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Massachusetts
Pauper Records
Don’t Look Here if Your Ancestors Were
Well-to-Do.
Pauper
records identify persons by name, birth date, birth places, parents,
age, marital status, and date of admission to the almshouse.
Sometimes they provide physical descriptions and character
assessments. |
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Andover:
Andover Pauper Records from 1815-1916, Fiches 172-193
Brimfield: fiche 67-70
Brimfield Pauper Registers 1841-1845,
1851-1852, 1876. Fiche 67. Most listings includes name, age,
and place of birth. In 1876, all 28 listings are for males aged
17-55, described either as "dark" or "light", and ranging in
height from 5'4" to 6.Account of Brimfield Transient
Paupers 1857-1868. Fiche 67. Data typically includes name,
age, residence and occasional notes; i.e., "durty ragged sum
drunk", "complained because their supper wasn't better",
"returned soldier lost one arm & eye at the battle of
Fredericksburg". The last two years of records document the
height of each pauper.
Boylston:
fiche 65-79
Boylston Settlements & Overseers of
Poor 1847-1883. Fiches 65-67. Records often provide age,
date of death, former residence, or relatives.
Boylston [Almshouse Inventories & Valuations] 1850-1919,
Fiches 73-76.
Boylston [Overseers of the Poor 1883-1939]. 141 pages.
Fiches 76-78.
These records include agreements regarding various paupers,
individual case reports, and expenditures of the overseers.
Boylston Pauper Register [1907-1912]. Fiche 79.
These two separate registers differentiate paupers receiving
total support from those receiving partial support; either may
provide paupers age, date &/or place of birth, nationality of
parents, name of spouse, or death date.
Boylston Pauper Register [1913-1942]. Fiche 79-81.
Records may provide paupers age, marital status, date &/or place
of birth, or birthplace of parents. 79-81.
Walpole:
Walpole Overseers of Poor Records [1861-1864]. About 74
pages. Fiche 35.
Many of the paupers referenced in this book are related to Civil
War volunteers. Records on pages 1-49 usually provide ages of
dependents, company and regiment of volunteer.
Westborough:
Westborough Pauper Register 1824-1991. About 17 pages. Fiche
93.
Persons are classified according to full support, relief and
partial support, and travelers lodged and/or persons sent to
State Almshouse.
Westminister:
Westminster Pauper Book 1817-1830. Fiche 131.
Westminster [Overseers of the Poor 1830-1867]. Fiches
132-134.
Westminster Pauper Register [1905-1914]. 14 pages. Fiche
134.
Paupers and the relief provided them are identified; sometimes
the record lists age, birthplace, or parents.Westminster
Pauper Register [1915-1941]. Fiches 135-136.
Besides name of the pauper, this register usually shows age and
marital status; sometimes it provides names of parents and birth
date or place.
West Newbury:
West Newbury Pauper Register 1917-1943. 49 pages. Fiches
20-21.
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