These men all belonged to the Overseers of the Poor, a group of men whose principal functions were: the care of the “out of doors” poor, or people living on their own in a private dwelling; the care and oversight of the Almshouse and the Workhouse; and the binding out of poor children into indentures. The Almshouse was designed for people the Overseers deemed the “deserving poor,” such as the truly homeless, the ill, and the involuntarily idle. In contrast, the Workhouse was designed to deal with the indigent poor, those whom the Overseers felt could work but chose not to do so. While not strictly under their authority, the Overseers often were involved with selectmen and justices of the peace in “warning out” people. “Warning Out” was the forceful removal of indigent and uncared for individuals from the community and was widely practiced in colonial New England.
The Overseers of the Poor were the eighteenth-century equivalent of today’s Massachusetts State Department of Children and Families. They were authorized by an act of the Massachusetts General Court in 1692 and they existed until 1823 when Boston became a city and a new civic charter was created. There was one Overseer for each ward of the city. They were elected to their posts each year at the annual town meeting, but many stayed in their positions for a long time. Most were wealthy merchants who could adjust their professional lives to take on this important civic duty.