Scope and Content: The Board of State Charities from 1863 oversaw the Massachusetts state immigration and pauper relief functions, as well as the state’s charitable and correctional institutions. In 1866 the board appointed a visiting agent, under its secretary, to track and visit state wards sent out to indenture. The Visiting Agency was made a separate department within the board in 1869 to investigate applicants wanting to adopt or indenture children, approve placements, conduct visits of children that were adopted, indentured, or otherwise placed out, and provide ongoing follow-up. Visitation work was continued by the Dept. of Indoor Poor within the successor agencies the State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity in 1879 and State Board of Lunacy and Charity in 1886 (through Division of State Minor Wards from 1898, carrying over into the State Board of Charity), and then by the State Board of Charity in 1898.
Arrangement: Arranged by case no
Notes: Contents (Volume numbers. assigned on basis of page numbering/gaps in paging): volumes 2–501-1000, volumes 3–1001-1500, volumes 4–1501-2000, volumes 6–2501-3000, volumes 7–3001-3500, volumes 8–3501-4000, volumes 10–4501-5000, volumes 11–5001-5500, volumes 13–6001-6500, volumes 16–7501-8000, volumes 17–8001-8500, volumes 19–9001-9500, volumes 22-24–10501-12000, volumes 27–13001-13500, volumes 29–14001-14500, volumes 30–14501-15000, volumes 32–15501-16000, volumes 33–16001-16500, volumes 35–17001-17500, volumes 36–17501-18000, volumes 38–18501-19000, volumes 39–19001-19500, volumes 41-44–20001-22000, volumes 46–22501-23000, volumes 48-53–23501-25500
Related Catalog Records:
Register of children placed out [Massachusetts State Board of Charity]
Daybooks [Massachusetts State Board of Charity]
Scope and Content: The State Board of Charity had jurisdiction over the settlement or non-settlement of the state poor under the control of the institutions supervised by the board or by the State Board of Insanity, and administration of the laws of settlement relating to the support of the state’s sane poor by cities and towns (St 1898, c 433). Series consists of volumes detailing accounts of the State Board of Charity, including amounts received from treasury allocations and receipts, as well as advances made to individuals and departments, including for the adult poor, children, infants, transport, and the board itself.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:
Case histories of persons transported [Massachusetts State Board of Charity]
Scope and Content: The State Board of Charity had jurisdiction over the settlement or non-settlement of the state poor under the control of the institutions supervised by the board or by the State Board of Insanity, and administration of the laws of settlement relating to the support of the state’s sane poor by cities and towns (St 1898, c 433). Series consists of Office of Transportation accounts of paupers who received state-financed transportation back to their place of origin (most domestic, some foreign). Brief description of person’s circumstances includes date sent, name, age, family and other contacts, fee paid. Some requests for transportation were made by charities or embassies.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:
Annual reports [Massachusetts State Board of Charity]
Scope and Content: In 1898 the State Board of Lunacy and Charity in Massachusetts was divided into the State Board of Insanity and the State Board of Charity. The latter was succeeded by the Dept. of Public Welfare in 1919.
Arrangement: In two sub-series: (1) Annual reports. (2) Annual reports of state institutions
Notes: Public document, no. 17
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Immigration bills [Massachusetts State Board of Lunacy and Charity]
Scope and Content: The Massachusetts State Board of Lunacy and Charity (1886-1898) had responsibility to monitor immigration, including examining passengers, procuring passenger lists, collecting bonds or head money, returning passengers, and, through its Dept. of Outdoor Poor, caring for alien passengers requiring medical assistance who were not committed to state institutions. Transfer of immigration authority from the states to the federal government occurred with the federal Acts of 1891, c 551. A Feb. 1892 contract with the State Board of Lunacy and Charity allowed federal reimbursement for state care of immigrants for their first year of residence and for state deportation of such immigrants, and remained in effect until a new contract was established in Mar. 1894.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly called: Voucher register
Related Catalog Records:
Minutes concerning removals of insane persons [Massachusetts State Board of Lunacy and Charity]
Scope and Content: State responsibility for the insane was assigned to the State Board of Lunacy and Charity per St 1886, c 101. In an era of heavy immigration, Massachusetts sought to relieve taxpayers of the burden of supporting insane persons originating from other states or countries, who were being cared for in Massachusetts state institutions. The board’s Committee on the Removal of Insane Persons out of the State (board chair, vice-chair, and one other board member–first mentioned in the board’s 1894 annual report (p.4)) proposed names of those to be returned to their place of origin; these recommendations were acted on by the board at its monthly meeting and implemented by the Superintendent of Indoor Poor. The State Board of Lunacy and Charity was replaced by the State Board of Insanity in 1898.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:
Annual reports [Massachusetts State Board of Lunacy and Charity]
Scope and Content: The State Board of Lunacy and Charity was established in Massachusetts in 1886, the result of detaching the public health function from the State Board of Health, Lunacy and Charity, and reinstating the State Board of Health as a separate entity. In 1898 it was in turn divided into the State Board of Insanity and the State Board of Charity.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Annual reports. (2) Annual reports of institutions
Notes: Public document, no. 17
Related Catalog Records:
Weekly reports of admissions and discharges at the State Primary School [Massachusetts State Board of Lunacy and Charity]
Scope and Content: In Massachusetts, the State Board of Lunacy and Charity and its predecessors, the Board of Charities (to 1879) and the State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity (1879-1886), received weekly reports from institutions under their jurisdiction. Among these was the State Primary School, opened at the State Almshouse at Monson in 1866 and continuing after the almshouse’s closing in 1872 until 1895, provided lodging, instruction, and employment for dependent and neglected children under age sixteen without settlement in the Commonwealth and some juvenile offenders. Reports list weekly admissions and discharges from the institution. –Format for v. 1-3 (to 1872, closing of the almshouse) for admissions is same as: Massachusetts. State Almshouse (Monson, Mass.). Admission registers ((M-Ar)929X). Printed categories for entries are school no., name, age, birthplace, from, date admitted, condition, remarks. For discharges categories are school no., name, age, birthplace, date, and where sent. Weekly summary lists no. last report, admitted, born, discharged, died, deserted, remaining, and whole no. to date, divided by boys, girls, total, and boys, girls, total in school (i.e., receiving instruction) –Format for remaining vols. divides admissions into full admission as pupils (school no., name, age, birthplace, admission date, from, former or support or temporary custody no., remarks) and admission of persons for support or temporary custody (no., name, age, birthplace, admission date, from, sent by, condition). Discharges are similarly divided (no., name, age, date, how discharged–to State Primary School (i.e., as full pupil), on trial (with a family), from 1880 on board (with a family), or permanent discharge by state board–but latter not listed if already out of school with a family), wither sent, to whose care). Those discharged from support or temporary custody will typically be listed the same week under admission as pupils. Weekly summary lists no. last report, admitted, discharged, died, deserted, remaining: divided through 1882 among pupils (boys, girls, total), juveniles in custody (i.e., offenders: boys, girls, total) and state paupers (men, women, boys, girls, total), with grand total. Through 1882 juvenile offenders were classed as support or temporary custody; after 1882 they were given immediate full admission, with totals (now in red) for informational not incremental purposes; some dependent and neglected children were also given immediate full admission, including those per St 1882, c 181, ss 2-3, and all after 1890. –Source file is: Massachusetts. State Primary School (Monson, Mass.). Register of weekly admissions and discharges, 1876-1895 ((M-Ar)925X), and see also: Admission registers, 1866-1895 ((M-Ar)917X)
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Spine title: State Primary School returns. Formerly classed under (M-Ar)HS3.05: Massachusetts. State Primary School (Monson, Mass.)
Related Catalog Records:
Transcripts of adoptions [Massachusetts State Board of Lunacy and Charity]
Scope and Content: In 1886 the Massachusetts State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity was renamed the State Board of Lunacy and Charity, while a separate State Board of Health was established. The State Board of Lunacy and Charity inherited all powers and duties of its predecessor except those vested in the newly established State Board of Health, i.e., general supervision and investigative powers over charitable, reformatory, and mental health institutions and some authority over the transfer and removal of patients.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by adoption date
Related Catalog Records:
Transfer records of the certified insane [Massachusetts Department of Indoor Poor]
Scope and Content: State responsibility for those in state almshouses and lunatic (from 1898 insane) hospitals was held successively by the Board of State Charities (1863), the State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity (1879) and the State Board of Lunacy and Charity (1886). Under the latter two of these boards the Dept. of Indoor Poor was responsible for adults in these state institutions and for juvenile wards of the state over three years of age. (The Dept. of Outdoor Poor was responsible for adults in need of state medical or general assistance not committed to state institutions under the board’s jurisdiction and of juvenile wards of the state under three years of age.) In 1898, just prior to state agency reorganization, responsibilities were redivided between a Division of State Adult Poor (with Indoor and Outdoor units) and a Division of State Minor Wards, which were carried over into the State Board of Charity. –Founding legislation for these various boards gave them the authority to transfer inmates from one almshouse or lunatic hospital to another. Pursuant to Resolves 1866, c 40; 1871 c 11 and c 77, a hospital and asylum for the harmless and incurable insane had been built at the Tewksbury almshouse, and St 1876, c 179 provided for the appointment of a resident physician as director. (St 1880, c 250, s 4 required that the Board of Health, Lunacy and Charity could transfer insane almshouse inmates only when certified insane after examination by two physicians, one with no connection to the hospital.) Eventually the almshouse’s function was specialized to the extent that St 1900, c 333 renamed it the State Hospital.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Related Catalog Records:
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