Research

Scope and Content Note

These are standard forms recording inmates admitted to or discharged from the alms house or its hospital. Legislation of 1896 required the keeper or principal officer of charitable institutions to submit to the Superintendent of State Alien and Poor (member of the Board of Charities) within three days of admission or discharge the names of persons admitted, discharged, died, or "absconded".

A form was submitted for each day even if there were no admissions or discharges that day. The left side of the form records alms house admissions and discharges; the right side records the same information for the hospital. Each entry provides inmate's name; inmate's address (this is sometimes a street address and sometimes only the name of a city or town; "City" refers to residents of the city of Albany); and date admitted, readmitted, or discharged (for discharged inmates, admission is also given; deaths are recorded under "Discharged").