Researching the Massachusetts Public Document Series in the State Library's Digitized Collections

Discovering reports from past and present state agencies designated as "Public Documents"

Introduction and History of the Public Document Series

The Public Document Series is a series of annual reports published by different historical and contemporary Massachusetts state government agencies, departments, boards, and commissions. This series was created by Chapter 40 of the Acts and Resolves of 1857, which tasked the Secretary of State with printing “all annual reports of public officers, boards or institutions,” and that these documents would be “styled the ‘Public’ series of documents and shall be numbered separately from the ‘Senate’ and ‘House’ series.”

The laws regarding when these reports had to be submitted to the Secretary of State, the penalties of not doing so, and how they would be printed and distributed, were generally found in Chapter 4 of both the General Statutes of the Commonwealth (1860) and the Public Statutes of the Commonwealth (1882), and later Chapter 9 in the Revised Laws of the Commonwealth (1901), Chapter 5 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth (1920) and the Tercentenary Edition of the General Laws of the Commonwealth (1932).

According to these early laws, these reports of the Public Document Series were submitted annually by each public institution to the Office of the Secretary of State, which was required to print a certain number of copies of each individual report. The reports were then distributed to the members of the General Court, the State Library, and other interested governmental bodies.

The Secretary of State would also publish copies of an assembled set of all of the public reports for that year, which were distributed to each city or town in the Commonwealth and often housed in the local library. Perhaps because of this vast distribution network, having one’s organization numbered among the Public Document Series seemed to further legitimize different agencies or boards.

In 1870 the Secretary of the State Board of Health, George Derby, wrote in the Board’s first annual report that “it only remains to say that the convenience and usefulness of the Board would be promoted if the legislature should direct that in future our reports should be made returnable to the Governor, and thus appear in printed form at the meeting of the legislature in January, and that they should take their place and be numbered in the Public Document Series.”

As state government grew, transformed, and developed, the Public Document Series changed. Some Public Document numbers have several agency or departmental names based on how that governmental body or institution grew or evolved. For example, Public Document No. 31 initially contained the annual report of the Massachusetts Agricultural College until the school renamed itself the Massachusetts State College and, later, UMass Amherst. Some agencies used different numbers at different times in their history. For example, the Department of Correction's annual reports were published as Public Document No. 13 until 1920, when they became Public Document No. 115.

Other numbers were used for temporary commissions that only existed for a few years, such as Public Document No. 73, which initially served as the annual report for the Superintendent for Suppressing the Gypsy and Brown-Tail Moths before it was repurposed as the longer-lived annual report of the State Forester and finally the annual report of the Department of Conservation. All of these different annual reports are available in the current Division of State Parks and Recreation annual reports collection in the State Library's digital repository.

There are some numbers that, for some unknown reason, were never used or assigned and were simply skipped over: there is no Public Document No. 76, for example, although Public Document No. 75 was assigned to the annual reports of the Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing, while Public Document No. 77 was assigned to the annual reports of the short-lived Commission on Hospitals for Consumptives.

Despite these changes over the years, the Public Document Series still contains vastly important reports from different governmental bodies from the past and current day. Major government offices like the State Auditor (Public Document No. 6), the State Treasurer (Public Document No. 5), and others were included in the Public Document Series. Notably, former state hospitals and asylums such as Danvers State Hospital, Taunton State Hospital, and Medfield State Hospital, published their annual reports as part of the Public Document Series. These reports provide us with a wealth of information regarding the history and administration of these institutions, though they do not provide information such as patient lists. 

Today, most governmental bodies publish their own annual reports and do not rely on the Secretary of State to distribute them. However, it is still the mission of the State Library to collect and catalog all state documents, and very few annual reports are still labeled as "Public Document" today. For this reason, as well as the constant creation, transformation, and retirement of different governmental bodies, it is generally much easier to locate these annual reports based on the name of the institution, department, or agency rather than their corresponding Public Document number. Some exceptions remain, most notably the Massachusetts Election Statistics, commonly known by legislators and legal scholars as “P.D. 43” and still published every other year by the Office of the Secretary of State.

The Public Document Series remains an important collection of historic and contemporary government publications. At the State Library, we have worked hard to make sure that the complete Public Document Series collections are accessible and available to the general public. You can find all of these documents and more in our digital repository.

Series No. 1-Series No. 10

Public Document No. 1

Vital Statistics

• Secretary of the Commonwealth. Division of Statistics (1841-1963)
• Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (1964-2006)

Public Document No. 2

Education

• Board of Education (1837-1918)
• Department of Education (1919-1970)
• Board of Education (1971-2007)
• Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (2008-current)

Missing: 1982/1983, 1983/1984, 1990-1998

Public Document No. 3

State Library of Massachusetts

• State Library of Massachusetts (1849-current)

Not Published: 2007

Public Document No. 4

Agriculture

• Massachusetts Agricultural Survey (1837-1846)
• Secretary of the Commonwealth (1847-1852)
• State Board of Agriculture (1853-1917)
• Department of Agriculture (1918-1974)
• Department of Food and Agriculture (1975-June 30, 2003)
• Department of Agricultural Resources (July 1, 2003-current)

Missing: 1841-1844, 1946/1947-1954/1955, 1958/1959, 1989-2008

Public Document No. 5

Treasurer and Receiver General

• Treasury Office (1780-1866) [submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature: 1826-1859]
• Treasury Department (1867-2008)

Missing: 1979, 1984, 1986-2002, 2007

Not Published: 1943

Public Document No. 6

State Auditor

• Department of the State Auditor (1849-1981)
• State Auditor’s Office (1982-1986)
• Office of the State Auditor (1987-2013)

Missing: 1967

Not Published: after 2013

Public Document No. 7

Adjutant General/National Guard

• Adjutant General's Office (1870-1930) [submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1834-1847]
• Military Division (1965-1977)
• Massachusetts National Guard (1992-1997)

Missing: 1931-1964, 1969-1973, 1975, 1978-1991, 1993, 1995

Public Document No. 8

Banks

• Bank Commissioners (1838-1865)
• Commissioner of Savings Banks (1866-1875)
• Board of Commissioners of Savings Banks (1876-1905)
• Bank Commissioners (1906-1919)
• Division of Banks and Loan Agencies (1920-current)

Missing: 1949 (Part III and Part IV), 1974 (Section C and Section D), 1975-2001, 2004, 2005

Not Published: 1843-1848

Public Document No. 9

Insurance

• Abstract of the Returns of Insurance Companies (1837-1856)
• Division of Insurance (1857-current)

Missing: 1947-1952, 1961, 1962, 1968-1974, 1983-1986, 1989-1994, 1997, 1998, 2004

Public Document No. 10

Corporations

• Abstract of the Returns of Joint Stock Companies (1851-1863)
• Abstract of the Attested Returns of Corporations (1864-1871)
• Abstract of the Certificates of Corporations (1872-1921)

Series No. 11-Series No. 20

Public Document No. 11

Harbor and Land Commissioners

• Commissioners on Boston Harbor and the Back Bay (1852-1855) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature]
• Commissioners on the Back Bay (1856-1861)
• Commissioners on Public Lands (1862-1876) 
• Board of Harbor Commissioners (1867-1878)
• Board of Land Commissioners (1877-1878)
• Board of Harbor and Land Commissioners of Massachusetts (1879-1915)
• Commission on Waterways and Public Lands (1916-1919)

Missing:

• 1857-1861 [Commissioners on the Back Bay]
• 1864, 1865, 1868, 1870-1873, 1875 [Commissioners on Public Lands]

Note: for related reports after 1919 see Public Document No. 54: Highways / Public Works

Public Document No. 12

Attorney General

• Attorney General's Office (1832-current)

Not Published: 1853

Note: Between 1843 and 1848 the Attorney General's Office was abolished. The reports for these years are abstracts from district attorneys compiled by the Secretary of the Commonwealth

Public Document No. 13

Prisons

• State Prison. Board of Inspectors (1830-1878) [submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1830-1850]
• Board of Commissioners of Prisons (1871-1900)
• Board of Prison Commissioners (1901-1915)
• Bureau of Prisons (1916-1919)

Note: for reports after 1919 see Public Document  No. 115: Correction

Note: for related reports see:

• Public Document No. 110: Board of Parole for the State Prison and Massachusetts Reformatory
• Public Document No. 111: Board of Parole for the Reformatory for Women

Public Document No. 14

Railroads

• Railroad Corporations (1836-1869) [submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1851-1856]
• Board of Railroad Commissioners (1870-1912)
• Public Service Commission (1913-1919)

Missing: 1857

Note: for related reports after 1919 see Public Document No. 14: Public Utilities

Public Document No. 14

Public Utilities

• Department of Public Utilities (1920-current)

Missing: 1950-1954, 1956, 1957, 1960-1965, 1981, 1982, 1989-2002, 2008, 2009

Public Document No. 15

Labor Statistics

• Bureau of Statistics of Labor (1869-1907)
• Bureau of Statistics (1908-1918)
• Department of Labor and Industries (1919-1984)

Not Published: 1981-1983

Public Document No. 16

Tax Commissioners

• Tax Commissioner's Department (1865-1919) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1865-1876]
• Department of Corporations and Taxation (1920-1978)
• Department of Revenue (1979-current)

Missing: 1940-1948, 1950-1966, 1970-1974

Public Document No. 17

Health, Lunacy and Charity / Public Welfare

• Board of State Charities (1864-1878)
• State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity (1879-1885)
• State Board of Lunacy and Charity (1886-1898)
• State Board of Charity (1899-1919)
• Department of Public Welfare (1920-1986)

Missing: 1953-1955, 1957, 1961-1970, 1979, 1981, 1982

Public Document No. 18

Reform Schools and Primary Schools / Monson / Lancaster / Westborough

• State Reform School (Westborough, Mass.) (1848-1878)
• Inspectors of the State Almshouse at Monson (1854-1865)
• Inspectors of the State Almshouse and State Primary School at Monson (1866-1872)
• Inspectors of the State Primary School at Monson (1873-1878)
• State Industrial School for Girls (Lancaster, Mass.) (1855-1878)
• Trustees of the State Primary and Reform Schools (1879-1894)
• Trustees of the Lyman and Industrial Schools (1895-1910)

Note: for related reports after 1910 see Public Document No. 93: Massachusetts Training Schools / Youth Services

Public Document No. 19

Nautical School

• Massachusetts Nautical School (1866-1872)

Public Document No. 19

Polls, Property, Taxes

• Aggregates of Polls, Property, Taxes (1861-1895)
• Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1896-1907)
• Tax Commissioner's Department (1908-1918)
• Department of Corporations and Taxation (1919-1940)

Public Document No. 20

Danvers State Hospital

• Danvers Lunatic Hospital (1878-1898)
• Danvers Insane Hospital (1899-1908)
• Danvers State Hospital (1909-1959)

Missing: 1942-1952

Series No. 21-Series No. 30

Public Document No. 21

Northampton State Hospital

• State Lunatic Hospital (Northampton, Mass.) (1856-1884)
• Northampton Lunatic Hospital (1885-1898)
• Northampton Insane Hospital (1899-1905)
• Northampton State Hospital (1906-1970)

Missing: 1942-1951

Public Document No. 22

Taunton State Hospital

• Taunton Lunatic Hospital (1854-1898)
• Taunton Insane Hospital (1899-1908)
• Taunton State Hospital (1909-1976)

Missing: 1942-1950

Public Document No. 23

Worcester State Hospital

• State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester (1833-1884)
• Temporary Asylum for the Chronic Insane at Worcester (1878-1886)
• Worcester Lunatic Hospital (1885-1898)
• Worcester Insane Asylum (1887-1908)
• Worcester Insane Hospital (1899-1908)
• Worcester State Asylum (1909-1914)
• Worcester State Hospital (1910-1957)

Missing: 1945-1952, 1954-1956

Public Document No. 24

State Farm at Bridgewater

• State Almshouse (Bridgewater, Mass.) (1854-1872)
• State Workhouse (Bridgewater, Mass.) (1873-1886)
• State Farm (Bridgewater, Mass.) (1887-1918)

Note: for reports after 1918 see Public Document No. 115: Correction

Public Document No. 25

Fisheries and Wildlife

• Commissioners of Fisheries (1866-1868)
• Commissioners on Inland Fisheries (1869-1885)
• Fish and Game Commissioners (1886)
• Commissioners on Inland Fisheries and Game (1887-1901)
• Commissioners on Fisheries and Game (1902-1919)
• Division of Fisheries and Game (1920-1975)
• Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (1976-current)

Missing: 1940-1948

Public Document No. 26

Tewksbury State Hospital

• State Almshouse (Tewksbury, Mass.) (1854-1899)
• State Hospital (Tewksbury, Mass.) (1900-1908)
• State Infirmary (Tewksbury, Mass.) (1909-1938)
• Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary (1939-1953)

Public Document No. 27

Perkins School for the Blind

• New England Institution for the Education of the Blind (1833-1838)
• Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind (1839-1876)
• Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind (1877-1955)
• Perkins School for the Blind (1956-1923)

Note: these reports ceased to be published as a Public Document after 1923

Public Document No. 28

Fernald School

• Experimental School for Teaching and Training Idiotic Children (1848-1852)
• Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Youth (1852-1882)
• Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded at South Boston (1883-1890)
• Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded at Waltham (1891-1924)
• Walter E. Fernald State School (1925-1973)

Missing: 1942-1950, 1968/1969

Public Document No. 29

Controller of County Accounts

• Board of Commissioners of Savings Bank (1879-1886)
• Controller of County Accounts (1887-1918)
• Department of Corporations and Taxation (1919-1978)
• Department of Revenue (1979-1996)

Missing: 1942-1946, 1948-1950, 1952, 1973, 1992, 1993

Public Document No. 30

Westborough State Hospital

• Westborough Insane Hospital (1885-1908)
• Westborough State Hospital (1909-1971)

Series No. 31-Series No. 40

Public Document No. 31

Massachusetts Agricultural College

• Massachusetts Agricultural College (1863-1930)
• Massachusetts State College (1931-1946)
• University of Massachusetts (Amherst Campus) (1947-1967)
• University of Massachusetts (System) (1968-current)

Missing: 1959, 1979-2005/2006

Public Document No. 32

District Police / Public Safety

• Massachusetts District Police (1880-1919)
• Massachusetts Department of Public Safety (1920-1987)

Missing: 1886, FY1983

Not Published: 1943

Public Document No. 33

Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station

• Massachusetts State Agricultural Experiment Station (1883-1894)
• Hatch Experiment Station (1890-1905)
• Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station (1906-1960)

Note: became part of Public Document No. 31: Massachusetts Agricultural College with 1908 report

Public Document No. 34

Public Health

• State Board of Health (1869-1914)
• State Department of Health (1915-1919)
• Department of Public Health (1920-1988)

Missing: 1987

Note: reports from 1880 to 1885 were published as part of Public Document No. 17: Health, Lunacy and Charity / Public Welfare 

Public Document No. 35

Gas and Light Commissioners

• Board of Gas Commissioners (1885-1888)
• Board of Gas and Electric Light Commissioners (1889-1919)

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 55: Gas Meters and Illuminating Gas

Note: for related reports after 1919 see Public Document No. 14: Public Utilities

Public Document No. 36

Statistics of Manufactures

• Bureau of Statistics of Labor (1886-1907)
• Bureau of Statistics (1908-1918)
• Department of Labor and Industries (1919-1938)

Note: not published separately after 1921. A compiled volume was published for the period of 1920-1938. Later statistics can be found in Public Document No. 104: Labor and Industries

Public Document No. 37

Reports of Contested Elections

• Compilation reports (1780-1942)

Public Document No. 38

Dentistry

• Board of Registration in Dentistry (1887-1914)
• Board of Dental Examiners (1915-1977)
• Board of Registration in Dentistry (1978-1984)

Missing: 1979

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

For reports after 2013 see the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure Annual Reports

Public Document No. 39

Pharmacy

• Board of Registration in Pharmacy (1886-1982)

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

For reports after 2013 see the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure Annual Reports

Public Document No. 40

Arbitration and Conciliation

• State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation (1886)
• State Board of Arbitration (1887-1892)
• State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation (1893-1900)
• State Board of Conciliation and Arbitration (1901-1919)
• Board of Conciliation and Arbitration (1920-1995)

Missing: 1990/1991-1992/1993

Note: reports for 1941-1972 issued as part of Public Document 104: Labor and Industries 

Series No. 41-Series No. 50

Public Document No. 41

For reports before 1919: see Public Document No. 13: Prisons

For reports after 1919: see Public Document  No. 115: Correction

Public Document No. 42

Massachusetts Nautical School

• Massachusetts Nautical Training School (1892-1912)
• Massachusetts Nautical School (1913-1940)

Note: Massachusetts Nautical School became the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1942

Note: not related to the earlier Public Document No. 19: Nautical School

Public Document No. 43

Election Statistics

• Secretary of the Commonwealth (1890-1977)
• Office of the Secretary of State. Elections Division (1978-current)

Public Document No. 44

Library Commissioners

• Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts (1890-1919)
• Board of Free Public Library Commissioners (1920-1952)
• Board of Library Commissioners (1953-current)

Not Published: 1941-1946

Public Document No. 45

Metropolitan Sewerage Commission

• Metropolitan Sewerage Commissioners (1890-1891) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature]
• Metropolitan Sewerage Commission (1893-1900)

Note: for related reports after 1900 see Public Document No. 57: Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board 

Public Document No. 46

Secretary of State

• Secretary of the Commonwealth (1892-current)

Missing: 1948, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962-1974, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1991-2009

Public Document No. 47

Foxborough State Hospital

• Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates (1892-1904)
• Foxborough State Hospital (1905-1973)

Missing: 1924-1927, 1942-1950, 1962-1966, 1968-1972

Public Document No. 48

Metropolitan Park Commission / District Commission

• Metropolitan Park Commission (1893-1919)
• Metropolitan District Commission (1920-1981)

Missing: 1948-1971, 1978-1980

Public Document No. 49

Boston Police

• Boston. Board of Police (1885-1905)
• Boston. Office of the Police Commissioner (1906-2010)

Missing: 1969, 1972-1973/1974, 1976/1977, 1978/1979-1980, 1983/1984, 1988-1995, 1998, 2006

Note: report considered part of the Public Document Series through 1961, after which it is published as a Boston city report

Public Document No. 50

Topographical Survey Commission

• Commissioners of the Topographical Survey (1884-1900) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1884-1893]

Series No. 51-Series No. 60

Public Document No. 51

Cattle Commission

• Board of Cattle Commissioners (1894-1902)
• State Board of Agriculture. Cattle Bureau (1903-1911)

Missing: 1902

Note: for related reports after 1911 see Public Document No. 98: Animal Industry

Public Document No. 52

Public Records

• Public Records Division (1888-1919)

Note: reports after 1920 are included in Public Document No. 46: Secretary of State

Public Document No. 53

Civil Service Commission / Division of Personnel Administration / Human Resources Division

• Civil Service Commission (1884-1919)
• Division of Civil Service (1920-1978)
• Division of Personnel Administration (1979-1981)
• Department of Personnel Administration (1982-1995)
• Human Resources Division (1996-2007)

Missing: 1992-2003

Public Document No. 54

Highways / Public Works

• Highway Commission (1893-1919)
• Department of Public Works (1920-1991)
• Highway Department (1992-1987)

Missing: 1955/1956-1962/1963, 1980/1981-1984

Public Document No. 55

Gas Meters and Illuminating Gas

• Inspector of Gas Meters and Illuminating Gas (1861-1901) [submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1867-1893]

Missing: 1868, 1871

[Functions transferred to the Board of Gas and Electric Light Commissioners in 1902]

Note: for related reports between 1902-1919 see Public Document No. 35: Gas and Light Commissioners

Note: for related reports after 1919 see Public Document No. 14: Public Utilities

Public Document No. 56

Board of Registration and Discipline in Medicine

• Board of Registration and Discipline in Medicine (1894-1978)
• Board of Registration in Medicine (1979-current)

Missing: 1982-1985, 1990-1993

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 57

Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board

• Metropolitan Water Board (1895-1900)
• Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board (1901-1919)

Note: for related earlier reports see Public Document No. 45: Metropolitan Sewerage Commission

Note: for related reports after 1919 see Public Document No. 48: Metropolitan Park / District Commission 

Public Document No. 58

Fall River Police

• Fall River (Mass.). Board of Police (1896-1922)

Public Document No. 59

Medfield State Hospital

• Medfield Insane Asylum (1896-1908)
• Medfield State Asylum (1909-1913)
• Medfield State Hospital (1914-1963)

Missing: 1942-1946, 1948-1950

Public Document No. 60

Massachusetts Dairy Bureau

• Dairy Bureau (1891-1917)

Series No. 61-Series No. 70

Public Document No. 61

State Sanitorium at Rutland

• Massachusetts Hospital for Consumptives and Tubercular Patients (Rutland, Mass.) (1895-1900)
• Massachusetts State Sanatorium (Rutland, Mass.) (1900-1909)

Note: reports for 1909-1919 contained in Public Document No. 77: Hospitals for Consumptives

Public Document No. 62

Monson State Hospital

• Massachusetts Hospital for Epileptics (Monson, Mass.) (1898-1908)
• Monson State Hospital (Mass.) (1909-1967)

Missing: 1942-1947, 1952, 1964

Public Document No. 63

Mental Health

• State Board of Insanity (1899-1915)

Note: for related reports after 1915 see Public Document No. 117: Mental Diseases / Mental Health

Public Document No. 64

Firemen's Relief

• Commissioners of the Firemen's Relief Fund (1891-1918)
• Commissioners on Firemen's Relief (1919-1946)

Missing: 1943-1945

Not Published: 1892-1898 [made directly to the Governor], 1919

Public Document No. 65

Wachusett Mountain

• Wachusett Mountain State Reservation Commission (1900-1920)

Public Document No. 66

War Records

• Commissioners on War Records (1900-1911)
• Adjutant General's Office. Commissioner on War Records (1912-1923)

Public Document No. 67

Greylock Reservation

• Greylock Commission (1901-1919)
• Greylock Reservation Commission (1920-1924)

Public Document No. 68

State Aid and Pensions / Veterans Services

• Commissioner of State Aid and Pensions (1902-1942)
• Commissioner of Veterans' Aid and Pensions (1943-1944)
• Commissioner of Veterans' Services (1945-1978)

Missing: 1963-1965, 1974-1977

Public Document No. 69

State Board of Publication

• State Board of Publication (1902-1907)

Public Document No. 70

Gardner State Hospital

• State Colony for the Insane (Gardner, Mass.) (1902-1908)
• Gardner State Colony (Mass.) (1909-1934)
• Gardner State Hospital (Mass.) (1935-1960)

Missing: 1955-1956, 1958-1959

Not Published: 1942-1952

Series No. 71-Series No. 80

Public Document No. 71

Charles River Basin

• Charles River Basin Commission (1903-1910)

Public Document No. 72

Board of Registration of Veterinary Medicine

• Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine (1904-1980)

Missing: 1973-1975, 1977-1979

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 73

Gypsy Moths

• Superintendent for Suppressing the Gypsy and Brown-Tail Moths (1905-1908)

Note: after 1908 becomes Public Document No. 73: State Forester / Conservation

Public Document No. 73

State Forester / Conservation

• State Forester (1904-1919)
• Department of Conservation / State Forester (1920-1953)
• Department of Natural Resources (1954-1974)
• Department of Environmental Management (1975-1993)

Missing: 1969

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 108: State Forest Commission

Public Document No. 74

Boston Licensing Board

• Licensing Board for the City of Boston (1906-2007)

Missing: 1950-1951, 1970, 1973, 1975-1992, 1994-1997, 2005

Public Document No. 75

Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing

• Board of Registration in Embalming (1906-1936)
• Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing (1937-1981)

Missing: 1948-1956, 1969, 1975-1978

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration 

Public Document No. 76

Commission on Industrial Education

• Massachusetts Commission on Industrial Education (1906-1908)

Public Document No. 77

Hospitals for Consumptives

• Massachusetts Commission on Hospitals for Consumptives (1907-1909)
• Board of Trustees of Hospitals for Consumptives (1910-1919)

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 61: State Sanitorium at Rutland

Public Document No. 78

Wrentham State School

• Wrentham State School (1907-1972)

Missing: 1942-1950

Public Document No. 79

Statistics of Municipal Finance

• Bureau of Statistics of Labor (1906-1907)
• Bureau of Statistics (1908-1918)
• Department of Corporations and Taxation (1919-1966)

Note: after 1945, report published sporadically rather than annually

Public Document No. 80

Public Employment Offices

• Bureau of Statistics of Labor (1906-1907)
• Bureau of Statistics (1908-1918)
• Department of Labor and Industries. Division of Statistics (1919-1922)

Note: for related reports between 1923-1934 see Public Document No. 104: Labor and Industries

Note: for related reports after 1934 see Public Document No. 159: Unemployment Offices

Series No. 81-Series No. 90

Public Document No. 81

Commission for the Blind

• Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (1906-1919)
• Department of Education. Division of the Blind (1920-1966)
• Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (1967-current)

Missing: 1924-1927, 1947-1951, 1953-1961, 1965-1966, 1977, 1979-1981

Not Published: 1988-2014

Note: The Commission for the Blind was part of the Department of Education between 1919 and 1966

Note: for related reports during missing years listed above, see Public Document No. 2: Education

Note: later reports published as Public Document No. 122: Commission for the Blind

Public Document No. 82

Massachusetts Hospital School

• Massachusetts Hospital School (1908-1986)

Missing: 1943-1968, 1982-1985

Public Document No. 83

Weights and Measures / Standards

• Department of Weights and Measures (1907-1917)
• Department of Standards (1918-1919)
• Division of Standards (1920-current)

Missing: 1973-1976, 1978-1979, 1981, 1983-1984, 1992-2004, 2007, 2011

Note: for reports issued between 1923 and 1972 when the Division of Standards was under the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries, see Public Document No. 104: Labor and Industries

Public Document No. 84

Boston State Hospital

• Boston State Hospital (1909-1962)

Missing: 1942-1946, 1949-1950

Public Document No. 85

Probation

• Commission on Probation (1908-1929)
• Board of Probation (1930-1952)
• Office of the Commissioner of Probation (1953-1979)

Not Published: 1922, 1925, [1928 and 1929 are included in report for 1930]

Public Document No. 86

Uniform State Laws

• Board of Commissioners for the Promotion of Uniformity of Legislation in the United States (1909-1919)
• Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (1920-1954)

Public Document No. 87

Industrial School for Boys

• Industrial School for Boys at Shirley (1909-1910)

Note: for related reports after 1910 see Public Document  No. 93: Massachusetts Training Schools / Youth Services

Public Document No. 88

Boston Finance Commission

• Boston (Mass.). Finance Commission (1909-1922)

Note: report becomes a Boston city document after 1922

Public Document No. 89

Mount Everett Reservation

• Mount Everett Reservation Commission (1908-1923)

Missing: 1919-1921

Not Published: 1914-1917

Public Document No. 90

List of Massachusetts Officials and Employees / Payroll Statistics

• Massachusetts. Executive Branch (1909-1921)
• Commission on Administration and Finance (1922-1961)
• Executive Office on Administration and Finance (1962-1972)

Missing: 1942-1944

For payroll statistics after 2010 visit the website of the Comptroller of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Series No. 91-Series No. 100

Public Document No. 91

Board of Registration in Nursing

• Board of Registration of Nurses (1910-1940)
• Board of Registration in Nursing (1941-1981)

Missing: 1975, 1977

Not Published: 1925

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

For reports after 2013 see the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure Annual Reports

Public Document No. 92

Metropolitan District Assessments for Interest for Serial Bonds, Sinking Funds, and Maintenance

• Treasury Department (1905-1984)

Missing: 1979

Public Document No. 93

Massachusetts Training Schools / Youth Services

• Trustees of Massachusetts Training Schools (1911-1948)
• Youth Service Board (1949-1953)
• Youth Service Board/Division of Youth Service (1955-1969)
• Department of Youth Services (1970-current)

Missing: 1954, 1960-1963, 1965-1969, 1971-1972, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1992-2004, 2010-2013, 2018

Note: for earlier related reports, see Public Document No. 18: Reform Schools and Primary Schools / Monson / Lancaster / Westborough

Public Document No. 94

Directors of the Port of Boston

• Directors of the Port of Boston (1911-1915)

Note: for related reports before 1911 and between 1916-1919 see Public Document No. 11: Harbor and Land Commissioners

Note: for later related reports see:

• Public Document No. 149: Massachusetts Port Authority
• Public Document No. 164: Port of Boston Commission

Public Document No. 95

Bureau of Loan Agencies

• Supervisor of Loan Agencies (1911-1931)
• Bureau of Loan Agencies (1932-1963)
• Division of Banks and of Loan Agencies (1964-1989)

Not Published: 1922, 1923, 1924

Public Document No. 96

Economy and Efficiency

• Commission on Economy and Efficiency (1912-1915)

Note: for related reports after 1915, see Public Document No. 119: Supervisor of Administration

Public Document No. 97

Board of Registration in Optometry

• Board of Registration in Optometry (1912-1982)

Missing: 1973, 1976-1978, 1981

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

For reports after 2013 see the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure Annual Reports

Public Document No. 98

Animal Industry

• Department of Animal Industry (1912-1919)
• Department of Conservation. Division of Animal Industry (1920-1934)
• Department of Agriculture. Division of Livestock Disease Control (1935-1967)
• Division of Animal Health (1967-1989)

Missing: 1939

Note: for earlier related reports, see Public Document No. 51: Cattle Commission

For reports after 2008 see the Annual Reports for the Department of Agricultural Resources

Public Document No. 99

Retirement

• Board of Retirement (1912-1938)

Not Published: 1937

Public Document No. 100

Salisbury Beach Reservation Commission

• Salisbury Beach Reservation Commission (1912)

Series No. 101-Series No. 110

Public Document No. 101

Secretary of the Commonwealth, Public Service Corporations

• Secretary of the Commonwealth (1912-1921)

Public Document No. 102

Minimum Wage

• Minimum Wage Commission (1913-1919)
• Division of Minimum Wage (1920-1989)

Note: reports for 1941-1972 issued as part of Public Document 104: Labor and Industries

Public Document No. 103

Homestead Commission / Division of Housing and Town Planning

• Homestead Commission (1913-1919)
• Department of Public Welfare. Division of Housing and Town Planning (1920-1933)
• Division of Public Welfare. Division of Town Planning (1934-1937)

Public Document No. 104

Labor and Industries

• State Board of Labor and Industries (1913-1919)
• Department of Labor and Industries (1920-1972)

Note: for related reports see:

• Public Document No. 80: Public Employment Offices
• Public Document No. 83: Weights and Measures / Standards  
• Public Document No. 102: Minimum Wage
• Public Document No. 105: Industrial Accidents
• Public Document No. 159: Unemployment Offices

Public Document 105

Industrial Accidents

• Industrial Accident Board (1912-1919)
• Department of Industrial Accidents (1920-1952)
• Division of Industrial Accidents (1953-1984)
• Department of Industrial Accidents (1985-2001)

Missing: 1942-1944, 1971, 1972, 1974, 2000

Public Document No. 106

Norfolk State Hospital

• Norfolk State Hospital (Pondville, Mass.) (1914-1919)

Note: for reports for 1912 and 1913 see Public Document No. 47: Foxborough State Hospital

Public Document No. 107

Fire Prevention Commission

• Fire Prevention Commissioner for the Metropolitan District (1914-1919)

Note: for related reports after 1919, see Public Document No. 32: District Police / Public Safety

Public Document No. 108

State Forest Commission

• State Forest Commission (1914-1919)

Note: for related reports, see Public Document No. 73: State Forester / Conservation

Public Document No. 109

Teachers' Retirement Board

• Teachers' Retirement Board (1914-1950)

Public Document No. 110

Board of Parole for the State Prison and Massachusetts Reformatory

• Board of Parole for the State Prison and Massachusetts Reformatory (1915)

Series No. 111-Series No. 120

Public Document No. 111

Board of Parole for the Reformatory for Women

• Board of Parole for the Reformatory for Women (1915)

Public Document No. 112

Grafton State Hospital

• Grafton State Hospital (1915-1970)

Missing: 1942-1951/1952

Note: for related reports before 1915 see Public Document No. 23: Worcester State Hospital

Public Document No. 113

University Extension

• Board of Education. Department of University Extension (1915-1918)
• Department of Education. Division of University Extension (1919)

Note: For reports after 1919 see Public Document No. 2: Education

Public Document No. 114

Electricians

• State Examiners of Electricians (1915-1981) [also known as the Board of State Examiners of Electricians]

Note: recent reports contained in Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 115

Correction

• Department of Correction (1920-current)

Missing: 1958, 1964-1967, 1969, 1970, 1972-1978, 1982-1985, 1987-1992, 1994-1997

Note: for reports before 1920 see Public Document No. 13: Prisons

Public Document No. 116

Unassigned

Public Document No. 117

Mental Diseases / Mental Health

• Massachusetts Commission on Mental Diseases (1916-1919)
• Department of Mental Diseases (1920-1938)
• Department of Mental Health (1939-current)

Missing: 1942-1947, 1950/1951, 1954, 1957-1973, 1975-1985, 1987-1995, 1998, 2001-2002, 2006

Note: for related reports before 1916 see Public Document No. 63: Mental Health

Public Document No. 118

Commission on Waterways and Public Lands

See Public Document No. 11: Harbor and Land Commissioners

Public Document No. 119

Supervisor of Administration

• Supervisor of Administration (1916-1922)

Note: for related reports before 1916 see Public Document No. 96: Economy and Efficiency

Note: for related reports after 1922 see Public Document No. 140: Administration and Finance / Comptroller

Public Document No. 120

Under review

Series No. 121-Series No. 130

Public Document No. 121

Immigration and Americanization

• Bureau of Immigration (1918-1919)
• Department of Education. Division of Immigration and Americanization (1920-1974)

Note: for annual reports between 1941-1956 see Part I of Public Document No. 2: Education

Public Document No. 122

Commission for the Blind

See Public Document No. 81: Commission for the Blind

Public Document No. 123

State Board of Agriculture

See Public Document No. 4: Agriculture

Public Document No. 124

New Bedford Textile School

• New Bedford Textile School (1904-1921) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1904-1918]

Missing: 1918/1919

Public Document No. 125

Bradford Durfee Textile School

• Bradford Durfee Textile School (1904-1921) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1904-1918]

Missing: 1918/1919

Public Document No. 126

Lowell Textile School

• Lowell Textile School (1904-1928) [Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1904-1908]
• Lowell Textile Institute (1929-1952)
• Lowell Technological Institute (1953-1973)

Missing: 1923-1952, 1964-1965

Public Document No. 127

Unassigned

Public Document No. 128

Unassigned

Public Document No. 129

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation Commission

• Purgatory Chasm State Reservation Commission (1920-1921)

Public Document No. 130

Superintendent of Buildings

• Superintendent of Buildings (1920-1921)

Series No. 131-Series No. 140

Public Document No. 131

Unassigned

Public Document No. 132

Boston Elevated Railway / Metropolitan Transit Authority / MBTA

• Boston Elevated Railway Company (1897-1946)
• Metropolitan Transit Authority (1947-1963)
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (1964-1987)

Missing: 1926-1932

Public Document No. 133

Board of Excise for the City of Chelsea

• Chelsea (Mass.). Board of Excise (1919-1931)

Not Published:  1924

Public Document No. 134

Unassigned

Public Document No. 135

Unassigned

Public Document No. 136

Division of Registration

• Division of Registration (1920-2002)
• Division of Professional Licensure (2003-current)

Missing: 1971-1972, 1975-1976, 1979, 1983-1984, 1991-1993, 1998-2002, 2010-2014, 2017

Public Document No. 137

Boston Psychopathic Hospital / Mental Health Center

• Boston State Hospital. Psychopathic Department (1921-1955)
• Massachusetts Mental Health Center (1956-1983)

Missing: 1942-1946, 1952, 1974-1978

Note: for recent reports see Public Document No. 117: Mental Diseases / Mental Health

Public Document No. 138

Belchertown State School

• Belchertown State School (1923-1977)

Missing: 1942-1946, 1949, 1952

Public Document No. 139

Unassigned

Public Document No. 140

Administration and Finance / Comptroller / Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

• Commission on Administration and Finance/Comptroller's Bureau (1923-1940)
• Comptroller's Bureau (1941-1962)
• Comptroller's Division (1963-1986)
• Office of the Comptroller (1987-current)

Note: for related reports before 1922 see Public Document No. 119: Supervisor of Administration

Public Document No. 140

Statutory Basis Financial Report

• Office of the Comptroller (1990-current)

Series No. 141-Series No. 150

Public Document No. 141

Art Commission

• Massachusetts Art Commission (1922-2013)
• State House Art Commission (2014-current)

Missing: 1986, 1988, 1990

Not Published: 1926-1984

Public Document No. 142

Division of Metropolitan Planning

• Metropolitan District Commission. Division of Metropolitan Planning (1923-1940)

Note: for reports after 1940 see Public Document No. 156: State Planning Board

Public Document No. 143

Certified Public Accountants

• Board of Registration of Certified Public Accountants (1924-1962)
• Board of Public Accountancy (1963-1981)

Missing: 1931, 1946, 1962-1969, 1972

Note: recent reports contained in Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 144

Judicial Council

• Massachusetts Judicial Council (1925-1986)

Missing: 1940

Not Published: 1981-1985

Public Document No. 145

South Essex Sewerage District

• South Essex Sewerage District (Mass.) (1926-1996)

Missing: 1972-1982, 1985-1991, 1993

Public Document No. 146

City of Lowell Finance Commission

• Lowell (Mass.). Finance Commission (1926-1936)

Missing: 1935

Public Document No. 147

Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission

• Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission (1926-1947)

Note: for reports after 1947 see Public Document No. 48: Metropolitan Park Commission / District Commission

Public Document No. 148

Tax Appeals / Appellate Tax Board

• Board of Tax Appeals (1932-1936)
• Appellate Tax Board (1937-current)

Missing: 1979, 2014-2015

Public Document No. 149

Massachusetts Port Authority

• Massachusetts Port Authority (1956-current)

Missing: 1957, 1975, 1991, 2000-2018

Note: in 1959 the Massachusetts Port Authority absorbed the Port of Boston Commission [Public Document No. 164], Mystic River Bridge Authority, and the State Airport Management Board

Public Document No. 150

Metropolitan State Hospital (Waltham, Mass.)

• Metropolitan State Hospital (Waltham, Mass.) (1931-1976)

Missing: 1942, 1944-1947, 1950-1951, 1973

Not Published: 1952

Series No. 151-Series No. 160

Public Document No. 151

Fall River Board of Finance

• Fall River (Mass.). Board of Finance (1931-1940)

Public Document No. 152

Barbers

• Board of Registration of Barbers (1932-1940)

Note: recent reports contained in Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 153

Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission

• Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (1933-current)

Missing: 1983-1984, 1993-2011

Not Published: 1950-1951

Public Document No. 154

State Board of Housing

• State Board of Housing (1933-1947)
• State Housing Board (1948-1964)

Missing: 1943-1953/1954

Public Document No. 155

Racing Commission / Gaming Commission

• State Racing Commission (1935-2012)
• Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Division of Racing (2013-current)

Missing: 1977-1978, 1980, 1991

Public Document No. 156

State Planning Board

• State Planning Board (1935-1950)

Note: for related reports see Public Document No. 142: Division of Metropolitan Planning

Public Document No. 157

Veterans' Home in Chelsea

• Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts (Chelsea, Mass.). Board of Trustees (1882-1949)

Missing: 1901, 1904, 1906, 1910-1928, 1931-1932, 1934, 1941-1946/1947

Public Document No. 158

Board of Registration in Chiropody (Podiatry)

• Board of Registration in Chiropody (Podiatry) (1938-1971)

Note: recent reports contained in Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 159

Unemployment Offices

• Unemployment Compensation Commission/Division of Public Employment Offices (1935-1938)
• Division of Unemployment Compensation (1939-1940)
• Division of Employment Security (1941-1986)

Missing: 1979-1984

Note: for related reports before 1935 see Public Document No. 80: Public Employment Offices

Public Document No. 160

Aeronautics Commission

• Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission (1939-1993)

Missing: 1943, 1945, 1948-1958, 1988-1992

Note: for reports after 2010 see the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Annual Reports

Series No. 161-Series No. 166

Public Document No. 161

Board of Registration of Engineers and Land Surveyors

• Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (1942-1981)

Missing: 1979-1980

Note: recent reports contained in Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 162

Board of Registration of Architects

• Board of Registration of Architects (1942-1981)

Missing: 1976-1978, 1980

Note: recent reports contained in Public Document No. 136: Division of Registration

Public Document No. 163

Fair Employment / MCAD

• Massachusetts Fair Employment Practice Commission (1946-1949)
• Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (1950-current)

Missing: 1974-1976

Public Document No. 164

Port of Boston Commission

• Port of Boston Commission (1953-1958)

Note: For earlier reports see Public Document No. 94: Directors of the Port of Boston 

Note: In 1959, the Port of Boston Commission was absorbed into the Massachusetts Port Authority [Public Document No. 149] along with the Mystic River Bridge Authority and the State Airport Management Board

Public Document No. 165

Commission on Interstate Co-operation 

• Commission on Interstate Co-operation (1938-1977) [submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature 1938-1952/1953 and 1956-1963/1964]

Missing: 1964/1965-1973

Public Document No. 166

Supreme Judicial Court

• Supreme Judicial Court Executive Secretary (1956-1958)
• Supreme Judicial Court. Office of the Executive Secretary (1959-1976)
• Trial Court. Office of the Chief Administrative Justice (1977-1979)
• Trial Court (1980-1993)
• Supreme Judicial Court (2008-current)

Not Published: 2004-2007