3. Provenance 5. Inventory 6. Subjects |
Dexter Asylum Records Almshouse, Providence, R.I. Records, 1828-1956 Size: 27 ft. Catalog number: MSS 67 Processed by: Kathryn Kulpa, December 1991 ©Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division |
Historical note:
The Dexter Asylum served as an institution for the care of the poor, aged and mentally ill of Providence from 1828 to 1957. The Asylum began through a bequest in the will of Ebenezer Knight Dexter (1773-1824), a wealthy citizen who had served on a town committee for poor relief. Dexter's gift to the town, though much needed at the time, later was seen as an anachronism--a walled and isolated "poor farm" in the midst of Providence's residential east side. Beginning in the 1920's, city officials, developers and assorted heirs made several attempts to change the conditions of the will, and in 1957, they finally succeeded. The Dexter Asylum property was sold to Brown University.
Ebenezer Dexter's will of 1824 left a property known as Neck Farm to Providence to be used for "the accommodation and support of the poor of said town... and for no other use or purpose whatever." The bulk of his estate was left to the city (then town) for the construction and upkeep of the asylum and the care of the poor. Dexter's will further called for the town to erect a stone wall around the property, forbade the town to sell Neck Farm, and specified that a town meeting of no less than "forty freemen" should be required for any action concerning the property.
Before Dexter's bequest, Providence had no institution for the care of the poor. Those unable to support themselves due to age or illness were cared for at town expense in private homes by caretakers who bid for the job. A committee formed soon after Dexter's death to oversee the donation, and town meetings from 1824 until the original building's completion in 1828 discussed the construction, operation and rules of the asylum.
In the mid-nineteenth century, as Providence grew, crowding became a problem at the asylum. The opening of Butler Hospital provided a new resource for the mentally ill, and some inmates were transferred there in 1847. In 1849 Thomas M. Burgess, mayor of Providence, called for either a limit on inmates or the construction of new buildings to accommodate the asylum's 190 men and women. The next year, the Board of Aldermen voted to limit inmates to 180. In 1867, the city commissioned "alterations and improvements" costing $120,000, and later sketches show an enlarged main building, but new buildings were not added. By the late 1870's, the inmate population had stabilized at around 100, where it would remain until the asylum's closing.
Living conditions, as depicted in early lists of rules and punishments, work records and daily menus, were hardly desirable by present standards. Visitors were permitted only once every three weeks; male and female inmates were strictly separated; the evening meal consisted of white bread and tea; and those found guilty of drinking, "immoral conduct," "loud talking or disrespectful behavior" or faking illness to avoid work were subject to "confinement in bridewell (a jail cell) for a time not exceeding three days, and of being kept on short allowance of food." An 1843 observer reported one-quarter of the inmates insane, yet medical records reveal no attempt at treating mental illness beyond confinement in the "maniac cells."
Legal wrangles between the city and the asylum began as early as 1872, when part of the stone wall around the Dexter property was knocked down during the widening of Hope Street. The city solicitor finally determined that Providence was not legally required to rebuild the wall. The city did restore the wall, but more conflicts were to come. In the 1920's, with rising real estate values and open space at a premium, city officials first tried to break up the property and sell it for house lots, then suggested making the land a public park. In 1926, the Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the provisions of Ebenezer Dexter's will, declaring that no part of the property could be sold--much to the disgust of city Alderman Sol S. Bromson, who declared that the city could board the inmates at the Biltmore Hotel for less than it cost to maintain the asylum. The will's stipulation that "forty freemen" be present for any meeting about the asylum was altered in 1940, when the state General Assembly allowed the city council to have all powers originally bestowed upon the freemen.
A 1941 article in the Providence Sunday Journal characterized the asylum as a "well-meaning legacy of a bygone day which has made time stand still." Vegetable farming had been abandoned in the late 1920's, and while dairy farming continued through the '40's, farm revenues were not enough to make the asylum self-supporting. In 1947, the battle to break the will resumed. Lawyers and genealogists searched through old records, trying to determine who had owned "Neck Farm" before Ebenezer Dexter. Could the heirs of this previous owner determine the fate of the property? Could Dexter's heirs? If the asylum was demolished, what would take its place--a housing development, a park? In 1956, Brown University President Barnaby Keeney proposed that the city sell or lease the property to the university for a gym and athletic complex: "If and when the Courts permit the City to dispose of this land, it must honor its obligation to the Dexter Trust by obtaining the best possible income for the support of the poor... the University is in a position to help."
Providence Mayor Walter H. Reynolds hesitated, noting that the land could provide space for as many as 150 new home sites. But in the end the Brown proposal proved the best offer; today the University's athletic complex stands on the former asylum site on Hope Street. In October, 1957, the Dexter Asylum submitted its final report to the city of Providence. Its 129-year history had come to an end.
Bibliography
Proceedings of the Town of Providence relative to the Dexter Donation & Dexter Asylum, with subsequent action thereon, as compiled by the city clerk (pamphlet, compiled 1879)
Bolan, Robert P. The Dexter Asylum (booklet, compiled 1941)
Creech, Margaret D. Three Centuries of Poor Law Administration (University of Chicago, 1936)
Providence City Documents (bound volumes, published annually)
Primary source material in the Records of the Dexter Asylum, Manuscript Collection, Rhode Island Historical Society.
Scope and content:
The collection consists primarily of business records kept by the management of the Dexter Asylum property. The bulk of the material is in bound volumes and the dates range from 1828-1956, while most of the collection falls between the 1850s to the 1920s. The volumes detail sales of farm products, purchases of groceries and other supplies, cost of repairs, bills owed and paid and other transactions. Boxes of bills and receipts are also included. Records of the farm, although mainly financial, are considered a separate series unless the original volume mixed farm accounts with general accounts of the asylum.
A substantial body of records deals with inmates of the asylum. Bound volumes and index cards list inmates from 1828-1955 and provide basic statistical information; other records covering limited periods of time concentrate on specific activities or areas of inmate life--for example, work records, physicians' records, and permits to leave the asylum.
Other records include correspondence kept by asylum officials (mainly dealing with daily business, such as ordering goods, but sometimes relating to inmates); court transcripts, notes and correspondence dealing with lawsuits; and inventories of asylum property, including furnishings and livestock.
The collection is divided into six series, as follows:
Series 1: Inmates
Subseries 1: Vital Statistics
Subseries 2: Clothing
Subseries 3: Punishment
Subseries 4: Medical
Subseries 5: Permits
Subseries 6: Work Records
Series 2: Correspondence
Series 3: Lawsuits
Series 4: Inventories
Series 5: Farm Records
Subseries 1: Livestock Records
Subseries 2: General Produce Records
Subseries 3: Milk Accounts
Subseries 4: Vegetable Accounts
Subseries 5: General Farm Accounts
Series 6: Financial Records
Subseries 1: Bills
Subseries 2: Payroll
Subseries 3: Maintenance and Repair Accounts
Subseries 4: Manufacturing Accounts
Subseries 5: Purchases/Expenses
Subseries 6: General Accounts
Series Description
Series 1. Inmates, 1828-1957 (6.5 lin. ft.)
Contains records relating to the admission of inmates into the asylum, their life within the asylum, and their eventual discharge, transferral, or death and burial. These records are often statistical in nature, rather than descriptive. Some admission records include personal data such as occupation, age, race and marital status of inmates and reason for admission (poverty, age, insanity, etc.)
One box in the series contains records of indentures from 1828-1844. Early inmates with "no visible means of support" were indentured to work at the asylum farm in return for room, board and clothing.
Physicians' and hospital records describe illnesses and injuries of inmates and how treated. Other records offer evidence of inmates' daily lives and conditions at the asylum: records of farm and house work performed by inmates, clothing allotted, punishments given for various rule violations, permission given for inmates to leave the asylum for the day.
Registers in the form of bound volumes list inmates from 1828-1955, but some materials cover only certain years; for example, there are medical records from 1854-1906 only, lists of clothing issued from 1847-1863 only, and a record of offenses from 1828-1869 only. There are records of burials from 1918-1932. Work records, more extensive, cover the period from 1889-1943.
Items of interest include a large bound volume, a register of inmates from 1828-1955, which lists names and ages of inmates, their birthplace, former address, and occupation, if known, and the date of their death or discharge. A short section for "Remarks" often provides such cryptic bits of information as "sick with lung trouble and rum" or "left asylum in a taxi." Newspaper clippings are sometimes pasted in the "Remarks" section, as with an abandoned infant discovered by police and sent to the asylum. Another source of information about inmates is a set of index cards, kept from about 1907-1924.
The series is divided into six subseries:
1: Vital Statistics (Admissions, discharges, indentures, etc.)
2. Clothing
3. Punishment (Rules violated and punishments administered)
4. Medical (Records of physicians and hospital)
5. Permits (For day trips outside asylum, including monies given)
6. Work (Daily work records)
The series are organized somewhat by format but primarily in chronological order.
Series 2. Correspondence, 1896-1898; 1922-1927 (.5 lin. ft.)
Contains letterpress copies of letters, mainly written by the superintendent of the asylum. Many relate to business: ordering of provisions, offering farm produce for sale, etc., but some relate to patients and employees. Examples include letters to relatives
of inmates informing them of an inmate's illness or death. The series is arranged in chronological order.
Series 3. Lawsuits, 1915, 1921-1926, 1947-1956 (l lin. ft.)
Includes a bound pamphlet describing the proceedings in the case of Helen O. Campbell vs. Joseph W. Mess (January 1915.) Campbell, a nurse at the asylum, charged that Mess, also a nurse, borrowed $21.10 from her during their employment and refused to repay the money. Papers from 1921-1926 involve an attempt by Providence residents to cut streets through the property. Papers from 1947-1956, including correspondence, bills for legal work and a magazine clipping, detail attempts by the city to break the provisions of the Dexter will; much genealogical information is included as the lawyers attempted to trace all descendants of Ebenezer Dexter. An article from the Brown Alumni Monthly describes the university's attempts to obtain the property for an athletic facility. Arranged in chronological order.
Series 4. Inventories, 1828-1911, 1914-1916, 1919-1928, 1930 (3 lin. ft.)
The asylum kept detailed inventories of both farm and living quarters, and these inventories, in bound volumes, are complete from 1828 through 1930, with the exception of the years 1912-1913 and 1917-1918. The inventories list all goods and estimate the value of each item.
This series includes volumes listing and appraising all property of the Dexter Asylum farm and living quarters, including furniture, cooking utensils, medical supplies, farm equipment and stock. The inventories were usually performed yearly and are arranged chronologically.
Series 5. Farm Records, 1853-1943 (6.5 lin. ft.)
For most of its existence, the Dexter Asylum was a working farm, and the collection includes detailed records of the farm's finances and production. Most of these records are in discrete volumes, separate from the general accounts of the asylum, although some are included with general financial records.
This series contains ledgers, record books and papers dealing specifically with the Dexter Asylum farm. Included are ledgers of sales of milk, vegetables and general produce; listings and descriptions (including pencil sketches and wool samples) of sheep and cattle and records of milk production; and account books showing the farm's expenses and earnings. Some ledgers list only milk sales or only vegetable sales, while others have both.
The series is divided into five subseries:
1. Livestock Records
2. General Produce Records
3. Milk Accounts
4. Vegetable Accounts
5. General Farm Accounts
Series 6. Financial Records, 1828-1949 (9.5 lin. ft.).
Includes all general financial records for the asylum. Some farm records are included in this series, if they are part of a general accounting record. Typical items are daily, weekly or yearly ledgers; records of yearly expenses and earnings; records of purchases (of food and supplies) and expenses for repair and maintenance; employee payroll records; and copies of bills and receipts. Also included are sales records (1828-1854) from a manufacturing business the asylum operated, making junk and oakum rope products used mainly by the shipping industry.
The series is divided into six subseries:
1. Bills
2. Payroll
3. Maintenance and Repair Accounts
4. Manufacturing Accounts
5. Purchases/Expenses
6. General Accounts
Provenance:
The records of the Dexter Asylum were donated by the Asylum on October 4, 1957, after the asylum closed.
Processing note:
The Collection was first labeled by Harold Kemble, but no guide was written. Ms. Kulpa labeled the volumes and wrote the guide. Two student volunteers rehoused the collection's volumes in boxes and revised the guide. The collection still needs some processing: many loose papers need to be unfolded and put in buffered folders and clip should be removed. Some material needs to be removed from a metal box. The collection was entered into OCLC in the AMC format.
The following volumes from the Dexter Asylum Records are available on two reels of microfilm in the Library's Reading Room at: Mfilm HV 99 .D 46:
Volume 1. Register of Inmate Admissions Jun 1828-Nov 1868
Box 16, Vol 2. Index to the Register of Inmate Admissions Jun 1828-Nov 1868
Volume 3. Register of Inmates at Dexter Asylum Aug 1828-Sep 1957
- chronological, with limited bio & medical info
Register of Inmates at the State Institute, Cranston Dec 1900-Apr 1923
Volume 4. Index of Inmates in 1828-1957 Register 1828-1957
Box 16, Vol 5. Register of Inmates May 1848-Jul 1868
- includes notes on admits, discharges, deaths & desertions
Box 16, Vol 6. List of Paupers Admitted 1870-1890
Volume 7. Register of Inmates 1889-1902
- includes punishment records, discharges, & list of
those working for the board
Box 30, Vol 8. Register of Inmates 1912-1938
- includes histories and index
Inventory:
Notes:
1) Items with a * next to them are oversized items
2) The volumes are stored according to size.
Series l : Inmates
Subseries 1: Vital Statistics
Box 1. Index Cards, Patient information 1907-1924
Box 2. Index Cards, Patient information 1924-1957
Box 3. Indentures 1828-1844
Box 4. Inmate Record Book 1897-1915
Admits and Discharges 1873-1881, 1890-1908
Box 5. Reports 1911-1929, 1949-1956
Box 6. Miscellaneous patient records 1936-1956
Admittance records A-Z 1915-1948
Volume 1. Register of Inmate Admissions Jun 1828-Nov 1868
(Use Microfilm)
Box 16, Vol 2. Index to the Register of Inmate Admissions Jun 1828-Nov 1868
(Use Microfilm)
*Volume 3. Register of Inmates at Dexter Asylum Aug 1828-Sep 1957
- chronological, with limited bio & medical info
Register of Inmates at the State Institute, Cranston Dec 1900-Apr 1923
(Use Microfilm)
*Volume 4. Index of Inmates in 1828-1957 Register 1828-1957
(Use Microfilm)
Box 16, Vol 5. Register of Inmates May 1848-Jul 1868
- includes notes on admits, discharges, deaths & desertions
(Use Microfilm)
Box 16, Vol 6. List of Paupers Admitted 1870-1890
(Use Microfilm)
Volume 7. Register of Inmates 1889-1902
- includes punishment records, discharges, & list of
those working for the board
(Use Microfilm)
Box 30, Vol 8. Register of Inmates 1912-1938
- includes histories and index
(Use Microfilm)
Box 18, Vol 9. Weekly Report of Inmate Stats May 1849-May 1868
- includes notes on admits, discharges, births & deaths
Box 18, Vol 10. Weekly Report of Inmate Stats May 1868-Feb 1884
- includes notes on admits, discharges, births & deaths
Box 18, Vol 11. Weekly Report of Inmate Stats Feb 1884-Sep 1911
- includes notes on admits, discharges, births & deaths
Box 18, Vol 12. Weekly Report of Inmate Stats Oct 1911-Mar 1934
- includes notes on admits, discharges, births & deaths
Box 21, Vol 13. Weekly Report of Inmate Stats Apr 1934-Oct 1957
- includes notes on admits, discharges, births & deaths
Subseries 2: Clothing
Box 16, Vol 14. Clothing Issued 1847-1863
Subseries 3: Punishment
Box 16, Vol 15. Record of Offenses Nov 1828-Feb 1869
Box 16, Vol 16. Rules & Regulations (3 copies) 27 Jun 1868
Subseries 4: Medical Records
Box 30, Vol 17. Physician Notes on Medical Treatments Aug 1851-Jan 1856
Box 17, Vol 18. Physician Notes on Medical Treatments Aug 1863-Mar 1864
Box 16, Vol 19. Register of Inmate Medical Condition Status Feb 1854-Jul 1867
Box 16, Vol 20. Register of Inmate Medical Condition Status Dec 1876-Sep 1891
Box 16, Vol 21. Register of Inmate Medical Condition Status Sep 1891-Mar 1906
Box 17, Vol 22. Quarterly Report Dec 1883-Sep 1885
- includes hospital admits, discharges, & deaths
Box 17, Vol 23. Quarterly Report Mar 1886-Sep 1887
- includes hospital admits, discharges, & deaths
Box 21, Vol 24. Grave Book with index Nov 1918-Nov 1926
Box 21, Vol 25. Grave Book with index Dec 1926-Nov 1932
Subseries 5: Permits
Box 21, Vol 26. Listings of Permitted Leave for Inmates Jan 1914-Nov 1917
Box 24, Vol 27. Listings of Permitted Leave for Inmates (females) Dec 1914-Jul 1924
Listings of Permitted Leave for Inmates (males) Jan 1914-Apr 1931
Subseries 6: Work
Box 30, Vol 28. Register of Employee Accounts w/index Dec 1889-Nov 1894
Box 30, Vol 29. Register of Employee Accounts w/index Mar 1899-Oct 1904
Box 24, Vol 30. Register of Employee Accounts w/index Mar 1904-Mar 1913
Box 30, Vol 31. Register of Employee Accounts w/index Mar 1913-Nov 1919
Box 16, Vol 32. Monthly Time Book w/Pay Rates (Admin) Jun 1914-Aug 1922
Box 16, Vol 33. Monthly Time Book w/Pay Rates (Admin) Sep 1922-Oct 1927
Box 16, Vol 34. Monthly Time Book w/Pay Rates (Admin) Nov 1927-Sep 1933
Box 16, Vol 35. Monthly Time Book w/Pay Rates (Admin) Oct 1933-Dec 1939
Box 19, Vol 36. Monthly Time Book w/Pay Rates (Admin) Jan 1940-Sep 1943
Box 19, Vol 37. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) May 1906-Mar 1917
Box 19, Vol 38. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Jun 1914-Jul 1916
Box 19, Vol 39. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Aug 1916-Dec 1918
Box 19, Vol 40. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Jan 1919-Nov 1920
Box 19, Vol 41. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Nov 1920-Jul 1924
Box 19, Vol 42. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Jul 1924-Mar 1928
Box 19, Vol 43. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Mar 1928-Nov 1930
Box 19, Vol 44. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Nov 1930-Sep 1933
Box 19, Vol 45. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Oct 1933-Jul 1936
Box 19, Vol 46. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Aug 1936-Jan 1938
Box 20, Vol 47. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Jan 1938-Sep 1940
Box 20, Vol 48. Weekly Time Book w/Rate of Pay (Underling) Oct 1940-Oct 1943
Series 2: Correspondence
Box 24, Vol 49. Letter Copies (outgoing correspondence) 1896-1899
Box 24, Vol 50. Letter Copies (outgoing & ingoing) 1920-1927
Series 3: Lawsuits
*Box 7. Dexter Asylum Lawsuits 1921-1956
Box 24, Vol 51. Lawsuit. Helen O. Campbell vs. Joseph W. Mess 1915
Series 4: Inventories
Box 20, Vol 52. Inventory of Equipment, Supplies, & Goods 1828-1846
Box 20, Vol 53. Inventory of Equipment, Supplies, & Goods 1847-1855
Box 20, Vol 54. Inventory of Equipment, Supplies, & Goods 1855-1868
Box 20, Vol 55. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies Jun 1868
Box 26, Vol 56. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1868-1870
Box 26, Vol 57. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1871-1872
Box 26, Vol 58. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1873-1878
Box 26, Vol 59. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1879-1882
Box 26, Vol 60. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1883-1886
Box 26, Vol 61. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1887-1890
Box 26, Vol 62. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1891-1895
Box 26, Vol 63. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1896-1904
Box 26, Vol 64. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1897-1903
Box 26, Vol 65. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1905-1911
Box 26, Vol 66. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1914-1916
Box 27, Vol 67. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1919-1923
Box 27, Vol 68. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1924-1927
Box 17, Vol 69. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1926
Box 17, Vol 70. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1928
Box 17, Vol 71. Inventory/Appraisal of Equipment/Supplies 1930
Series 5: Farm Records
Subseries 1: Livestock Records (See also Volumes 77-78)
Box 27, Vol 72. Breed & Pedigree Info for Dexter Cattle 1835-1845
- includes illustrations
Box 30, Vol 73. Record Book of Cattle Pedigrees 1864-1896
Box 30, Vol 74. Journal of Services of Bulls 1889-1895
Box 30, Vol 75. Record of Bull & Boar Accounts (in 3 sections) Apr 1895- Nov 1913
Box 27, Vol 76. Charts of Cattle Maintenance & Production 1926-1927
Subseries 2: General Produce Records
Box 20, Vol 77. Receipt Book. Sales of Produce & Use of Livestock 1853-1861
Box 20, Vol 78. Account Book of Produce Sales 1856-1867
Journal of Services of Bulls (back of volume) 1856-1868
Box 20, Vol 79. Account Book of Produce Sales w/index 1863-1868
Box 22, Vol 80. Journal of Produce Sales 1869
Account Book of Produce Sales 1869-1870
Box 22, Vol 81. Account Ledger. Sales of Produce w/index 1869-1878
Volume 82. Account Book of Produce Sales w/index 1871-1874
Box 26, Vol 83. Cash Journal of Produce Sales Sep 1877-Jul 1879
Box 26, Vol 84. Cash Journal of Produce Sales Jul 1879-Nov 1881
Box 26, Vol 85. Cash Journal of Produce Sales Nov 1881-May 1884
Box 26, Vol 86. Cash Journal of Produce Sales May 1884-Jul 1886
Box 26, Vol 87. Cash Journal of Produce Sales Jul 1886-Aug 1888
Box 30, Vol 88. Account Book of Milk & Produce Sales w/index 1889-1891
Box 30, Vol 89. Account Book of Milk & Produce Sales w/index 1891-1893
Box 31, Vol 90. Account Book of Milk & Produce Sales w/index 1893-1895
Box 31, Vol 91. Account Book of Milk & Produce Sales w/index 1894-1897
Box 31, Vol 92. Account Book of Milk & Produce Sales w/index 1896-1899
*Volume 93. Daily Milk & Produce Records Dec 1889-Nov 1897
*Volume 94. Daily Milk & Produce Records Dec 1897-Aug 1905
*Volume 95. Daily Milk & Produce Records Aug 1905-Jul 1913
Box 22, Vol 96. Account Book of Milk & Produce Sales w/index 1911-1915
*Volume 97. Daily Milk & Produce Records Aug 1913-Jun 1914
*Volume 98. Daily Milk & Produce Records Jul 1914-Aug 1922
Box 22, Vol 99. Cash Journal of Produce Sales Aug 1917-Jun 1923
Box 22, Vol 100. Account Book of Produce & Manure Sales 1919-1926
*Volume 101. Daily Milk & Produce Records 1922-1928
Box 22, Vol 102. Account Book of Milk, Produce & Manure Sales May 1922-Apr 1928
Box 22, Vol 103. Cash Journal of Milk & Produce Sales Jul 1923-Apr 1929
Box 22, Vol 104. Cash Journal of Milk & Produce Sales May 1929-Sep 1939
Subseries 3: Milk Accounts (See also Series 5 Subseries 2 for additional milk accounts)
Box 22, Vol 105. Milk & Cream Ledger w/index Feb 1871-Dec 1875
Box 22, Vol 106. Milk & Cream Ledger w/index Dec 1898-Mar 1905
Box 22, Vol 107. Milk & Cream Ledger w/index Mar 1905-Sep 1911
Volume 108. Milk Ledger Jun 1914-Feb 1925
Volume 109. Milk Ledger Mar 1925-Nov 1926
*Volume 110. Milk & Cream Ledger Dec 1926-Oct 1938
Box 23, Vol 111. Milk Ledger Oct 1938-Jul 1943
Subseries 4: Vegetable Accounts
Box 26, Vol 112. Vegetable House Accounts #1 Dec 1889-Sep 1890
Box 26, Vol 113. Vegetable House Accounts #2 Sep 1890-Jun 1891
Box 26, Vol 114. Vegetable House Accounts #3 June 1891-Nov 1891
Box 26, Vol 115. Vegetable House Accounts #4 Nov 1891-May 1892
Box 26, Vol 116. Vegetable House Accounts #5 Jun 1892-Oct 1892
Box 26, Vol 117. Vegetable House Accounts #6 Oct 1892- May 1893
Box 28, Vol 118. Vegetable House Accounts #7 May1893 -Oct 1893
Box 28, Vol 119. Vegetable House Accounts #8 Oct 1893-May 1894
Box 28, Vol 120. Vegetable House Accounts #9 May 1894-Sep 1894
Box 28, Vol 121. Vegetable House Accounts #10 Sep 1894-May 1895
Box 28, Vol 122. Vegetable House Accounts #11 May 1895-Sep 1895
Box 28, Vol 123. Vegetable House Accounts #12 Sep 1895-Mar 1896
Box 28, Vol 124. Vegetable House Accounts #13 Mar 1896-Jul 1896
Box 28, Vol 125. Vegetable House Accounts #14 Jul 1896-Dec 1896
Box 28, Vol 126. Vegetable House Accounts #15 Dec 1896-Jun 1897
Box 28, Vol 127. Vegetable House Accounts #16 Jun 1897-Oct 1897
Box 28, Vol 128. Vegetable House Accounts #17 Oct 1897-May 1898
Box 28, Vol 129. Vegetable House Accounts #18 May 1898-Sep 1898
Box 28, Vol 130. Vegetable House Accounts #19 Sep 1898-Mat 1899
Box 28, Vol 131. Vegetable House Accounts #20 May 1899-Sep 1899
Box 27, Vol 132. Index to Accounts in 2 Charge Ledgers Jul 1923-Mar 1924
- see Volume 98 & Volume 101
Vegetable Accounts May 1935-Sep 1943
Subseries 5: General Farm Accounts
Box 28, Vol 133. Farm Accounts Aug 1888-Aug 1890
Box 28, Vol 134. Farm Accounts Sep 1890-Sep 1892
Box 28, Vol 135. Farm Accounts Oct 1892-Jul 1894
Box 28, Vol 136. Farm Accounts Jul 1894-Feb 1896
Box 28, Vol 137. Farm Accounts Mar 1896-Nov 1897
Box 28, Vol 138. Farm Accounts Dec 1897-Nov 1899
Box 28, Vol 139. Farm Accounts Dec 1899-Nov 1901
Box 28, Vol 140. Farm Accounts Dec 1901-Nov 1903
Box 28, Vol 141. Farm Accounts Nov 1903-Apr 1906
Box 28, Vol 142. Farm Accounts May 1906-May 1908
Box 28, Vol 143. Farm Accounts May 1908-Mar 1910
Box 28, Vol 144. Farm Accounts Apr 1910-Oct 1911
Series 6: Financial Records
Subseries 1: Bills
Box 8. Schedule of Bills 1830, 1868-1878
Box 9. Schedule of Bills 1877-1887
Box 10. Schedule of Bills 1889-1891
Box 1l. Schedule of Bills 1893-1902
Box 12. Schedule of Bills 1900-1909
Box 23, Vol 145. "Current Expenses," Record of Bills Paid 1872-1898
Box 23, Vol 146. "Current Expenses," Record of Bills Paid 1899-1914
Subseries 2: Payroll
Box 13. Dexter Asylum Employees, Payroll Records 1940-1945
Box 14. Dexter Asylum Employees, Payroll Records 1945-1951
Box 15. Dexter Asylum Employees, Payroll Records 1951-1956
Subseries 3: Maintenance & Repair
Box 31, Vol 147. Repairs & Improvements (to the building) 1832-1840
Box 23, Vol 148. Repairs & Improvements (to the walls & buildings) Oct 1835-Nov 1884
Box 23, Vol 149. Repairs & Improvements (to the walls & buildings) Oct 1878-Oct 1939
Subseries 4: Manufacturing Accounts
Box 23, Vol 150. Record of Sale of Manufactures Nov 1828-Oct 1854
Subseries 5: Purchases/Expenses
Box 23, Vol 151. Account of Expenses Spent on Supplies/Departs Aug 1828-Jul 1851
Box 25, Vol 152. Detailed Quarterly Expenses Jul 1851-Apr 1868
Final Yearly Expenses 1828-1860
Box 25, Vol 153. Quarterly Expenses on Provisions/Supplies Nov 1829-Feb 1869
Box 25, Vol 154. Brief Account of Supply Expenses w/index 1848
Box 31, Vol 155. Ledger of Meat, Produce, and Supply Purchases Nov 1852-Dec 1862
Box 18, Vol 156. Quarterly lists Aug 1855-Jul 1864
- includes goods purchased and bills to pay/collect
Box 31, Vol 157. Ledger of Meat & Supply Purchases Feb 1862-Apr 1863
Inventory (incomplete) 1876
Box 25, Vol 158. Lists of Provision and Supply Purchases w/index Jun 1912-Nov 1914
*Volume 159. Monthly Schedule of Bills Dec 1919-Sep 1921
*Volume 160. Monthly Schedule of Bills Oct 1921-Nov 1923
*Volume 161. Monthly Schedule of Bills Dec 1923-Dec 1925
*Volume 162. Monthly Schedule of Bills Jan 1926-Sep 1928
Box 25, Vol 163. Grocery Expenses Oct 1937-Aug 1939
Box 25, Vol 164. Food Purchases Aug 1939-Sep 1940
*Volume 165. Categorized Accounts Oct 1943-Sep 1949
- includes salaries, receipts, allotments, and expenses
on supplies and services
Subseries 6: General Accounts
Box 25, Vol 166. General Accounts Aug 1828-Mar 1850
Box 31, Vol 167. Ledger of Quarterly Expense Totals Oct 1828- Apr 1868
Box 25, Vol 168. General Accounts Mar 1850-Nov 1871
Box 25, Vol 169. Cash Ledger Dec 1889-Sep 1905
Box 31, Vol 170. Daily Balance Ledger of Stocks & Bank Account May 1900-Sep 1902
Box 29, Vol 171. Daily Balance Ledger of Stocks & Bank Account Sep 1902-Feb 1905
Box 29, Vol 172. Daily Balance Ledger of Stocks & Bank Account Feb 1905-Sep 1908
Box 25, Vol 173. Cash Ledger Sep 1905-Jun 1914
Box 29, Vol 174. Daily Balance Ledger of Stocks & Bank Account Sep 1908-Apr 1912
Box 29, Vol 175. Daily Balance Ledger of Stocks & Bank Account Apr 1912-Jun 1914
Subjects:
Almshouses - Rhode Island - Providence.
Asylums - Rhode Island - Providence.
Charitable bequests - Rhode Island - Providence.
Farms - Rhode Island - Providence.
Neck Farm (Providence, R.I.)
People with mental disabilities - Institutional care - Rhode Island.
Poor - Rhode Island - Providence.
Public welfare - Rhode Island - Providence.
Vital statistics - Rhode Island - Providence.
End of finding aid - return to top
RIHS1822