Department of Records - City of Philadelphia
HOME | RESIDENTS | BUSINESS | VISITORS | TERMS OF USE 
SEARCH

FAQ







PhILS banner
Series banner

Guardians of the Poor
Superintendent of Alms House

[Record Group 35-3-5]

35-3-5.1 Receipts Book
1884-1887
1 volume, no index
Journal entries of cash receipts by Superintendent; entries list date, amount , person from whom received, materials or goods sold.
For similar entries, 1887-1893, see Bureau of Charities, Receipt Book, Alms House Superintendent.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.2 Cash Book
1805-1862, 1882-1883
24 volumes, no index
Journal entries for Steward's and Superintendent's receipts and disbursals for great variety of items; each list date, amount, person to whom paid or from whom received, goods or services bought or sold, and reason for receipt or payment.
Volumes 1805-1862 marked Steward's Cash Book; volume 1882-1883 marked Superintendent's Cash Book.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.3 Expense Journal
1884-1886
2 volumes, no index
Entries list date, amount disbursed, to whom paid, materials or services purchased.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.4 Manufactory Invoice Book
March 1863-March 1887
2 volumes, no index
Entries list date, name of vendor, itemized list of goods and services supplied, unit prices, total cost of each item, and total costs of goods or services purchased from each vendor. (Until 1877 Superindendent known as Steward)
For similar records 1887, see Bureau of Charities, Almshouse Superintendent, Manufactory Invoice Book.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.5 Dissections of Cash Receipts
1810-1821; missing: November 1811-May 1814
3 volumes, no index
Weekly summaries of Steward's cash receipts, grouped by items and services sold, board received for inmates, indenture fees, etc.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.6 Summaries of Food Expenditures
1860-1870
1 volume, no index
Annual summaries of expenditures under heading for Hospital, Out Wards, Children's Asylum, Insane Asylum; entries under each list twice-monthly disbursals showing amount, item and quantity purchased, totalled each year.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.7 Dissections of Expenditures
1806-1868; missing: February 1823-June 1858
7 volumes, no index
Weekly totals only of expenditures listed under individual headings for items such as manufacturing supplies, wages, housekeeping supplies, provisions, clothing, fuel.
Vol. 1858-1868 presents summaries at two week periods under ward headings only.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.8 Weekly Statements of Manufactory Production
1835-1844, 1873-1878, 1882-1886
7 volumes, no index
Weekly entries list departments, type and amount of work done in each, item costs, and totals paid to inmate laborers.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.9 Weekly Summaries, Goods Manufactured
1834-1838
1 volume, no index
Weekly entries list departments, type of goods and amount produced, number of employees and, occasionally, their names.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.10 Weekly Statements of Tailoring Work
1835-1844
2 volumes, no index
Weekly entries list names of inmate-tailors, articles and quantities produced by each, item cost, and totals paid inmates; occasional short recapitulations of items and quantities produced.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.11 Weekly Statements of Painters' and Glaziers' Work
1836-1841
1 volume, no index
Weekly lists of tasks performed and costs, amounts paid to workers
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.12 Weekly Statements of Shoemakers' Production
1835-1838
1 volume, no index
Weekly entries list shoemaker's names, items and quantities made, item costs and totals paid to workers; recapitulations at various dates of items and quantities produced.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.13 Weekly Statements of Weavers' Production
1834-1835
1 volume, no index
Weekly entries list weavers' names, types of cloth and amount produced by each.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.14 Weekly Statements of Carpenters' Work
1835-1839
1 volume, no index
Weekly entries list carpenters' names, articles and quantities produced by each, item cost and totals paid to workers
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.15 Out-Door Spinners' Accounts
1806-1807
1 volume, no index
Under accounts headed with names and addesses of spinners, journal listings of dates and amounts of flax, etc., sent them for spinning, and dates and amounts (weight) of thread returned, and prices paid spinners.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.16 Monthly Summaries of Manufactory Costs
1843-1845
1 volume, no index
Monthly entries list, for each manufacturing department, weekly labor payments totalled for the month, and costs of inmate-workers' support.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.17 Manufacturing Inventories
1845-1851
1 volume, no index
Annual May inventories list items, quantities, and total values of equipment in each manufacturing department; also include salaries of craftsmen (e.g. blacksmiths) hired for some departments; lists in front of volume present quantities and prices of items furnished by Alms House gardener May 1850-1851, and an inventory of equipment, provisions and fuel in Medical Department as of April 20, 1845.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.18 Manufactory Accounts Ledger
1808-1810
1 volume, no index
Contains accounts of Manufactory Department with Alms House treasurer, store, and its own various manufacturing shopes, and profit and loss accounts
See also Guardians of the Poor, Alms House, Daily Occurence Docket.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.19 Manufacturers's Sales Journal
1805-1808
1 volume, no index
Under individual headings for each item (oakum, candles, sheeting, etc.) journal entries for date, purchasor, amount, and price of each sale.
See also Guardians of the Poor, Alms House, Weekly Admissions and Census.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.20 Merchandise Accounts
January - July 1807
1 volume, no index
Accounts of, chiefly, cloth items and raw materials for them, under which are listed journal entries of item, amount, cost and source of material into stock, and similar entries for materials out, detailing purchasor or ward to which distributed.
See also Guardians of the Poor, Alms House, Weekly Admissions and Census.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.21 Cotton and Wool Spinning and Sales Journal
February - September 1808
1 volume, no index
Under separate headings for cotton and wool, journal lists of dates and amounts received from spinners, and dates and amounts sold and purchasors' names; no cash entries.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.22 Inventories of Alms House
1867-1875
1 volume, no index
Twice-yearly (May 1, October 1) inventories list, by departments, quantities of all items of clothing, linen, furniture, and total quantities in House.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.23 Requisitions
1835-1869
2 volumes, no index
Weekly lists of items and amounts of materials requested, prepared for Board of Guardians; each bears Board President's authorizing signature.
Vol. 1849-1869 adds statement of flour, beef and mutton received during previous week, amounts used, amounts remaining on hand.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
35-3-5.24 Alms House Factory. Production Accounts
May 1835-May 1842
1 volume, no index
For each manufacturing department of the Alms House factory (viz. steam engine, turners, shoemakers, tailoring, junk and oakum, carving and gilding, cooperage, woolen, cotton and flax spinning, weaving and manufacturing, tinsmiths, blacksmiths, ropemakers, knitting, soap and candle making, carpenters, painting and glazing, grist mill) there is included a balance sheet showing the cost of equipment, tools, raw materials, and fuels purchased, and purchases from other departments balanced against value of manufactures, payments to other departments, and value of tools, and material at hand for each three month period. Also included in this series are a factory time table showing the number of hands employed weekly in each department, May 1835-November 1840; departmental totals for the year; and a yearly total for all departments; quarterly and annual abstracts of goods or labor of each department, its monetary value and how disposed of; commissions of the superintendent of factory, 1835-1841; dissections of bills charged against the factory, 1835-1836, showing items purchased and their cost; and balance sheets and proof statements showing the Factory's profit or loss on each branch, net annual produce of each department, and remaining balances of materials, machinery, tools carrying to new account.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Click on a folder or file to return to that level...
PhILS Home
City Agencies
Guardians of the Poor
Superintendent of Alms House [35-3-5]
Record Series Information Sheet. (Text-only version of this page)

Send your comments to phils@phila.gov
Last updated on November 8, 2000