TABLE OF CONTENTSDetailed Description of the Records Series 1: Annual reports, 1859-1967. |
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Collection Summary |
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| Creator: | Burlington (Mass.) Overseers of the Poor. | |
| Title: | Records, | |
| Dates: | 1818-1967 | |
| Abstract: | The records of the Overseers of the Poor and/or Board of Public Welfare document municipal assistance and programs for the underprivileged. Assistance was provided in the form of goods, services, or financial assistance. Financial records (primarily account books and individual receipts) comprise the bulk of the collection. The printed annual reports (series 1) provide very little narrative documentation. | |
| Quantity: | 0.5 cubic ft. (1 box, 1 oversize folder, 41 folders) | |
| Identification: | RG125 | |
From 1799-1853, the Board of Selectmen also served as the Burlington Overseers of the Poor. After 1854, the Overseers' function was separated from the Board of Selectmen. After 1927, the Overseers of the Poor became known as the Board of Public Welfare; it appears that this was a state action, not a municipal action (series 1: annual reports, 1927). Since the board was still under municipal operation--and because we do not have evidence of a major reorganization--the records 1818-1967 are described in inventory RG125.
The Overseers of the Poor were elected by the Burlington Town Meeting, which was equivalent to the general electorate. Town Meeting also appropriated an annual amount for the support of the poor.
The acquisition of a town farm for the poor was approved by Town Meeting in 1852. Prior to 1852, the town's underprivileged were managed by an independent contractor. Every year money was appropriated and the management of the farm was put out for bid by the Board of Selectmen; see the scope and content note for more information. The following chronology documents events, 1827-1852, leading to the acquisition of the town farm and almshouse. The events, 1827-1852 also show the transition from the Board of Selectmen acting as the Overseers of the Poor to the appointment of an independent committee.
During the latter part of 1967, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Welfare Reorganization bill. Effective July 1, 1968, the department came under "state administration, with regional offices and service centers designed to provide more and better servies for families and individuals" (series 1: annual report, 1967). The new state agency was the Department of Social Services. For more information on the state agency, see National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections at www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc; enter Massachusetts. Dept. of Social Services for Author--Corporate Name and enter agency history for title.
| Year | Event | |
| 1827 April 2 | Town Meeting considered a warrant article to purchase a town farm for the poor, but the article was dismissed (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 41, 42). | |
| 1828 November 3 | Town Meeting considered a warrant article to purchase a town farm for the poor (RG002, series 1, volume 2, p. 76), but the article was dismissed. | |
| 1830 March 1 | Town Meeting considered a warrant article to purchase a town farm for the poor. A committee (Silvanus Wood, James Cutler and Abel Winn) was selected and asked to "inquire what farms can be puchased for the town to keep the poor on." The committee was to present their report at the April 5, 1830 Town Meeting (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 100, 102). | |
| 1830 April 5 | The acquisition committee was scheduled to present their report, but the article was dismissed (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 105, 107). | |
| 1831 January 3 | Town Meeting was to consider a warrant article to see if the town would take other measures to support their poor, but the article was dismissed (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 121, 122). | |
| 1831 March 7 | The March town meeting considered again on March 7, 1831 how to support the poor, and it was decided that the Selectmen should be entrusted with the decision (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 123, 126). | |
| 1831 March 7 | The March Town Meeting considered again on March 7, 1831 how to support the poor, and it was decided that the Selectmen should be entrusted with the decision (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 123, 126). | |
| 1832 March 5 | Town Meeting again considered the issue of how to support the poor; it was once more decided to have the Selectmen make the decision (RG002, series 1, volume 2, pp. 147, 150). | |
| 1832 November 12 | Town Meeting voted to put the poor out to the lowest bidder, with the exception of legal settlements. The contract was to include all state paupers, including funeral expenses. As late as November 13, 1837, Town Meeting voted to put out a five year contract to care for the poor, and that the contract be "put out for auction at Silvanus Wood's Inn" and that the Selectmen "put out the poor as they may thing proper as regards the liability of the contractor" (RG002, series 1, volume 3, pp. 43, 45) | |
| 1852 March 1 | Town Meeting voted to put the poor out to the lowest bidder, with the exception of legal settlements. The contract was to include all state paupers, including funeral expenses. Town Meeting voted to choose a committee to investigate and report on a new method for supporting the poor after the contract with Rev. Dr. James H. Walker (1794-1874) expired. The committee consisted of Nathan Blanchard, Esq. (1801-1882); George Gleason (1809-1858), and William Lawrence (1799-1872). | |
| The committee presented their report at the April 5, 1852 Town Meeting (RG002, series 1, volume 3, page 318). The committe concluded that the "present system...is not what it should be" and that the "town may pay an ample compensation for the support of their poor, and yet the poor may not enjoy the full benefit of it." The committee consulted other towns that kept their poor on farms and found that "their poor, in proportion to numbers, do not cost them more than one third as much as ours do." The committee concluded that the town should consider purchasing a small poor farm and of "trying the experiment of supporting their poor thereupon." | ||
| 1852 November | Town Meeting voted to proceed with the acquisition and the equipment of the Captain Daniel McIntire (1790-1852) farm. The farm was located at the current location of Pine Haven Cemetery (82 Bedford St.); the barn survives as an interdenominational chapel. The property was originally owned by Joseph McIntire (1763-1813) during the latter part of the 18th century. By 1831, the property descended through the McIntire family to Joseph's grandson, Daniel McIntire (1819-1899). The principal farm house and possibly earlier outbuildings burned about 1845; Daniel McIntire rebuilt the farmhouse and current barn ca. 1847. The farmhouse burned and was rebuilt ca. 1879, according to Burlington Historian John "Ed" Fogelberg. | |
| 1852 November 2 | Town Meeting was asked to consider an article "to raise a committee to furnish stock and tools, and take such other measures as may be necessary to carry on their farm after the first of April next" (RG002, series 1, volume 3, pp. 331, 332). It was decided to dismiss the article until the November 8, 1852 meeting, but the issue did not reappear for at least another month. | |
| 1852 December 13 | Town Meeting choose a committee for "procuring the stock, tools, and household furniture which may be necessary to carry on the Poor Farm" (RG002, series 1, volume 3, p. 340). Town Meeting nominated Abner Marion (1809-1858); William Winn, Jr. (1809-1892); and Stephen Skelton, Jr. (1818-1873). The committee was authorized to "procure a contract and to contract with a man to take charge of the Poor Farm and of the Poor by the first of April next." | |
| 1853 April | By April 1853 there is an inventory of town farm assets and a "keeper" to run the farm. Abner Marion presented a long list of items to Town Meeting, who was in charge of stocking the town farm. On April 4, 1853, Town Meeting voted to insure the buildings on the Town Farm (RG002, series 1, volume 3, pp. 347, 348). | |
| 1853 spring-1864 April | First keeper or resident manager hired for the town farm. Hugh Murray and his wife ran the town farm until May 1864 for an annual salary of $230. | |
| 1864 April | Advertisement published to find a new "keeper of the almshouse." | |
| 1864 June | Patrick Greaney succeeded the Murrays in June 1864 and stayed until 1871. His salary began at $275 per year and escalated to $300 by 1868. It was Greaney who organized the "inmates" to work in a "road gang" (sic) to help with the maintenance of Burlington roads. | |
| Neither keeper left a narrative report. It appeared that Murray was illiterate, as he signed the receipt of his salary with a cross and the treasurer witnessed the signature. | ||
| 1855 March 5 | Town Meeting proceedings (RG002, series 1, pp. 386, 381) provide further evidence that the town owned the property by the 1850s. The report notes the interest ($168) paid on the cost of the town farm; this is also the first year the committee made a financial report to Town Meeting. | |
| 1855 March | First complete balance sheet documents the first complete year of operation (1854 April 1-1855 March 31). Every year after 1855, the reports reveal that in addition to supporting its inmates, the farm generated cash by selling eggs, milk, wood, grass. See series 2: financial record for more information. | |
| 1858 | Annual report of 1858 provides the first statistics regarding the almshouse. The report documents how many paupers, how many travelers, cost per person per year, with and without accounting for the interest due on the farm. See series 1: annual reports for more information. | |
| 1874 | Appears to be the first year the Overseers of the Poor provide a narrative report, in addition to their annual financial report. The 1874 annual report documents the poor condition of the almshouse; the Overseers wrote "the Almshouse is in a very bad and uncomfortable condition, and we think it is absolutely necessary that it should be repaired immediately. The wind, snow and rain, have free access to the back part of the building up stairs...." The result was that the April 1874 town meeting voted an appropriation of $500 for repairs. The almhouse was in such poor repair that the overseers had to make another appeal in 1875. The 1875 annual report noted that after "commencing the work we found many parts badly decayed, and in such a dilapidated condition that a more thorough renovation, and consequently a greater outlay would be required." The report documented the renovations and stated that the house was "in a condition adapted to the comfort of the subjects necessarily placed there, as well as for the greater convenience of those who may have the charge," stating that the house would not require "general outlay for several years." The overseers noted that the barn was in very poor condition "and in some respects dangerous" (series 1: annual report, 1875). | |
| 1875 | Town hired Superintendent George W. Austin. GWA noted in his first report that the farm received a larger number of travelers and a fair amount of sickness, thus expenses had increased considerably. Mr. Austin also noted that he and his wife had to purchase many articles, which contributed to the annual expenditures (series 1: annual report, 1875). | |
| 1876 | Despite the depreciation of personal property values (which GWA cited as a contributing expense), the costs per inmate increased. Superintendent Austin noted in 1876 that the cost per inmate was $152.86, whereas in 1871-1872 (when the roads were managed in connection with the farm, the cost per inmate was $181.15. | |
| During the 1870s, the individual who served as Superintendent of the Poor Farm typically served as the Superintendent of Roads for the Highway Surveyors. | ||
| 1878 | By the the publication of the 1878 annual report, John Delorey (b. ca. 1850), was the new superintendent. | |
| 1879-1880 | The almshouse was destroyed by fire in 1879. The 1880 Building Committee report notes that the town spent $1808.11 to reconstruct the house. The Overseers reported in their 1880 annual report that the house was furnished and that they did not expect "any outlay for a long time, unless an accident should occur...[and that] we are perfectly satisfied that all was done that could be done, and all was done well." | |
| 1880 March | By the publication of the annual report year ending March 1880, Charles L. Pottle was the new superintendent. | |
| 1880 | The 1880 annual report lists Joseph Leavitt as the new superintendent, and the position was vacant from 1881-1883. | |
| 1884 | J. A. Fuller hired as superintendent. | |
| 1885-1889 | Henry L. Edgerly hired as superintendent. | |
| 1890 | J. C. Rounds hired as superintendent. | |
| 1890 | The ca. 1847 McIntire barn was torn down in 1890 and rebuilt using the original wooden-pegged framework. | |
| 1900-1904 | O. C. Hodson hired as superintendent. | |
| 1905-1907 | Charles Lincoln Foster (1864-1953) hired as superintendent. | |
| ca. 1906-1907 | The property was sold ca. 1906-1907 (series 1: annual reports, 1906-1907). | |
| 1907 March 19 | Town Meeting voted to apply the funds from the sale of the poor farm toward taxes (RG002, series 1). | |
| 1907-1926 | Town continued to appoint Overseers of the Poor, although the services were considerably more modest (series 1: annual reports, 1907-1926). | |
| 1927 | During 1927, the Overseers of the Poor became known as the Board of Public Welfare; it appears that this was a state action, not a municipal action (series 1: annual reports, 1927). | |
| 1953-1957 | John J. Bowers, Jr. served as the public welfare agent (series 1: annual reports, 1953-1957). | |
| 1958-1967 | Mary R. Kelley served as the public welfare agent and/or director of public assistance (series 1: annual reports, 1958-1967). | |
| 1967-1968 | During the latter part of 1967, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Welfare Reorganization bill. Effective July 1, 1968, the department came under "state administration, with regional offices and service centers designed to provide more and better servies for families and individuals" (series 1: annual report, 1967). The new state agency was the Department of Social Services. For more information on the state agency, see National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections at www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc; enter Massachusetts. Dept. of Social Services for Author--Corporate Name and enter agency history for title. |
The following individuals served as Overseers of the Poor and/or the Board of Public Welfare. As noted above, the Board of Selectmen served as the Overseers of the Poor from 1799-1853. The Board of Public Welfare positions are followed by the abbreviation (BPW). The Board of Selectmen positions are followed by the abbreviation (BOS).
| Years of Service (through 1968) | Name | |
| 1872 | Bennett, Charles W., b. 1817 | |
| 1878, 1893, 1895, 1902 | Bennett, Edwin Alonzo, 1843-1927 | |
| 1904, 1909, 1919-1921 | Bennett, Edward Dana, 1871-1941 | |
| 1854, 1858 | Blanchard, Nathan, 1801-1882 | |
| 1950-1967 (BPW) | Blenkhorn, Robert L. | |
| 1926; 1927-1931 (BPW) | Bustead, James A. | |
| 1818-1819, 1825 (BOS) | Butters, Joseph, b. 1786. | |
| 1877-1878, 1888 | Carter, William Edward, 1843-1902 | |
| 1811, 1816-1817 (BOS) | Cutler, James, Captain, 1779-1843 | |
| 1837-1839 (BOS) | Cutler, James, [Captain, 1779-1843?] | |
| 1812-1815, 1833-1836 (BOS) | Cutler, Nathaniel, [1777-1843?] | |
| 1840 (BOS) | Cutler, Otis, 1809-1874 | |
| 1858 | Cutler, Otis, 1809-1874 | |
| 1820-1821 (BOS) | Cutler, Samuel, Jr., 1782-1860 | |
| 1799, 1801-1804 (BOS) | Dean, Jesse, [Lieutenant, b. 1754?] | |
| 1938-1961 (BPW) | DeMone, Maurice J. | |
| 1963-1967 (BPW) | Field, Robert. | |
| 1928-1932 (BPW) | Foster, Joseph L. | |
| 1938-1939 (BPW) | Given, Raymond A. | |
| 1942-1949 (BPW) | Given, W. Raymond | |
| 1846-1850 (BOS), 1854 | Gleason, George, 1809-1858 | |
| 1922-1926; 1927 (BPW) | Graham, Chester Herman, 1880-1959 | |
| 1895, 1902-1906 | Graham, William, [1845-1917?] | |
| 1824 (BOS) | Jamison, Nathum | |
| 1835, 1839 (BOS) | Jennison, Nahum | |
| 1801-1804 (BOS) | Kendall, John, [Locke, b. 1729?] | |
| 1836-1837 (BOS) | Lawrence, William, 1799-1872 | |
| 1922-1926; 1927-1936 (BPW) | MacDonald, Ralph R. | |
| 1854 | Marion, Abner, 1809-1858 | |
| 1873-1875 | Marion, Elijah, [1812-1884?] | |
| 1884, 1886 | Marion, Henry Skelton, 1833-1913 | |
| 1838 (BOS) | Marion, John | |
| 1855-1857 | Marion, John | |
| 1822, 1824-1825, 1834-1840 (BOS) | McIntire, Daniel, Captain, 1790-1852 | |
| 1826-1827, 1831 (BOS) | McIntire, George, 1792-1851 | |
| 1906, 1909-1925 | McIntire, George, 1872-1941 | |
| 1806-1810 (BOS) | McIntire, Joseph, 1763-1813 | |
| 1910-1914 | McLaughlin, James | |
| 1938-1942 (BPW) | Meaney, Frank A. | |
| 1933-1937 (BPW) | Mohan, Thomas J. | |
| 1962 (BPW) | Mugford, Alfred G. | |
| 1940-1967 (BPW) | Nelson, Georgiana | |
| 1877-1878, 1884 | Nichols, Henry, 1821-1884 | |
| 1840-1851 (BOS) | Nichols, William | |
| 1821 | Parke, Everett B. | |
| 1910-1920 | Pollock, Thomas W. | |
| 1851-1853 (BOS) | Prescott, Humphrey | |
| 1893 | Prouty, Augustus, b. 1828 | |
| 1859-1864 | Reed, Artemus, 1811-1882 | |
| 1805 (BOS) | Reed, James, Captain, 1745-1832 | |
| 1818-1823, 1827-1833 (BOS) | Reed, James, Captain, Jr., 1783-1844 | |
| 1886 | Reed, Thomas I. (Isaiah), 1846-1933 | |
| 1855-1864, 1872-1875, 1884, 1886, 1888 | Sewall, Samuel, Jr., 1819-1903 | |
| 1832-1834 (BOS) | Shedd, Abner, 1804-1893 | |
| 1937 (BPW) | Sheerin, William J. | |
| 1877 | Simonds, Abel, 1828-1894 | |
| 1808, 1811, 1818-1819 (BOS) | Simonds, Calvin, 1752-1840 | |
| 1809-1810 (BOS) | Simonds, Jonathan, 1782-1865 | |
| 1841-1845 (BOS) | Simonds, Nathan, 1792-1855 | |
| 1827-1832 (BOS) | Skelton, David, 1793-1878 | |
| 1852-1853 (BOS) | Skelton, David, 1822-1883 | |
| 1915-1918 | Skelton, Horace Bradford, 1879-1962 | |
| 1895, 1902-1906, 1909 | Skelton, Walter, Winn, 1864-1946 | |
| 1799-1800 (BOS) | Skelton, Thomas, b. 1740 | |
| 1826 (BOS) | Skelton, Thomas, 1782-1833 | |
| 1888 | Tebbetts, George S. | |
| 1932-1933 (BPW) | Twining, Raymond A. | |
| 1801-1804, 1812-1814, 1816-1817, 1820-1822 (BOS) | Walker, John, Major General, 1762-1814 | |
| 1815 (BOS) | Walker, Josiah, [1759-1845?] | |
| 1872-1875 | Walker, William Henry, 1832-1891 | |
| 1799 (BOS) | Walker, Samuel | |
| 1934-1937 (BPW) | Ward, Davis M. | |
| 1806-1807 (BOS) | Winn, Abel, 1767-1847 | |
| 1805 (BOS) | Winn, Ebenezer B., 1777-1821 | |
| 1799-1800 (BOS) | Winn, Joseph, Lieutenant, 1734-1817 | |
| 1816-1817, 1823, 1826, 1841-1846 (BOS) | Winn, William, Colonel, 1784-1856 | |
| 1847-1853 (BOS) | Winn, William, Jr., 1809-1892. William Winn Jr. was asked to chosen as an overseer in 1854, but declined. | |
| 1893 | Winn, William A[dams, b. 1848?] | |
| 1799-1800, 1811-1812 (BOS) | Wood, John, Captain, 1740-1809 | |
| 1805-1810, 1813-1815 (BOS) | Wood, John, Jr., b. 1764 | |
| 1855-1857, 1859-1864 | Wood, John, [b. 1790?] | |
| 1823-1825 (BOS) | Wood, Sylvanus, [1787-1843?] |
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The records of the Overseers of the Poor and/or Board of Public Welfare span the years 1818-1967 and document municipal assistance (goods, services, and financial assistance) and programs for the town's underprivileged. Financial records (primarily account books and individual receipts) comprise the bulk of the collection. The printed annual reports (series 1) provide very little narrative documentation.
The records were intermingled with records from other departments and were arranged chronologically. The records pertaining to the Overseers of the Poor were separated and arranged chronologically, with the exception of receipts, which were arranged alphabetically by personal or family name, and then chronologically. For more information, see the custodial note.
The support of the underprivileged was a large item in the Town's budget: every year money was appropriated and the actual management of it was put out for bids by the Board of Selectmen. The lowest bidder got the job, which consisted of providing for all the indigents in Town.
To insure the faithful discharge of those duties, the winner of the bid was requested to pledge a very large sum; often one or two friends or relatives were co-signing the pledge, because of the amount involved.
At first those contracts were for four years, then for five, during which the bidder was paid quarterly a stated amount. As a counterpart, he had to provide for the housing of the destitute families, either by boarding them himself or finding and paying for accommodations at somebody's home. Moreover, he had to provide for food, fuel, medical attention and eventually funeral expenses.
Most of the documents pertaining to the Overseer of the Poor are series 2: receipts (1818-1871), evidencing refunds paid by the Treasurer for goods or services provided to the poor: from the list of dry goods from the Town's general store to the doctor's bill, the refund for a coffin or the school books. Another of the duties was to send indigent children to school, but also into apprenticeship, for which the Overseer of the Poor was contracting a deed of indenture with a master tradesman.
To qualify as a welfare recipient, an individual had to prove that he had a "settlement" in Burlington, i.e. that he was born in town, or that she had married a denizen of Burlington; these documents are of a financial nature and are located in series 2. Lacking this bond, an indigent was only cared for until his or her hometown was ascertained. This "settlement" or the absence of it gives rise to an interesting correspondence between the Board of Selectmen of Burlington, as overseer of the Poor and its counterparts in other towns of the Commonwealth, arguing about the affiliation of one or another individual to a given town: the ascertained hometown was notified of the presence of "its" poor and of its duty to remove him or her, and to compensate the Overseer of the Poor of Burlington for the expenses incurred until such a removal. A similar exchange was common between towns, for the removal of vagrants or the upkeep of inmates in jail or lunatic asylum.
In every pledge document, the bidder was promising to care for the poor with a settlement in Burlington, as well as for the "state poor"--for whom the town was receiving some subsidies--but excluded expressly a women named Venus Ro[w]e: it appears that she was African-American and a former slave, who opted to remain with her previous owner (James Reed), who was providing for her. She died in 1844. Report from the Overseer to the Town Meeting are somewhat irregular: after 1852, when the Town Farm (also known as the Almshouse or Poor Farm) was acquired, the reports become more regular, but not more detailed.
It is only with the introduction of series 3: pauper registers (1869, with entries for 1867) that we are able to state who those poor were and why were they on the Town's dole: mostly elderly with no familial support, or mentally instable people, or disabled veterans from the Civil War or their widows.
Although it appears that the town did not begin contracting annual legal counsel until the 20th century, the records of the Overseers of the Poor provide evidence of the 19th century legal services. As early as 1842-1844, G. F. Farley (Concord, Mass.) was contracted by the Town of Burlington to provide a legal opinion regarding the town support of Venus Roe (ca. 1750-1844). VR was the former freed slave of Captain James Reed (1745-1832) and an elderly woman when JR died in 1832. During the 1860s, a Mr. Hoare was hired and during the 1870s, the firm of Sherman and Converse were hired by the Overseers of the Poor.
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Organization of the Records |
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| The records are organized into three series. | ||
| Series 1: Annual Reports, 1859-1967 | ||
| Series 2: Financial Records, 1818-1894 | ||
| Series 3: Registers, 1869 Oct.-1877 | ||
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Annual reports, account books, and registers are arranged chronologically. Within the financial records, receipts are arranged by personal or family name and then chronologically.
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No access restrictions.
Some of the account books (series 2: folder 1-4, series 3: folder 1) are in poor condition. Extreme care should be used when handling these items. Due to the fragile bindings, these items should not be photocopied.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Town of Burlington as the owner of the collection. To obtain duplicates or to request publication permission, see the main collections page. Permission to publish is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright permission from the copyright owner. For more information on when works pass into the public domain, see Cornell Institute for Digital Collections http://cidc.library.cornell.edu/copyright.
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Index Terms |
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| The records were indexed with Getty Institute's Art and Architecture Thesaurus terms and Library of Congress subject headings. When appropriate, a local thesaurus was used. | ||
| Names: | ||
| Abbot family | ||
| Alexander family | ||
| Austin, George A. | ||
| Bartlet family | ||
| Bennett, Charles W., b. 1817 | ||
| Bennett, Edward Dana, 1871-1941 | ||
| Bennett, Edwin Alonzo, 1843-1927 | ||
| Blanchard, Nathan, 1801-1882 | ||
| Blenkhorn, Robert L. | ||
| Board of Public Welfare. Burlington (Mass.) | ||
| Board of Selectmen. Burlington (Mass.) | ||
| Bowers, John J., Jr. | ||
| Bustead, James A. | ||
| Butters, Joseph, b. 1786. | ||
| Caldwell family | ||
| Capps family | ||
| Carter, William Edward, 1843-1902 | ||
| Center family | ||
| Coburn family | ||
| Collamore family | ||
| Converse family | ||
| Crouch family | ||
| Cummings family | ||
| Cutler, James, Captain, 1779-1843 | ||
| Cutler, Nathaniel, 1777-1843 | ||
| Cutler, Otis, 1809-1874 | ||
| Cutler, Samuel, Jr., 1782-1860 | ||
| Dean, Jesse, Lieutenant, b. 1754 | ||
| Dean family | ||
| Delorey, John W., b. ca. 1850 | ||
| DeMone, Maurice J. | ||
| Edgerly, Henry L. | ||
| Farley, G. F. | ||
| Field, Robert. | ||
| Foster, Charles Lincoln, 1864-1953 | ||
| Foster, Joseph L. | ||
| Francis family | ||
| Fuller, J. A. | ||
| Given, Raymond A. | ||
| Given, W. Raymond | ||
| Gleason, George, 1809-1858 | ||
| Gleason family | ||
| Graham, Chester Herman, 1880-1959 | ||
| Graham, William, 1845-1917 | ||
| Greaney, Patrick | ||
| Hatch family | ||
| Highway Surveyors(Burlington, Mass.) | ||
| Hoare, Mr. | ||
| Hodsdon, O. C. | ||
| Hunt family | ||
| Jamison, Nathum | ||
| Jennison, Nahum | ||
| Johnson family | ||
| Kelley, Mary R. | ||
| Kendall, John, Locke, b. 1729 | ||
| Knell family | ||
| Lawrence, William, 1799-1872 | ||
| Leavitt, Joseph | ||
| Locke family | ||
| Lynham family | ||
| MacDonald, Ralph R. | ||
| Marion, Abner, 1809-1858 | ||
| Marion, Elijah, 1812-1884 | ||
| Marion, Henry Skelton, 1833-1913 | ||
| Marion, John | ||
| Marion, John | ||
| McIntire, Daniel, 1819-1899 | ||
| McIntire, Daniel, Captain, 1790-1852 | ||
| McIntire, George, 1792-1851 | ||
| McIntire, George, 1872-1941 | ||
| McIntire, Joseph, 1763-1813 | ||
| McLaughlin, James | ||
| Meaney, Frank A. | ||
| Merriam family | ||
| Mohan, Thomas J. | ||
| Mugford, Alfred G. | ||
| Munroe family | ||
| Murray, Hugh | ||
| Murray, Mrs. | ||
| Nelson, Georgiana | ||
| Nesson family | ||
| Nichols, Henry, 1821-1884 | ||
| Nichols, William | ||
| Nichols family | ||
| Osgood family | ||
| Overseers of the Poor (Burlington, Mass.) | ||
| Parke, Everett B. | ||
| Parker family | ||
| Pasko family | ||
| Patio family | ||
| Pollock, Thomas W. | ||
| Pottle, Charles L. | ||
| Powers family | ||
| Prescott, Humphrey | ||
| Prouty, Augustus, b. 1828 | ||
| Reed, Artemus, 1811-1882 | ||
| Reed, James, Captain, 1745-1832 | ||
| Reed, James, Captain, Jr., 1783-1844 | ||
| Reed, Thomas I. (Isaiah), 1846-1933 | ||
| Reed family | ||
| Roe, Venus, ca. 1750-1844 | ||
| Rounds, J. C. | ||
| Sewall, Samuel, Jr., 1819-1903 | ||
| Shedd, Abner, 1804-1893 | ||
| Sheerin, William J. | ||
| Sherman and Converse | ||
| Simonds, Abel, 1828-1894 | ||
| Simonds, Calvin, 1752-1840 | ||
| Simonds, Jonathan, 1782-1865 | ||
| Simonds, Nathan, 1792-1855 | ||
| Simonds family | ||
| Simpson family | ||
| Skelton, David, 1793-1878 | ||
| Skelton, David, 1822-1883 | ||
| Skelton, Horace Bradford, 1879-1962 | ||
| Skelton, Stephen, Jr., 1818-1873 | ||
| Skelton, Thomas, 1782-1833 | ||
| Skelton, Thomas, b. 1740 | ||
| Skelton, Walter, Winn, 1864-1946 | ||
| Skelton family | ||
| Tay family | ||
| Taylor family | ||
| Tebbetts, George S. | ||
| Trask family | ||
| Twining, Raymond A. | ||
| Walker, James, Reverend, 1794-1874 | ||
| Walker, John, Major General, 1762-1814 | ||
| Walker, Josiah, 1759-1845 | ||
| Walker, Samuel | ||
| Walker, William Henry, 1832-1891 | ||
| Walker family | ||
| Ward, Davis M. | ||
| Winn, Abel, 1767-1847 | ||
| Winn, Ebenezer B., 1777-1821 | ||
| Winn, Joseph, Lieutenant, 1734-1817 | ||
| Winn, William, Colonel, 1784-1856 | ||
| Winn, William, Jr., 1809-1892. William Winn Jr. was asked to chosen as an overseer in 1854, but declined. | ||
| Winn, William Adams, b. 1848 | ||
| Wood, John, b. 1790 | ||
| Wood, John, Captain, 1740-1809 | ||
| Wood, John, Jr., b. 1764 | ||
| Wood, Sylvanus, 1787-1843 | ||
| Wood family | ||
| Wyman family | ||
| Subjects: | ||
| Almhouses--Massachusetts--Burlington | ||
| Burlington (Mass.)--Politics and government | ||
| Lawyers--Massachusetts | ||
| Poor--Massachusetts--Burlington | ||
| Poor--Services for--Massachusetts--Burlington | ||
| Public records--Massachusetts--Burlington | ||
| Slavery--United States | ||
| Places/Organizations/Businesses: | ||
| Burlington (Mass.) Board of Selectmen | ||
| Burlington (Mass.) Highway Surveyors | ||
| Burlington (Mass.) Overseers of the Poor | ||
| Massachusetts. Dept. of Social Services | ||
| Document Types: | ||
| Account books | ||
| Annual reports | ||
| Receipts | ||
| Registers | ||
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The Board of Selectmen financial orders may contain information related to their duties as Overseers of the Poor. See the Image Collection (RG123) for photographs of the Reverend Doctor James Walker (1794-1874) house--also known as the Major General John Walker (1762-1814) house--and Captain Daniel McIntire's house (1819-1899). The Town Meeting and general records (RG002) contain periodic reports from the Burlington Overseers of the Poor.
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Prior to 1998, these records were kept in the custody of the Historical Commission; the records were intermingled with records from other departments. Jim Ashworth (Historical Commission member, 1981-1986, 1993-1998 and previous Historical Commission chairperson) arranged the receipts chronologically and started an item-level listing. Prior to 2000, Pauline Keans (Historical Commission member, 1984-1995 and previous Historical Commission chairperson) had custody of the majority of the records in series 2 and series 3.
Cite as: Records of the Overseers of the Poor, Burlington Archives, Burlington, Mass.
Transfer; Historical Commission; 1998.05.
Gift of Pauline Keans; 2000.12.
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