Massachusetts. Board of State Charities

The Board of State Charities and its successors from 1863 onward oversaw the Massachusetts state immigration and pauper relief functions, as well as the state's charitable and correctional institutions. The Massachusetts Infant Asylum, founded by F.B. Sanborn among others, was a private institution incorporated in 1867 to house abandoned and destitute infants. Infants were admitted aged nine months and under, and were discharged at two years, unless health conditions warranted a longer stay. Per St 1870, c 136, the Board of State Charities was to be immediately notified when a child with no settlement in any municipality was taken in, and the board was authorized to remove the child, or to reimburse the asylum for its care at an established rate. To ease overcapacity at the asylum and increase life expectancy, St 1880, c 142 directed the Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity in such cases to place state pauper infants out to board with families. The agent for the sick state poor within the Board of State Charities tracked and compiled information on infants, foundlings, and deserted children received at or being boarded out by the Massachusetts Infant Asylum, in order to properly identify those infants eligible for state reimbursement for their care. Attempts were made to identify and/or locate parents to determine if they could reclaim their children or be made responsible for their support, or to identify municipalities where the parents had settlement that should have responsibility for the support of the infants.

From the description of Massachusetts Infant Asylum case histories, 1871-1879 (bulk 1875-1879) (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 319632752

St 1851, c 342 provided for a board of commissioners in relation to alien passengers and state paupers (as potentially related classes of persons), commonly called the Board of Alien Commissioners and consisting of a Council member appointed by the governor, the state auditor, and the superintendent of alien passengers for Boston. The first duty the act assigned was for the Board to appoint persons to annually visit almshouses and other institutions holding those alleged to be state paupers to determine whether laws pertaining to the status, support, local settlement, and work requirements of such paupers were being upheld. The commissioners also worked towards the establishment of state almshouses (St 1852, c 275, ss 1-10). St 1863, c 240 transferred these functions to the succeeding Board of State Charities.

From the description of Histories of alien residents of almshouses and other institutions, 1852-1870. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 298343910

St 1863, c 240 abolished Massachusetts's Board of Alien Commissioners, replacing it with a Board of State Charities. This body had supervision not only of the previous board's immigration and state pauper functions, but of Massachusetts charitable and correctional institutions generally, including the state almshouses, state lunatic hospitals, state prison (until establishment of the Commissioners of Prisons per St 1870, c 370), and state schools. St 1879, c 291 abolished the Board of State Charities and placed its functions with a Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity.

NAME AUTHORITY NOTE. Series relating to the agency described above can be found by searching the following access point for the time period stated: 1863-1879--Massachusetts. Board of State Charities.

From the description of Agency history record. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 123526600