New York State Governor Registers of Commitments to Prisons
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Overview of the Records
Repository:
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Summary:
These registers report summary information on incarcerated individuals committed to state correctional institutions and selected
county penitentiaries each month. Information is handwritten in columns on preprinted pages which were later bound into volumes
for each year. Monthly reports from each institution provide the following information: name of incarcerated individual; county
where convicted; crime; court; judge; date of sentence; date received at prison; term; and remarks (such as previous prison
terms).
Creator:
Title:
Registers of commitments to prisons
Quantity:
Quantity:
Inclusive Dates:
1842-1908
Series Number:
A0603
Arrangement
Chronological by year, then arranged by prison, then chronological by month, then sometimes roughly alphabetical by incarcerated
individual's last name.
Scope and Content Note
These registers report summary information on incarcerated individuals committed to correctional institutions each month.
No statute specifically required prison wardens to report this information to the governor, so it is unclear exactly why these
reports were made. However, legislation of 1847 (Chapter 460, Revised Statutes Part IV, Chapter 3, Section 53, Subdivision
8) required wardens to make detailed reports of committed individuals to the state prison inspectors, and the reports in this
series might have been abstracted from those detailed reports for use by the governor's office.
Information is handwritten in columns on preprinted pages which were later bound into volumes for each year. Monthly reports
from each prison provide the following information: name of incarcerated individual; county; crime; court; judge; date of
sentence; date received at prison; term; and remarks (e.g. noting previous prison terms).
Reports are present for the following institutions: Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women
(Auburn); New York Penitentiary (Blackwell's Island); Kings County Penitentiary (Brooklyn); Albany County Penitentiary (Albany);
Onondaga County Penitentiary (Syracuse); Monroe County Penitentiary (Rochester); Erie County Penitentiary (Buffalo); State
Reformatory at Elmira; Eastern New York Reformatory (Napanoch); New York House of Refuge; Western House of Refuge; and Western
House of Refuge for Women.
Alternate Formats Available
Items Online
The entire series is digitized and is available to New York State residents for free on Ancestry.com New York. You must sign
up for a free account to access these records without a paid subscription. To learn more, go to How to Use Ancestry.com New York
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Governor's Registers of Commitments to Prisons, 1842-1908 on Ancestry.com
Other Finding Aids
Available at Repository
Volume list is available at the repository.
Partial name index is available at the repository.
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.
Access Terms
Corporate Name(s):
Albany County Penitentiary (Albany, N.Y.)
Sing Sing Prison
Blackwell's Island Penitentiary (New York, N.Y.)
New York (State). Executive Department
Erie County Penitentiary (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Monroe County Penitentiary (Rochester, N.Y.)
Sing Sing Correctional Facility
Western House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents (Rochester, N.Y.)
Elmira Correctional Facility
Onondaga County Penitentiary (Syracuse, N.Y.)
Clinton Correctional Facility
Elmira Reformatory
Western House of Refuge for Women (Albion, N.Y.)
Auburn Correctional Facility
Kings County Penitentiary (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
New York (State). State Agricultural and Industrial School
Western Reformatory for Women
New York State Reformatory (Elmira, N.Y.)
Eastern New York Reformatory
New York State Prison for Women
Clinton Prison (Dannemora, N.Y.)
Albion State Training School (Albion, N.Y.)
House of Refuge (New York, N.Y.)
Auburn Prison
New York (State). State Industrial School
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):
Function(s):
Detailed Description
Contents |
Volume |
Accretion: A0603-78 |
Volume 1 |
1 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
Undated |
Missing |
11 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1849-1874 |
Auburn Prison |
22 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1844-1874 |
Sing Sing Prison |
33 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1857-1874 |
Clinton Prison |
44 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1875-1882 |
Auburn Prison |
55 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1875-1882 |
Sing Sing Prison |
66 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1875-1882 |
Clinton Prison |
77 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1883 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Erie
County prison or Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; New York
House of Refuge; Western House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents (Later known as the New York State Industrial School)
|
88 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1884 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Erie
County Prison or Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; State
Reformatory at Elmira; New York House of Refuge; Western House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents
|
99 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1885 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; State Reformatory at Elmira; New York
House of Refuge; Western House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents
|
1010 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1886 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Albany
County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary; State Reformatory
at Elmira; New York House of Refuge; Western House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents
|
1111 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1887 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Albany
County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Prison or Penitentiary; State Reformatory
at Elmira; New York House of Refuge; State Industrial School for Juvenile Delinquents (earlier name: Western House of Refuge
for Juvenile Delinquents; later name: New York State Industrial School); House of Refuge for Women
|
1212 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1888 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Erie
County Prison or Penitentiary; State Reformatory at Elmira; New York House of Refuge; State Industrial School for Juvenile
Delinquents; House of Refuge for Women
|
1313 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1889 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; House of Refuge for Women; New York House of Refuge; State Reformatory at
Elmira; Erie County Prison or Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary;
Kings County Penitentiary; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island
|
1414 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1890 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Reformatory at Elmira; House of Refuge for Women; New York House of
Refuge; Kings County Penitentiary; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County
Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Prison or Penitentiary
|
1515 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1891 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Albany
County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary; State Reformatory
at Elmira; New York House of Refuge; House of Refuge for Women
|
1616 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1892 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary; Albany
County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Prison or Penitentiary; New York
House of Refuge; House of Refuge for Women; State Reformatory at Elmira
|
1717 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1893 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings County Penitentiary;
Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary; State Reformatory
at Elmira; New York House of Refuge; House of Refuge for Women
|
1818 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1894 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; House of Refuge for Women; State Reformatory at Elmira
|
1919 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1895 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; Clinton Prison; State Reformatory at Elmira; House of Refuge for
Women; New York House of Refuge; Kings County Penitentiary; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Albany County Penitentiary;
Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Prison or Penitentiary
|
2020 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1896 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
House of Refuge for Women; New York House of Refuge
|
2121 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1897 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; House of Refuge for Women; State Reformatory at Elmira
|
2222 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1898 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
State Reformatory at Elmira; New York House of Refuge
|
2323 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1899 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; State Reformatory at Elmira
|
2424 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1900 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; State Reformatory at Elmira
|
2525 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1901 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; State Reformatory at Elmira
|
2626 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1902 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; Elmira Reformatory
|
2727 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1903 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
Elmira Reformatory; New York House of Refuge
|
2828 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1904 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
New York House of Refuge; Elmira Reformatory
|
2929 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1905 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women' Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
Elmira Reformatory
|
3030 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1906 |
Sing Sing Prison; Clinton Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Kings
County Penitentiary; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary;
Elmira Reformatory;
|
3131 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1907 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island; Albany
County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary; Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary; Elmira Reformatory;
Eastern New York Reformatory (Napanoch)
|
3232 |
Dates |
Contents |
Volume |
1908 |
Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; State Prison for Women; Clinton Prison; Albany County Penitentiary; Onondaga County Penitentiary;
Monroe County Penitentiary; Erie County Penitentiary; Elmira Reformatory; Eastern New York Reformatory (Napanoch); New York
Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island
|
3333 |