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• Overview
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Auburn Prison registers of Incarcerated Male Individuals Discharged

Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources

Overview of the Records

Arrangement

Volume 1: alphabetical by first letter of last name.

Volume 2-8: chronological by discharge date.

Scope and Content Note

These volumes record incarcerated individuals discharged from Auburn Prison. The Correction Law requires records of all incarcerated individuals discharged to be kept. The first volume, dating from 1817, contains the following information: name of individual; where born; age; complexion; height; occupation; county; judge; number of previous convictions; crime; when sentenced; time of sentence; and when and how discharged. The first volume, covering period 1817-1869, lacks all entries for last names starting with letters D through T, and possibly some entries for last names starting with letters C and S. The second volume, also arranged alphabetically by first letter of last name, contains the following information on incarcerated individuals released during the 1870s: name; age; shop; county; date of sentence; term in years and months; and date of discharge.

Two volumes dating from 1869 to 1894 contain the following information: name of incarcerated individual; when discharged from prison; county where convicted; date of conviction; court; crime; nature and duration of sentence; former trade or occupation; employment in prison; whether so employed when arrested; color; age; place of nativity; degree of instruction; physical description; number of times previously confined in state prison; number of times previously confined in county prison; crime for which before confined in state prison; crime for which before confined in county prison; duration of punishment when before in prison; to what prison previously sent; date of present pardon; how discharged (commuted, pardon, death, asylum); by whom pardoned; social relations; parents; children; habits of life; cannot read; read only; read and write; well educated; classical education; religious instructions; how committed; by whom committed; unexpired time; conditions of pardon if any; state of health when committed; state of health when discharged; and value of articles stolen.

The last three volumes, covering 1908 through 1949, contain the following information: discharge number; register number; when discharged from prison; name of incarcerated individual; county where convicted; court; judge; how committed; crime; date of conviction; nature and duration of sentence; when received in prison; nativity; age; description of stature; color; degree of instruction; former trade or occupation; weight when received; weight when discharged; employment in prison; habits of life; ability to read and write; how discharged (commutation, paroled, expiration, transferred, otherwise); unexpired time; social relations; parents; children; religious instruction; state of health when committed; and state of health when discharged.

Alternate Formats Available

Items Online

This series (records dating from 1816-1942) 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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Auburn Prison registers of Incarcerated Male Individuals Discharged on Ancestry.com

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Volume list.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.

Access Terms

Detailed Description