Research: Topics: Genealogy: Department of Corrections Records: Description
Records of the New York State Agricultural and Industrial School
In addition to the records of facilities maintained by the Department of Correctional Services, the State Archives also has a large amount of records from the New York State Agricultural and Industrial School and its predecessor, the Western House of Refuge. This institution is presently administered by the New York State Division for Youth. When the Western House of Refuge opened in 1849, it was the first state managed reformatory in the country. The institution confined males under the age of eighteen who had been convicted of felonies in courts located in the central and western part of the State. In 1876, a Female Department was established at the reformatory. In 1886, the name of the institution was changed to the State Industrial School and, in 1907, the reformatory received its present name. Administered by a Board of Managers from its beginning, the reformatory in 1927 was placed under the control of the Department of Charities. In 1929, this Department was renamed the Department of Social Welfare and in 1967 renamed again as the present Department of Social Services. In 1971, all training schools and facilities for juveniles, including the State Agricultural and Industrial School, were transferred to the administration of the Division for Youth in the Executive Department.
The following is a list of the records in the State Archives from the New York State Agricultural and Industrial School. Full descriptions of all of these records are available from the State Archives.
Admission, Parole, and Discharge Records
Inmate Case and Behavior Records
Photographs and Printed Material
Administrative Records
A1972. Administrative correspondence, 1870-1913. 6 cu. ft. (11 microfilm reels)
A1976. Parole agent's correspondence regarding paroled, transferred or escaped inmates, 1898-1911. .3 cu. ft.
A3069. Directives to the superintendent, 1903-1940. .6 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
A1904. Superintendent's orders to staff, 1891-1943. 2.5 cu. ft. (5 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
A1996. Register of outgoing mail, 1896-1897. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3117. Memoranda concerning orders, requests, or actions of institution officials, 1894-1904. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3129. Financial records of the institution, 1884-1893, bulk 1890-1893. .3 cu. ft. A3130. Superintendent's record of officers' attendance, 1895-1912. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3061. Register of employee leave time used and accumulated, 1917-1941. .5 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A1967. Daily population summaries, 1876-1944. 2 cu. ft. (8 volumes) (2 microfilm reels)
A1963. Inmate questionnaires concerning institution facilities, 1894. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3126. Registers of points and prizes awarded at annual exhibitions, 1911-1937. .1 cu. ft.
A1900. Minutes of the Board of Managers and Board of Visitors, 1849-1940. 3 cu. ft. (12 volumes) (2 microfilm reels)
A1901. Minutes of the Acting Committee (Executive Committee) of the Board of Managers, 1849-1898. 1.5 cu. ft. (3 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
A1964. Minutes of the Board of Classification, 1893-1909. 1 cu. ft. (3 volumes)
A3128. Superintendent's monthly reports to the Board of Visitors, 1926-1936. .3 cu. ft.
A3060. Monthly reports of the Board of Visitors, 1902-1936. .5 cu. ft.
A3056. Inspector's reports on conditions at the State Industrial School, 1902-1906. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3057. Minutes of meetings of a special committee of the Board of Visitors, 1938. .1 cu. ft.
A3058. Transcript of testimony taken by a special committee of the Board of Social Welfare investigating conditions at the school, 1938. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3064. Minutes of the Benefit Association of the Civil Service Employees of Industry, N.Y., 1910-1914. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A1903. Superintendent's daily journal, 1849-1889. 1 cu. ft. (7 volumes) (2 microfilm reels)
A1905. Matron's daily journals for the female department, 1887-1896. .5 cu. ft. (6 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
Admission, Parole, and Discharge Records
A1970. Admission registers, 1876-1960. 3 cu. ft. (6 volumes) (2 microfilm reels)A1965. Boys receiving books, 1896-1911. .5 cu. ft. (2 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
A1962. Lists of inmates returned to the institution, 1898-1904. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume) (1 microfilm reel)
A3053. Registers of commitments, 1896-1942. .5 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
A3127. Orders assigning inmates to religious divisions, 1899-1912. .5 cu. ft. (1 volume, 2 folders)
A1966. Inmate rosters, 1896-1907. 1 cu. ft. (3 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
A1969. Roster of male inmates in the institution, 1869-1873. .1 cu. ft.
A1902. Indenture agreements, 1851-1860. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume) (1 microfilm reel)
A3145. Registers of inmates approved for parole, 1897-1912. .1 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
A3119. Register of new and paroled inmates, 1919-1924. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3150. Lists of paroled inmates compiled by chaplains, 1888-1895. .1 cu. ft. A3141. Chaplain's rough notes on parole and religious instruction of inmates, 1890-1905. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3142. Catholic parole agent's record of employment and conduct of paroled inmates, 1887-1906. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3144. Parole agents' registers of occupation and conduct of paroled inmates, 1888-1908. 1 cu. ft. (5 volumes) A3147. Protestant parole officer's directory of contacts in various cities and rough notes on visits to paroled inmates, 1893-1902. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3149. Register of inmates approved for discharge, 1874-1876. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3067. Registers of outgoing inmates, 1901-1945. 1 cu. ft. (9 volumes)
A3250. Parole badge book, 1889-1897. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3148. Register of addresses of discharged female inmates, 1899-1904. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3137. Unidentified indexes to institution records, ca. 1870-1890. .5 cu. ft. (3 volumes)
Inmate Case and Behavior Records
A1906. Male inmate case history books, 1849-1939. R 16 cu. ft. (48 volumes) (25 microfilm reels)A3063. Name index to male inmate case history books, 1849-1867, 1891-1949. 2 cu. ft. (5 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
A1907. Female inmate case history books, 1876-1904. 2 cu. ft. (4 volumes) (2 microfilm reels)
A3118. Index to case files of female inmates, 1876-1904. .2 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A1960. Supplementary case files for male inmates, 1876-1913. 44 cu. ft. (36 microfilm reels)
A1961. Supplementary case files for paroled female inmates, 1879-1905. 4 cu. ft. (6 microfilm reels)
A3139. Brief case histories of male inmates, 1853-1860. .3 cu. ft. (3 volumes)
A3140. Rough notes for Chaplains' registers of inmate case histories, 1886-1898. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3143. Catholic parole agent's records of interviews with and institutional histories of inmates, 1887-1891. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3146. Chaplains' registers of inmate case histories, 1881-1907. 6 cu. ft. (16 volumes)
A3153. Indexes to Chaplains' registers of inmate case histories and parole agents' registers of occupation and conduct of paroled inmates, 1881-1904. .3 cu. ft. (3 volumes)
A3073. Inmate misconduct book, 1876-1880. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume) (1 microfilm reel)
A3136. Reports of inmate conduct and punishments for offenses, 1882-1897. 2.5 cu. ft. (7 volumes)
A3116. Weekly record of female inmates' behavior and badges earned, 1889-1900, bulk 1889-1895. .2 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3059. Daily record of escapes, 1919-1930. .1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
A3054. Registers of escapes from farm colonies, 1908-1940, bulk 1908-1935. .6 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
A1968. Registers of male inmates' educational level, 1849-1893. 1 cu. ft. (3 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
A3012. Male inmate school records, 1890-1892. 1 cu. ft. (2 volumes) (1 microfilm reel)
Photographs and Printed Material
1975. Photographs of inmates, staff, and facilities, ca. 1904-1930. 2.5 cu. ft. (1 microfilm reel)
A3120. Glass plate negatives of new facility, 1905-1920. 7 cu. ft. (71 negatives) (1 microfilm reel)
A3138. Newspapers published by inmates, 1917-1948. .3 cu. ft.
A3163. Printed items concerning school operations, ca. 1875- 1939. .2 cu. ft. (4 items)
A3125. Scrapbook of printed material concerning the State Industrial School, 1888-1905, bulk 1893-1894. .3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
