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. St 1865, c 162 required municipalities to provide care for those state paupers too sick to be moved to a state almshouse. In such cases, the local overseers of the poor were required to send an immediate notice to the Board of State Charities, in order to receive approval for state reimbursement from the board's agent for the sick state poor. The overseers were to provide patient location information so that the board, through the agent, could investigate the case if necessary, a role alluded to in St 1869, c 12.
From the description of Notices of sick state poor, 1874. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 319632763
