Collections Item Detail
City of Hoboken documents: Paid Alms Claims, Dec. 14, 1910 - April 26, 1911.
2008.030.0100
2008.030
Castellano, Theresa
Gift
Gift of Terry Castellano.
1910 - 1911
Date(s) Created: 1910-1911 Date(s): 1910-1911
Good
Notes: Claims were submitted by local stores and businesses or individuals providing a service with attached vouchers (or other document - see below) to the Mayor and Council of the City of Hoboken, Committee on Alms, for payment. Each claim has a file number (F with four digit number.) Claims had the name and often the address of the business. The type of business can be deduced by the items or services purchased there such as groceries. The signature of the every claimant is on the back where they had to swear and notarize the claim. Vouchers were issued by the Overseer of the Poor, Harry L. Barck, and generally identify the individuals who received them along with their addresses. The voucher (each one is press numbered and are perforated at the left indicating that they were part of a book of forms possibly with a stub end; this presumed book is not present) was for an authorized amount (three dollars is the usual amount seen) and entitled the bearer to purchase of food or household items (wood, coal) at business stated on the form and from an authorized list printed on the voucher. The list was annotated by crossing out items that were not to be purchased with the voucher such as beef, pork or eggs. Some claims/vouchers were for services such as repairing an ambulance, burials (which had its own form), moving or providing transportation. In a few cases the numbered voucher is not present and a written authorization is done in a different manner. While vouchers were created by Barck, the voucher was issued on the "order" of a member of the three-member Committee on Alms. Some of the orders in this group were by B.[Bernard] N. McFeely who was then politically active (claims with his name on them as a committee member start with no.1318, Dec. 28, 1910.) When Hoboken changed to the commission form of government in 1915, he became one of the five elected commissioners from which Patrick Griffin was appointed Mayor. He was considered Griffin's political lieutenant. These documents may show the use of government welfare to create goodwill among voters if not support from them. Claims are listed in file number order with the claimant's name used on claim, although the name may appear differently elsewhere in the document. Typical vouchers were for $3.00 so the number of vouchers can be roughly figured from the claim amount, but their are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The names of people who received the vouchers has not been listed at this time. Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2008-03-18
