New York State Department of Social Welfare Division of State Institutions Minutes of Meetings of Boards of Visitors and…

Arranged by institution, then chronological by year and month.

This series contains the department's copies of minutes of meetings of boards of visitors and monthly reports of superintendents and department heads at the following state institutions: Thomas Indian School; Woman's Relief Corps Home; State Agricultural and Industrial School; State Training School for Girls at Hudson; and State Training Schools for Boys at Highland, New Hampton, Otisville, and Warwick.

The first four institutions were placed under the "jurisdiction, supervision and control" of the Department of Charities (Department of Social Welfare after 1929) in 1926 (Chapter 651). The training schools for boys were opened later under department supervision.

The minutes of meetings of boards of visitors (usually monthly) record mostly routine activities of the boards (e.g. acceptance of reports of institutions) and report summary statistics of institutional population or farm production. Occasionally they contain information on other topics discussed by a board, such as legislative revision, general practices or programs at an institution, or formal approval or disapproval of applications to the Woman's Relief Corps Home.

Monthly reports of superintendents of institutions to the board of visitors cover a variety of topics. A general report by the superintendent usually summarizes program activities and progress, official visitors to the institution, changes in physical facilities, and population changes. Accompanying the superintendents' reports are reports from the heads of departments. These vary according to the institution, but may include any or all of the following: parole department - list of all discharges, escapees, AWOLs, and parole violators; medical department, hospital, or clinic - lists of treatments provided, occasionally a detailed report of a specific illness, injury, or death (Note: diagnoses of illnesses and causes of death are listed, with patients' names, for residents of the Woman's Relief Corps Home); dental department - lists of treatments provided, sometimes including names of patients; "Special Program" summary (Annex only) - list of inmates placed in detention giving dates and nature of infraction; social service department or social worker - general information on rehabilitation programs, outplacement or parole of inmates, sometimes including case histories; psychologist - review of testing programs; education department - class schedules and activities; vocational department - activities in shop facilities; farm production; recreation department - sporting and entertainment events attended or staged by inmates; accounting department - financial report; engineering or maintenance department - repairs and maintenance of buildings and equipment; and Protestant or Catholic chaplains - religious services and classes held, counseling activities.

The records in this series were bound at irregular intervals in prong fastener dividers.

B0645-94: This accretion consists of reports of receipts and expenditures concerning maintenance of the New York State Women's Relief Corps Home at Oxford. They were submitted to the superintendent of purchases by the treasurer of the institution as required by law. The reports cover two periods: July 1928 to June 1929; and July 1931 to June 1932. There are no reports for 1930.

The reports were created pursuant to sections 45 through 48 of the State Charities Law (as amended by Chapters 662 and 663 of the Laws of 1913 and Chapter 517 of the Laws of 1914) which required that quarterly or monthly estimates of expenses be submitted by the superintendent or managing officer of each state institution to the fiscal supervisor, and that the treasurer provide monthly statements of receipts and expenditures. The treasurer's statement required verification by an affidavit of the treasurer and an affidavit of the institution's steward as to the payment for the goods and services specified in the report.

The title page of each monthly report is a preprinted form that gives the name of the institution; date for which the report was prepared; date the report was forwarded to the fiscal supervisor; and spaces for information to be provided by the fiscal supervisor's office (usually blank).

The treasurer's reports are completed standard forms that show the name of the institution, month and year of report, type of report, and estimate number. There are separate sheets listing items by category of personal service; food; fuel, light, power, and water; clothing; furniture and household supplies; medical care and supplies; farm and garden; road, grounds and walks; general administration; office expenses; traveling expenses; fixed charges and contributions; building repairs; and materials. Information for each category is supplied in typescript in a columnar format, typically including such data as voucher number, item number, names of employees, amount and kind of articles, name of claimant, price, amount, and total.

A second preprinted form is a summary of receipts itemizing information in all of the categories listed in the treasurer's reports. There are also some entries under miscellaneous receipts. The receipts form has columns for amounts on hand at the first of the month; received from the state treasury; received from refunds; deficit at the end of the month; and total. Amounts are entered in typescript and totaled at the bottom of each column.

A third preprinted form is a summary of disbursements for the month listing the same items as the summary of receipts. The form has columns for amounts of deficit on the first of the month; expenditures for the month; balance at the end of the month; and total. This form includes the affirmation of the treasurer and purchasing officer of the institution.

Sometimes a final form appears reporting on "special funds," most often stating there are no receipts or expenditures during the month.

A0283Series A0283, Monthly Reports and Minutes of Meetings of Boards of Managers of State Institutions (Governor's Office), contains additional reports predating those found in this series

A0710Series A0710, Resident Case Files, contains related records on veterans and their dependents who were admitted to the New York State Woman's Relief Corps Home.

B0645-94: These reports were apparently alienated from the series at some unknown date. They were returned to the State Archives by staff of the New York State Museum in 1993.

Partially restricted in accordance with Executive Law, Section 501-c(1)(b), relating to confidentiality of individuals in custody of the Division for Youth (now Office of Children and Family Services).