Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth forms for town returns of the state of the poor : manuscript.

Format:

Manuscript

Author/Creator:

Massachusetts. Secretary of the Commonwealth, enacting jurisdiction.

Contributor:

Quincy (Mass.). Overseers of the Poor.

Roxbury (Boston, Mass.). Overseers of the Poor.

Richard L. Sperry, WG'67, Endowment for Rare Books and Manuscripts Collections.

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public welfare--Massachusetts--19th century.

Public welfare.

Poor--Massachusetts--19th century.

Poor.

Massachusetts.

Genre:

Blank forms.

questionnaires.

Manuscripts, American -- 19th century.

Manuscripts, English -- 19th century.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Peter L. Masi Books (Montague, Massachusetts), 2016.

Physical Description:

2 items (2 leaves) : paper ; 32 x 40 cm

Production:

Massachusetts, 1849.

Contained In:

Miscellaneous Manuscripts (Large). Box 3 Folder 5

Summary:

Two printed forms on oversize leaves provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The forms comprise twenty-two questions concerning the poor and alms houses of Massachusetts. The heading on the form reads "Return (prescribed by law) of the state of the poor in the town of ..." and was to be returned to the secretary from each town and/or city in Massachusetts by November 21, 1849. The two forms completed in manuscript are from the town of Quincy and the city of Roxbury. The handwritten answers provided by the towns supply a yearly overview and financial information regarding the number of poor, the number of foreigners, the number of insane, and the number of idiots. One question asks "How many of the foreigners are from England and Ireland?" The questionnaire also concerns almshouses in the town, financial support of the poor, and state aid received by the town to support the poor. The forms are signed by the Overseers of the Poor of the towns.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Richard L. Sperry, WG'67, Endowment for Rare Books and Manuscripts Collections.

OCLC:

1368255910