Research: Topics: Education: New York House of Refuge
New York House of Refuge
Administrative Records
A2051. Minutes of the Board of Managers, 1857-1935. 4 cubic feet. (13 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological.
These are minutes of monthly, annual, and special meetings of the Managers of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents. Typical of contents are: resolutions of the Board; lists of bills audited by the Executive Committee; lists of committee appointments; amendments to bylaws; summaries of financial reports; appointments of officers and employees; and reports and resolutions of committees.
Indexes: The last volume is a name and subject index of volumes 3 to 5.
Available on microfilm.
A2053. Committee reports to the Board of Managers, 1857- 1889. .3 cubic foot. (2 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological.
These are reports of standing and special committees appointed by the Board of Managers. The Committees and their responsibilities included: Indenturing Committee - concerned with inmate indenturing procedures; Insurance Committee - prepared reports on insurance contracts for facilities; Theatre Committee - concerned with revenues collected from municipal theater license fees; School Committee - hired and determined compensation for teachers and other personnel; Classification Committee - concerned with policies for segregation of inmates according to behavior; and Special Committees - such as a committee to recommend purchase of fire apparatus and a Building Committee concerned with improved facilities.
Indexes: Alphabetical by name and by subject of reports and correspondence.
Available on microfilm.
A2091. Visiting Committee minutes, 1844-1893. .3 cubic foot. (1 volume)
Arrangement: Chronological by date of visit.
These are reports of weekly inspection visits to the reformatory. The Visiting Committee functioned as a liaison between the Acting Committee of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents and the institution's officers. The reports mention such matters as: illnesses and deaths of inmates; presence of staff; facility conditions, especially cleanliness; and discipline or disorder in workshops.
Available on microfilm.
A2057. Ladies' Committee minutes, 1825-1831 and 1855-1893. 1 cubic foot. (2 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological.
These are minutes of committee meetings and reports of committee visits to the Girl's Division. Committee reports usually discuss the following: conditions of facilities, clothing, and food; discipline and relations between matron and inmates; education and recitation of Biblical verses; and health of inmates and staff.
Available on microfilm.
A2059. Building Committee minutes, 1851-1861. .1 cubic foot. (1 volume)
Arrangement: Chronological.
These are meeting minutes of the committee charged with constructing, equipping and maintaining the new Randalls Island facility which opened in 1854. The minutes provide such information as estimates for construction; abstracts of bids; bills for expenses; awarding of contracts; names of supply and construction contractors; approval of bills; and progress of construction, based on reports from the architect.
Available on microfilm.
A2058. School Committee minutes, 1855-1916. 1 cubic foot. (3 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological.
These are minutes of meetings and reports of weekly committee visits to the school. Responsibilities of the committee as revealed in these records included: hiring and compensation of staff; ordering of supplies; provision of religious instruction; and record-keeping, especially of pupil punishment by staff.
Indexes: Alphabetical by name of school staff for 1855-1897 (volumes 1 and 2).
Available on microfilm.
A2092. Indenturing Committee minutes, 1827-1839 and 1861- 1913. 4 cubic feet. (12 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological by committee meeting dates.
This committee met periodically with the Superintendent to review matters concerning inmate apprenticeships. The minutes document committee actions on the following matters: review of applications from prospective masters, including the applicant's name and relationship, if any, to the inmate, the inmate's name and case number and the committee's decision, including reasons for applications denied; review of the master's conduct reports for apprenticed inmates; requests by masters to absolve indentures; attempts to recover runaway inmates; rules governing apprenticeships; and review of parole requests beginning in 1911.
Indexes: Each volume contains an alphabetical index by inmate name.
Finding aids: Volume list.
Available on microfilm.
A2071. Chaplain's reports to the Indenturing Committee, 1863-1874. 1892. .3 cubic foot. (1 volume)
Arrangement: Chronological.
These are brief narrative reports made by the reformatory's Protestant chaplains, who functioned also as "home visitation agents" or parole agents from 1863 until 1894. The chaplain made visits to evaluate an inmate's former home, the master's home of an indentured inmate, or the home of a paroled inmate. Depending on the reason for a visit, each report contains information about some of the following: master's name, residence, and occupation; master's treatment of inmate; inmate's habits of school and church attendance; residence, occupation, and economic status of inmate's family; conditions of inmate's house; whether inmate's family will take back inmate; and recommendations whether to return inmate to family on parole.
Indexes: Alphabetical by inmate's last name.
Available on microfilm.
A2093. Special reports to the Executive Committee, 1901- 1909. 2 cubic feet. (5 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological by date of meeting at which materials were reviewed.
These volumes contain correspondence and related items submitted by the Superintendent to the Executive Committee. The documents were reviewed at the Committee's weekly meetings and were the basis for many of their actions and decisions. The records include letters written by the Superintendent, letters referred by the Superintendent to the Committee, and related materials such as news clippings. Materials were submitted to the Committee to report on such administrative matters as: employee salaries and salary classification issues; legislation affecting the institution, such as appropriations bills; progress of construction, repair, or maintenance work; estimates and summaries of expenditures; hiring, firing, and resignation of employees; and special disciplinary cases (e.g. inmate assaults on employees).
A2060. Reception and Parole Committee minutes, 1921-1929. .3 cubic foot. (3 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological by date of meeting.
These minutes summarize the committee's consideration of parole in regard to new inmates, inmates eligible for parole according to institution rules, inmates who applied for parole, and inmates returned to the institution for violating parole. The minutes list inmates' names and numbers and the action to earn parole; investigation to be made; father applied in prison; denied; and S.W.P. (parole approved; meaning of initials is unclear).
A2061. Managers' facility inspection reports, 1897-1902. .2 cubic foot. (2 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological by date of inspection.
These reports concern the condition of shops, dormitories, hospital facilities, and other buildings and of the inmates at the institution. Different managers stressed different aspects of the institution, but all reported on condition of the facilities such as: needs painting; in good order; panes of glass out; freshly painted and in good order; floor need repairing; recover steam pipes with asbestos and canvas.
In the margins of the reports or on the right hand page opposite the report are comments, apparently by the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent, regarding needed actions taken or to be taken.
A2052. Acting Committee minutes, 1824-1935. 4 cubic feet. (13 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological.
The minutes relate to the institution's maintenance, finances, education, employment, and other matters and contain: resolutions of the committee; list of bills presented for approval; and reports of committees of the Managers. Routine inmate census data include: number of male/female, white/black; number in each division; number discharged and indentured (starting at mid-19th century); and number in hospital (starting at mid-19th century).
Finding aids: Volume list.
A2063. Register of honorary members of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, 1874-1884. .1 cubic foot. (1 volume)
Arrangement: Chronological by nomination date.
This volume lists 34 persons elected by the Society's Board of Managers as honorary members of the Society. For each honorary member, the register provides: name; address; occupation (sometimes); by whom nominated (name of Manager); date nominated; date elected (same as date nominated); date accepted nomination (sometimes); date accepted election (sometimes) (same as date accepted nomination); date died or resigned (sometimes); and remarks; date elected Manager, date resigned as Manager (sometimes).
Indexes: Alphabetical name index at front of volume.
A2081. Proceedings relating to the dissolution of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the City of New York, 1935. .1 cubic foot.
Arrangement: Chronological by date of meeting.
Meeting minutes and related records document the dissolution of the Society following the closing of the New York House of Refuge and the transfer of inmates to the New York State Vocational Institution in West Coxsackie. The series contains: minutes of special meetings held June 27, October 10, and December 12, 1935 to discuss return of the site to New York City, disposition of unexpended funds, and other matters related to dissolution of the Society; certificates of notification of Society members of each special meeting scheduled; copies of meeting notices sent to members; proxies sent in for June 27 meeting; copy of certificate of dissolution (original recorded and filed in Secretary of State's office); and balance sheets itemizing expenditure of some remaining funds.
