ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

Record Description – County Home/County Farm/Almshouse

Almshouse Registers

Registers show the dates of admission and discharge; the name of the person authorizing admission; the name, sex, age, color, occupation, residence, birthplace, education, literacy, and marital status of the inmate; the cause of pauperism; the personal habits of the inmate; and any remarks.

Charitable Institution Registers

Register shows the name of the institution in account with the county and the name of the charity patient, with the date, number, amount, and purpose of the order.

County Farm Daily Reports

Reports show the date of entry, the number of male, female, insane male, insane female, male child, and female child inmates, with the total present for each day.

County Farm Daybook

Daybook shows the date that goods or services were supplied to the farm, the name of the supplier, a description of the goods or services, the amount charged, and the date the claim was allowed.

County Farm Death and Discharge Record

Record shows the name of the inmate and the date of death or discharge. Record may show the duration of stay at the farm and the nativity of the inmate.

County Farm Death Record

Record shows the name of the inmate, the date of death, and whether the inmate was insane, colored, or a child. Record may show the cause of death, the place of burial, and whether an inquest was held.

County Farm Inmate Index

Index shows the name of the inmate and the page of entry in the Inmate Register.

County Farm Inmate Registers

Record shows the inmate's name, bed number, place of residence, age and occupation, and diseases, the dates admitted and of death or discharge, the name of the person ordering the discharge, and the number of days spent at the farm. Record may show whether the inmate was a pauper, colored, or a child, and the inmate's place of nativity.

County Farm Interment Record

Record shows the inmate's name, birthplace, residence, age, sex, and marital status, the date and cause of death, the date of burial, the gravesite, the name of the undertaker, and a note on the inmate's race.

County Farm Ledger

Record includes an account for each firm doing business with the county farm, showing the date goods or services were delivered, a description of the goods or services, the price, and the date the expenditure was allowed. Record also contains a payroll account for employees of the county farm, showing the date of each payroll, the name, title, and salary of each employee, and the date allowed.

County Farm Reports

Reports contain quarterly and annual reports to the county board of supervisors. Both show the beginning and ending dates of the reporting period, the total inmate population at the close of the period, and are signed and dated by the superintendent of the farm.

County Hospital Daily Reports

Reports show the date of entry, the number of male adults, female adults, and children present each day, the total number present, the number admitted each day, the number discharged each day, and the number of deaths each day.

Undertaker's Book

Record shows the date the undertaker received a body, the names of the undertaker, the deceased, and the person delivering the remains, with the location of the burial site.

Workhouse Record

Record shows the number of men on a job, the task, the date, and the number of hours of work. Some months also show the total monthly hours of work.