Seen here is an Eastern State Penitentiary convict schedule from June 30, 1886 produced by the Penns
Seen here is an Eastern State Penitentiary convict schedule from June 30, 1886 produced by the Pennsylvania Board of Public Charities. Formed in 1869 to inspect all public and private institutions for the poor, the Pennsylvania Board of Public Charities produced reports detailing the conditions found at these institutions and submitted them to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Among other institutions, the Pennsylvania Board of Public Charities inspected the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and the Western State Penitentiary in Pittsburgh and produced quarterly reports on their findings. The National Archives at Philadelphia holds these quarterly reports for the years 1885-1886, and they have been fully digitized and will soon be completely available in the catalog. The reports provide a wealth of information on the statistics of both prisons in the 19th century, including “Discharge Statements” listing the names of prisoners, their crimes, and their occupations. These statements also include information on a prisoner’s physical and mental health upon discharge, their “weight when received” and their “weight when discharged”, and their intended residence. “Convict Schedules” are also included in the reports and list the names of prisoners, their crimes, their occupations, and their sentences, as well as addressing interesting fields such as “parental relations,” “education,” and “habits.” Instances of illness are also included in the reports, as well as general information such as age and gender.Want to learn more about these records? You’ll soon be able to review all of them in our online catalog here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/566740. Interested in learning more about Pennsylvania State Penitentiaries? Records relating to Eastern and Western State Penitentiaries are held by many institutions across the state, including Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania State Archives, American Philosophical Society, and more.Today’s post was written by Amy Carr, Summer Digitization Intern at the National Archives at Philadelphia. -- source link
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