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| City Poor Farm Buildings (now Derryfield Country Club) |
Introduction
The Records of the Overseers of the Poor, the City Poor Farm and the House of Corrections consist of Reports including an oversized Almhouse report dated 1853; seven Journals of the Overseers of the Poor (1846-1910); papers related to the Auction of the City Farm on August 28-30, 1907; two State Reform School Ledgers, 1869-1907; one Journal of Bills for the Relief of Indigent Soldiers, 1891-1916 and one Ledger for the City Farm and the House of Corrections.
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Scope and Content:
JOURNALS OF THE OVERSEERS OF THE POOR, 1846-1910
The Board of the Overseers of the Poor was elected to represent each ward in the City of Manchester. The Mayor of Manchester chaired the organization. The record of each meeting begins with a statement of attendance and is followed by a list of expenses incurred since the last meeting. The most common expenses were for "paupers off the farm" who were those individuals in need of support but who did not reside at the City Farm/Almshouse. The expenses included groceries, wood, board, nursing care, physician attendance, clothing, transportation and death related costs (grave clothes, coffin, burial). City Farm expenses were for items such as grass seed, rye, manure, salt, meat, tools, working the night cart and labor. These expenses were submitted by the Superintendent of the Farm.
Residency was an important issue in relation to the poor. Some of the poor living in Manchester and receiving assistance were the responsibility of the City. Others were county paupers, and the City of Manchester was reimbursed by Hillsborough County for disbursement made on behalf of these individuals. But some individuals had lived as far away as Plymouth, Washington, Rumney, Bow, Greenfield, Alton, Weare, Lyndeborough, Holderness, Northfield and Newport. Unfortunately, the journals do not indicate how these impoverished individuals ended up in Manchester, but the towns and cities that were initially the residences of these individuals were responsible for their care even if it was in another locale.
Prior to the establishment of orphanages, children without parents were frequently boarded off the farm in individual homes. An entry for April 20, 1869 indicates that Joseph Cate was paid $69.00 to board and clothe the two Leighton children for a period of 23 weeks. The first reference to an orphanage was in 1872 when a three-year old minor, Grace Julia Vincent, was transferred to the New Hampshire Orphan Home in Franklin by the Mayor of Manchester and the Board of the Overseers of the Poor. No fees for her care were listed.
Three volumes of the Journals of the Overseers of the Poor, 1855-1894, were restored through a grant by New Hampshire Conservation License Plate Fund.
CITY FARM AND HOUSE OF CORRECTIONS, 1857-1894
Each volume contains two sections: one for the City Farm and the other for the House of Corrections. The section for the City Farm records the "Name of the Pauper", date of arrival and departure and the individual who remanded the person into custody. Many people were sent to work for board and clothes.
The section for the House of Corrections is larger. Recorded is the "Name of the Prisoner", the date delivered to the keeper, length of sentence and when the individual was released. Average sentences ranged from 10 to 60 days. There is an interesting entry on December 18, 1899 when 23 individuals from the Manchester and Milford Railroad were committed for 23 days. The nature of their crime is not listed. Runaways were frequently sent to the House of Corrections and served a 30-day sentence.
AUCTION OF THE CITY FARM, AUGUST 28-30, 1907
These are unbound, handwritten ledger sheets of the August 1907 auction of property at the City Farm. The proceeds from the three-day auction totaled $1,798.11 involving approximately 2000 transactions. The sales ranged from five cents for a hook, rate or weeder to $82.50 for 30 cords of wood. It is assumed that the property belonged to the City Farm and not to individuals. James G. Taggart was the auctioneer.
STATE REFORM SCHOOL LEDGERS, 1869-1907
The ledgers of the inmates of the State Reform School in Manchester list the individuals and the amount of their support. The school charged $2.00 per week per individual. Both boys and girls were inmates. $26.00 was the standard entry next to each name for a half year but there are entries for individuals with specific dates, indicating the day they first entered the facility and the pro-rated amount charged for their room and board. The rate decreased to $1.50 per week in October 1877.
In December 1881, the corporate name in the ledger changed to the State Industrial School.
JOURNAL OF BILLS FOR RELIEF OF INDIGENT SOLDIERS AND THEIR DEPENDENT FAMILIES, 1891-1916
The journal of bills for the Relief of Indigent Soldiers and their dependent families records the bills presented to the Board of the Overseers of the Poor for payment by ward designation, date, name and amount. At the end of each year, a report was entered in the journal, as given to the Mayor, Aldermen and Common Council, stating the number of indigent soldiers and the amount paid out for that year.
Payment to these individuals was in compliance with Sections 1 & 2, Chapter 81 of the Laws of the State of New Hampshire passed in 1881.
REPORTS OF THE OVERSEERS OF THE POOR, 1847, 1853, 1877, 1901-1910
The Overseers of the Poor presented bills to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for payment. Bills were either allowed (paid) or carried over to the next meeting. In 1847 many of the bills were designated "county" which meant the paupers originally came from outside of Manchester but had resided in Hillsborough county.
The reports of the Overseers of the Poor also provided the Board of Mayor and Aldermen with the total number of individuals needing assistance in a given year as well as the number of persons who died while in their care.
In 1878, there was a recommendation to abolish the House of Corrections, which was located on the City Farm, and to establish a hospital or insane asylum in its place. Much of the series in the later years addressed the needs of indigent soldiers.
There is an oversized Almshouse Report dated 1853.
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Administrative Information
The records of the City Farm and House of Corrections were arranged and described by archival assistant, Bonnie Kilby, in December 2000.
The journals of the Overseers of the Poor and of Indigent Soldiers were arranged and described by Kathie Gardner and Sally Fellows.
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Access
The records are open for research with restrictions. Researchers must receive permission from the archivist to reprint any portion of the material.
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Citation
The Records of the Overseers of the Poor, City of Manchester, New Hampshire.