Gleaned from the Greenfield Annual Reports

New England towns publish reports annually, generally at the time of the Spring Town Meeting. A variety of genealogical information can be found, and is not necessarily consistent from year to year. The following was taken from the "Annual Reports of the Selectmen and Overseers of the Poor and Town Clerk of the Town of Greenfield, 1880-1881"

Although the winter has been an unusually severe one for the poor people, not as many new cases of application for help have occurred as might have been expected; in fact, but comparatively few new cases of want of help have been made. A large part of the expenditure has been for persons or families who have long been in the habit of looking to the town for a large part of their maintenance. Two persons are still maintained at the insane asylum at Northampton – John Hartney and Mary Harrington-at an expense of over one hundred and sixty-six dollars each. Since the tramp law came into operation, (the first of May) we have had no tramps to speak of. Four who have tried to beg their way along were promptly arrested and sent to Bridgewater. Occasionally one gets short in traveling, and is furnished with a ticket on the cars to the next station, and so disposed of.

The Treasurer estimates that the town has paid about $400 interest for money borrowed during the year, to take the place of money due from delinquent tax payers. Simple justice to prompt payers would require all unpaid taxes to draw interest, that they be not again taxed to pay the interest on the money withheld by delinquents.

Pauper Account (with amounts listed, annotated when I found them in the census)
Mrs Richardson
Joseph Newton
Mrs. Tobin
Isaac Newton’s children
Charles Taylor (1880 census, black, born Mass, basketmaker, aged 65, wife Jane, 70)
Mrs. Darnley
Calvin Newton (1880 census, age 74, farm laborer, wife Anna, 66, inflammation of the stomach)
Mrs Daniel Murray
Mrs Slattery
Mrs. Putnam
Miss Alice Moore (1880 census, age 80, living with sister Susan Root)
Wm. Grogan
Mrs. Ryan
John Hartney, in Insane Asylum
Mary Harrington “
Charles McCloud (? Age 30, wife and child on Chapman st)
Fred Cadett
Mrs. Forrestall
Mrs. A. Newton
Mrs. Ryan, Hope Street
Mrs. Lehey
Richard Smith
James Welch
Railroad fare for tramps
George F. Potter
Mrs. John Glassett
Same
Horace M. Powers
Mrs. Frost
Mrs. Henry Wells
Mrs Donahoe
Mrs Riley
Wm Walt
Mrs. Abby Smith
Edward Stark
James Bowers
Reardon Family, Northampton
Herbert Bowers
James Connor
John Commons
Nancy Bissell (1880 age 84 in schedule of defective and dependent at the poor farm)
Hanflin Family
Fliny Earle estate for individual who will pay back
J.C. Thorn
Mrs. B. Clark
Keeping tramps
Ann Jarvis, fare to Boston
L. Nims for teams
J.L. Lyons, for R. Riley’s coffin
Same, C. Newton’s coffin
Wm. Brigham (homeless child in Sterling institution)
Geo. Bingham