1785 (Mar. 23, 1796). St 1782, c 55  (Mar. 12, 1783) provided for the payment of costs incurred in criminal suits, for witnesses and the like, where defendants were found innocent or were otherwise unable to pay the required costs of prosecution. In the case of county courts of general sessions of the peace, the costs were to be paid out of county treasuries; in the case of the Supreme Judicial Court operating at the county level, by sheriffs from fines and forfeitures collected from the case in question, with excess costs paid by the Commonwealth. St 1791, c 53 (Mar. 6, 1792) repealed the previous act, and specified that the courts charge the county treasury with all costs incurred in criminal cases, with the court clerks to provide the county treasurer with certified copies of bills for the same. The county treasurer was in turn to transmit the accounts under oath to the treasurer of the Commonwealth, who was to pay, after approval by the governor and council, any balance not covered by receipts of fines, forfeitures, and bills of costs collected by county officers. St 1794, c 48 (Feb. 27, 1795) specified that county treasurers submit in June additional annual accountings of criminal court costs for the examination of the governor and council. These accountings were to be of all county transactions with the Commonwealth treasury, including amounts paid by the Commonwealth, fines and forfeitures received or remaining unpaid, and the corresponding balances due. St 1810, c 92 (Mar. 3, 1810) limited the time for collecting payments from the county treasurer for criminal court costs to three years. The county treasurer was to credit such unclaimed sums to the Commonwealth treasury. St 1841, c 74 (Mar. 13, 1841) specified that two thirds of the costs of criminal prosecutions were to be charged to the Commonwealth, and the remaining one third to the county, with county clerks to submit their accounts to the state treasurer and governor and council accordingly. St 1847, c 274 (Apr. 26, 1847) required that the county treasurer annually in January record fees for criminal cases remaining unpaid for three years, and credit the Commonwealth for these returns. These procedures were codified in RS 1836, c 141, ss 8-11 and GS 1860, c 176, ss 8, 14-17.  St 1860, c 191 (Apr. 4, 1860) specifically defined the costs to be charged for criminal prosecutions, and ended the system whereby counties paid cost, fine, and forfeiture receipts into the Commonwealth treasury while receiving partial state reimbursement for court expenses. St 1861, c 184 (Apr. 10, 1861) ended the requirement that clerks and county treasurers submit certificates of court expenses, fines, and forfeitures to the state treasurer, state auditor, and governor. These changes occurred after the reorganization of the county court system under the Superior Court (St 1859, c 196) –County commissioners, established per St 1827, c 77 (1828), maintained county financial information in conjunction with the county treasurer. See, e.g. : Middlesex County (Mass.). County Commissioners. Books of account, 1827-1946 ((M-Ar)2157X)
Arrangement: Arranged by chronologically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Pursuant to St 1837, c 188, the state treasurer was authorized to issue scrip or certificates of debt to raise funds to aid in the construction of the Andover and Haverhill Railroad.  Coupon certificates, issued in 1837 and valued at 1500 dollars, were due in 1857 with interest paid at five percent per annum.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Pursuant to St 1839, c 145, the state treasurer was authorized to issue scrip or certificates of debt to raise funds to aid in the construction of the Boston and Portland Railroad.  Coupon certificates, issued in 1839 and valued at 1000 dollars, were due in 1859 with interest paid at five percent per annum.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: See also: Treasury Dept. Registers of receipt of interest on loans to railroads, 1837-1877 ((M-Ar)1457X).
Arrangement: Arranged numerically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Pursuant to St 1837, c 84, the state treasurer was authorized to issue scrip or certificates of debt to aid in the construction of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad.  Coupon certificates, issued in 1837 and valued at 1000 dollars , were due in 1857 with interest paid at five percent per annum.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Pursuant to St 1851, c 251, the state treasurer was authorized to issue scrip or certificates of debt to meet expenses incurred during the construction, in Taunton, of the second state lunatic hospital.  Additionally, the treasurer issued scrip pursuant to St 1853, c 195 for completion and the furnishing of the hospital.  Coupon certificates, issued in 1851 and 1853 and valued at 1000 dollars, were due in 1865 with interest paid at five percent per annum.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Pursuant to St 1856, c 235, the state treasurer was authorized to issue scrip or certificates of debt to fund the payment of the unfunded debt and to be applied to the deficiency in the income of 1856.  Coupon certificates, issued in 1856 and valued at 1000 dollars, were due in 1864 with interest paid at six percent per annum.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: Over the centuries, the land of the various Massachusetts Indians was sold off for their support, often under the supervision of state-appointed guardians. In 1681 the Nipmucs sold a combined total of 1,000 square miles to William Stoughton and Joseph Dudley acting on behalf of the Massachusetts Bay colony, reserving five square miles along the Massachusetts/Connecticut border for themselves (Mass Recs 5: 365-7). This land was reduced to 8,000 acres in 1707, and an Apr. 9, 1724 indenture by William Dudley leased to the Indian natives one square mile.  St 1731-32, c 17 (Feb. 3, 1732) incorporated the town of Dudley, including this area, with the local Nipmucs becoming known as Dudley Indians. –Resolves 1762-63, c 184 (Jan. 29, 1763) allowed the heirs of William Dudley to sell the land he had leased to the Indians, leaving them with 200 acres on the east side of Dudley, as long as they continued to improve it. In exchange, Dudley’s heirs were to pay the Dudley Indian guardians for debts incurred for their care, as well as an annual sum for supporting the Indians. –Per Resolves 1797, c 21 (June 17), the General Court allowed the sale of Indian land in Dudley by the Dudley guardians to Levi Davis, who in turn was to reimburse the guardians for their expenses in supplying the Indians, to provide a payment interest from which was to be used to benefit the Indians, and to convey a deed to the Commonwealth for a 26-acre plot for the use and benefit of the Indians. In 1832 this part of Dudley became part of the new town of Webster. –The guardianship system ended when St 1869, c 463 extended Massachusetts citizenship to all Indians remaining under guardians. Probate judge-appointed commissioners disposed of remaining common lands, and the indigent were placed under the care of the Board of State Charities. The general agent of the Board of State Charities was directed to take charge of the Commonwealth-owned Webster land, which was sold. –St 1889, c 443 allowed commissioners to sue on behalf of the Dudley Indians to receive shares of money from the sale of reservation land by the state and trust fund money on deposit. Resolves 1890, c 69 authorized the paying out to the commissioners of
Notes: From 1870 the state treasurer’s  office was the official repository of deeds for Commonwealth real property. Extracted from: Massachusetts. Treasury Dept. Deeds for lands owned by the Commonwealth, 1817-1975 ((M-Ar)2468)
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC

Scope and Content: During the period of the  Province of the Massachusetts Bay (1692-1774), a structure erected in 1679 on Marlborough (now Washington) Street in Boston, Massachusetts, was known as the Province House and used as a gubernatorial residence; after the Revolutionary War it served as office and residence for the treasurer and other state officials.  Resolves 1794, Jan 1795 Sess, c 66 (Feb. 16) provided for the building of a new state house and the sale of the Province House.  Such sale was made by agents Edward Robbins and Thomas Dawes to John Peck, Jan. 29, 1796. Peck mortgaged it with the Commonwealth, Feb. 2, 1796, and deeded it to Thomas Cushing, Apr. 6, 1797; it was in turn deeded to Daniel Wild, July 12, 1798. –Peck defaulted on his mortgage, and after various resolves passed to address the default (Resolves 1798, c 24 (June 20), Resolves 1798, c 87 (Jan. 24, 1799), and Resolves 1798, c 93 (Jan. 29, 1799)), Peck and Wild returned the property to the Commonwealth on Apr. 6, 1799, in return for Peck’s down payment and a token payment to Wild. The Province House continued to be occupied by the treasurer, until leased July 1, 1806 to Joseph Bradley for a boarding house, per Resolves 1806, May Sess, c 31 (June 23). At the incorporation of the Massachusetts General Hospital per St 1810, c 94 (Feb. 25, 1811), the Commonwealth granted the Province House and its land to that institution in exchange for free care of indigent state patients at the hospital.
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC