The Eighteenth Century Records of the Boston Overseers of the Poor includes the 
Almshouse Admissions, November 9, 1758 – December 31, 1774 and Almshouse Admissions, January 1, 1775 – September, 30, 1788.
From these lists Eric Nellis has noted the period after 1780 showed more African Americans entering the Almshouse, after the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 effectively ended slavery in Massachusetts.
From these admission lists, we have developed database of Almshouse Admissions, which is searchable for African-Americans (‘Black’, ‘Negro’, ‘Mulatto’) and Foreign-born admitted between 1775 and 1800.
Activities
African-Americans, Mulatto, and Indian Admissions
The African-American residency rates for the Boston Almshouse increased dramatically after the 1780 Massachusetts Slave Emancipation (see ‘Boston Population’ chart below). In 1780 African-Americans represented between six and seven percent of almshouse admissions, however, their proportion of the Boston population was only between four and five percent (see ‘Boston Almshouse and Poorhouse’ chart below, and Surviving Children Born in the Boston Almshouse ).
|
Boston Population
|
|||||
|
Year
|
Boston
|
% Change
|
African-
Americans
|
& of Total
|
Massachusetts
|
|
1700
|
6,700
|
56,000
|
|||
|
1710
|
9,000
|
25.56%
|
|||
|
1720
|
11,000
|
18.18%
|
|||
|
1730
|
13,000
|
15.38%
|
|||
|
1742
|
16,382
|
20.64%
|
1374
|
8.39%
|
|
|
1750
|
15,731
|
-4.14%
|
1541
|
9.80%
|
188,000
|
|
1760
|
15,631
|
-0.64%
|
1241
|
7.94%
|
|
|
1765
|
15,520
|
-0.72%
|
848
|
5.46%
|
235,000
|
|
1780
|
16,000
|
3.00%
|
|||
|
1790
|
18,038
|
11.30%
|
766
|
4.25%
|
379,000
|
|
1800
|
24,937
|
27.67%
|
1174
|
4.71%
|
423,000
|
|
Boston Almshouse and Poorhouse
|
||||||||||||
|
Males
|
Women
|
Children
|
Total
|
|||||||||
|
Years of Admission
|
All
|
Af.-Am.
|
All
|
Af.-Am.
|
All
|
Af.-Am.
|
All
|
Af.-Am.
|
||||
|
11/9/1758 – 12/31/1774
|
629
|
21
|
3.34%
|
690
|
13
|
1.88%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
1319
|
34
|
2.58%
|
|
1/1/1775 – 9/30/1788
|
663
|
36
|
5.43%
|
845
|
44
|
5.21%
|
399
|
19
|
4.76%
|
1909
|
99
|
5.19%
|
|
10/1/1788 – 8/30/1795
|
700
|
48
|
6.86%
|
620
|
36
|
5.81%
|
277
|
8
|
2.89%
|
1603
|
102
|
6.36%
|
|
9/1/1795 – early 1801
|
864
|
65
|
7.52%
|
801
|
49
|
6.12%
|
246
|
21
|
8.54%
|
1926
|
140
|
7.27%
|
Many African Americans were admitted to the Boston Almshouse between 1795 and 1800, many of whom came from New York and Rhode Island, both states that had slavery at this time.
Racial segregation within the Boston Almshouse was only in evidence after the building of the 1801 almshouse.
Leave a Reply