Historic New York poor laws, with official statutes and practical forms, explained for today’s readers.
This edition presents the first six titles of Chapter XX, Part First of the Revised Statutes, focusing on the relief and management of the poor. It also adds suitable forms and notes by Henry S. Randall to help interpret and apply the laws. The material covers the structure of the system, who must be supported, and how counties and towns handle costs and responsibility.
This book is a valuable resource for anyone studying 19th-century social policy, state and local governance, or legal history. It compiles the core provisions that shaped how the state addressed poverty, vagrancy, and related issues in a comprehensive, practical format.
- Outlined topics include relief of indigent persons, beggars and vagrants, care of lunatics, care of habitual drunkards, discipline of disorderly persons, and support of illegitimate children (bastards).
- Includes notes and explanatory material to aid understanding of the statutes and their application.
- Offers historical context for administration of the poor at the county and town levels.
- Provides forms to use in matters of relief, support, and administration as described in the titles.
Ideal for readers of legal history, public policy, or those researching how early New York addressed poverty and related social issues.