Records of the Georgia Prison Commission, 1817-1936. A part of the records of the Georgia Board of Corrections, Record group 21

DESCRIPTIVE INVENTORY Numher 1
Records of the
.,GEORGIA PRISON COMMISSION~ 1817 - 1936
A Part of the Records of the Georgia Board of Corrections
Record Group 21
PREPARED BY THE STUDENTS OF THE 1969 ARCHIVES INSTITUTE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
ATLANTA I GEORGIA

DESCRIPTIVE INVENTORY
Number 1 Records of the
GEORGIA PRISON COMMISSION, 1817 - 1936
A Part of the Records of the Georgia Board of Corrections
Record Group 21
PREPARED BY THE STUDENTS Of THE 1969 ARCHIVES INSTITUTE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT Of ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
ATlANTA I GEORGIA

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY Miss Carroll Hart, Director
A Department under SECRETARY OF STATE
Ben W. Fortson, Jr.
Atlanta, Georgia November, 1969
COVER PICTURE. This is the earliest known drawing of the Georgia Penitentiary. Because the Penitentiary's shops were engaged in manufacturing war materials, General Sherman ordered it burned on his "March to the Sea'! in the closing months of the Civil War. This picture showing the Penitentiary in flames appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper of New York in its issue of January 14, 1865.

FOREWORD
This descriptive inventory was prepared by the students of the Georgia Archives' Third Archives Institute (1969) as part of their laboratory work in the application of archival principles in a work situation. The laboratory project was under the supervision of HarITlon SITlith, Head of the Civil War Records Section. The students were given a previously unorganized record group which they arranged into series and described.
Because of a liITlited staff, it has been difficult for the Georgia Archives to launch a positive prograITl for the preparation of finding aids. The students of the 1969 Archives Institute have helped the Archives by preparing this inventory. We gratefully express our appreciation to theITl.
The students who prepared this inventory were:
Mr. Anthony A. AdaITls, WyoITling State Archives and Historical DepartITlent, Cheyenne, WyoITling
Miss Jo Cille Dawkins, Mississippi DepartITlent of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi
Rev. Brooks B. Little, Library and MuseuITl, The Upper ROOITl, Nashville, Tennessee
Mrs. C. T. Moulton, 444 Glenndale Ave., Decatur, Georgia Rev. Robert Myers, S. V. D., St. Joseph Hospital, New HaITlp-
ton, Iowa Miss Karen Spriegel, 5102 Galley, No. 303B, Colorado Springs,
Colorado Mr. Edward J. Tribble, Jessie Ball DuPont Library, University
of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee Mrs. Carol K. Triplette, 56 Willow Terrace, Chapel Hill,
North Carolina Mrs. Mary H. WilliaITls, 3158 Majestic Circle, Avondale Es-
tates, Georgia Mrs. Julia A. Yelvington, WyoITling State Archives and Histori-
cal DepartITlent, Cheyenne, WyoITling
iii

PREFACE
The Georgia Department of Archives and History was created in 1918 as an agency of State government. The objects and purposes of the Department as established by law are "to insure the retention and preservation of rq.e records of any State or local agency with historical and research value by providing for the application of modern and efficient methods to the creation, utilization, maintenance, retention, preservation and disposal of records ... If
Records deposited in the Georgia Archives are arranged into record groups and series. Each agency of State government is assigned a record group nwnber. As records of an agency are acces sioned into the Archives they are organized into series under the proper record group number.
An important function of any archival institution is to make known to researchers the holdings of the institution. A widely used finding aid is the descriptive inventory, such as this one, in which the archivist describes each record series. The archivist strives to describe the record series in such a way that the researcher can determine whether or not there is information in the records that would be pertinent to his area of study. By publishing and distributing the inventories, the archivist allows the researcher to make this determination without the neces sity of a visit to the archives.
The Georgia Archives plans to prepare and publish similar descriptive inventories for most of its record groups.
Archival records cannot be checked out of the building. Persons interested in using any of the records should either visit the Archives or inquire into the cost of microfilming or otherwise reproducing the records. The Archives has adequate photocopying facilities. The cost varies according to the photoduplication method used.
Inquiries or requests for copies of this inventory should be sent to the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. The Archives phone nwnber is (404) 522-0010.
v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Foreword.

iii

Preface

v

Introduction .

1

Descriptive Inventory.

7

1. Principal Keeper's Reports, 1852-1862,

1868-1870, 1872-1897 .

7

2. Prison Commission's Reports, 1897-1936 .

7

3. Reports of the Board of Inspectors, Book-

keeper and Other Officials, 1820-1873

8

4. Principal Physician's Reports, 1890-1897 .

8

5. Central Register of Convicts, 1817-1897

8

6. Registers of Convicts at Individual Camps,

1875-1909

9

7. Lessee's Monthly Reports of Convicts, 1898-

1900 .

10

8. Monthly Reports of Misdemeanor Chain

Gangs, 1898-1901

10

9. Weekly Registers of Convicts in Prison Camp

Hospitals, 1888-1899, 1902-1904, 1907

10

10. Description Book of Convicts at Pitts Camp,

1899-1906, and S. M. Stanley's Camp, 1904-

1908 .

11

11. Monthly Reports of Corporal Punishment,

Diet, and Condition of Convicts, 1884-1886,

1889 ("Whipping Reports")

11

12. Monthly Reports of Convicts Punished, 1901-

1909 ("Whipping Reports")

12

13. Account Book of Convicts Leased, 1872-1876. 12

14. Registers of Convicts Received, 1873 -187 5;

Pardoned, 1871-1876, 1883-1885; Discharged,

1873-1886; Died, 1873-1886; or Escaped,

1873-1883

12

15. Governor's Executive Orders Granting Par-

dons and Commuting Sentences, 1874-1886.

13

vii

INTRODUCTION
The records described in this inventory consist of eight cubic feet of records of the Georgia Penitentiary, 1817-1897, and the Georgia Prison Conunission, 1897 -1936. They are accessioned into the Georgia Archives as Record Group 21, Records of the Georgia Board of Corrections. The Penitentiary and the Prison Commission are predecessors of the Board of Corrections and the records described here constitute all the records of this record group that have been received into the Archives.
Most of the documents in this record group are official reports giving information about the state of the prison system and registers which account for the individual prisoner's presence and his well being. Records for the post Civil War period are more numerous and complete. Apparently, Inost of the records that should be in this record group have been lost. Minutes of the Prison COInmission's meetings and almost all correspondence files, for exaInple, are missing.
Prior to the passage of the Georgia Penal Code of December 16, 1816, persons convicted of crimes were punished by whipping, subjecting them to the pillory and confining them in the common jails of the individual countie s. The 1816 code provided for the building of a State Penitentiary at Milledgeville--which was completed one year later--and established a system for its management. The administrative authority was vested in a Board of Inspectors consisting of nine members to be appointed each year by joint resolution of the General Assembly. Five members of the Board of Inspectors formed a quorum for the transaction of business. The Governor was an ex-officio member of the Board and when present served as chairman. An Act of December 20, 1820, reduced the number of Inspectors to three and an Act of December 20, 1828, placed the appointment of the Inspectors in the hands of the Governor. An Act of December 23, 1840, reduced the Board of Inspectors to only one person and gave most of the administrative authority to the Principal Keeper.
I

The Act of 1816 provided that the Board of Inspectors direct the management and conduct of the officers, make rule s and regulations for the ope ration of the Penitentiary, have authority over the expenditure of funds, determine the extent of solitary confinement or other punishment to be inflicted on prisoners over and above the limited amount of punishment that the Principal Keeper was allowed to impose, and determine the amount of money to be given to prisoners on their release. An Act of 1819 provided that at the request of the Governor the Board of Inspectors form a board with the Penitentiary physician to try prison employees charged with serious offences.
The Board of Inspectors were required to meet quarterly for the transaction of business. Two "Acting Inspectors'l were required to visit the Penitentiary at least twice a week to "inform themselves of the proceedings of the officers and conduct of the convicts."
Under the supervision of the Board of Inspectors, the Principal Keeper was the chief administrative officer of the Penitentiary. The Act of 1840 that reduced the number of Inspectors to one gave the general superintendence to the Principal Keeper. By this Act, the Inspector became hardly more than a purchasing agent.
When General Sherman's Union Army moved toward Milledgeville in November, 1864, Gov. Joseph E. Brown, acting under a resolution of the Georgia Senate, offered to pardon all convicts "not of the worst class" who would volunteer to enter military service, llmaking pardon conditional on the faithful discharge of their duties as soldiers." In his message to the General Assembly on February 15, 1865, Gov. Brown reported that this offer "was accepted by nearly all to whom it was tendered."
The cells, workshops and other buildings of the Penitentiary were destroyed by Sherman's army on the '1March to the Sea" and the State was immediately faced with the problem of determining what to do about its convicts. Accordingly, the General As sembly took steps to have the Penitentiary repaired. It also passed an act on March 20, 1866, to provide that the Inferior Courts of the individual counties use convicts on public works or to hire them out to
2

contractors engaged in such work. An amendment to this Act, approved December 11, 1866, permitted the Governor to refuse to receive convicts from the counties if he deemed it advisable. On December 28 of the same year, the legislature passed a law directing that the Governor advertise for proposals to "farm out the Penitentiary" and to make the best contract possible, provided that the lease would relieve the State from all further expense during the term of the lease. No lease was to be for longer than five years. Thus began the "convict lease system" that was to be a bone of contention in Georgia politics for many years to come. The lessees put the convicts to work mining coal, operating lumber mills, making brick, farming, constructing railroads and at other occupations.
On December 14, 1871, the General Assembly passed another law which further defined the convict lease system. It authorized the Governor to make additional contracts for hiring out convicts for one or two years. The law required that the lessees assume all the expenses of maintaining the convicts except that of the Principal Keeper's salary. All employees of the Penitentiary were to be discharged except the Principal Keeper who was to continue in office as Inspector of convicts, "and shall report to the Governor any and all violations of the contracts by the persons to whom the convicts shall have been farmed, and discharge all the duties now required of him by law."
A new convict lease law was passed on Feburary 25, 1876, and under it most of Georgia's convicts were leased for twenty year s to three penitentiary leasing companie s for a total of $500, 000 to be paid to the State in annual installments. This law was to go into effect in 1879.
Throughout the 1890' s, social reformers, particularly some working within the Populist Party, called for the end of the convict lease system, pointing to many instance s of inhumane treatment of the prisoners by the whipping bosses and other employees of the leasing companies. The efforts of these reformers began to bear fruit in 1897, just before the twenty-year leases were to expire in 1899. The General Assembly in an Act approved December 21., 1897, created the Georgia Prison Commission composed of three members to be appointed at first by the Governor and beginning in 1898 to be elected by the people for staggered six year terms. The Commissioners were charged with the
3

the task of locating and purchasing land for one or more State prison farms where female prisoners, boys under fifteen years of age, and men who were infirm, diseased or aged would be kept. The able-bodied men were to be available for lease. Prisoners sentenced to les s than five years were to be used by local officials on public works. The office of Principal Keeper was abolished and the Commissioners were given the responsibility of overseeing the treatment of the convicts by the lessees and of operating the State prison farm. The Act further provided that the Prison Commission serve as a board of pardons to investigate all applicants for executive clemency and make recommendation to the Governor regarding the granting of pardons.
In 1908, a committee of the General Assembly was appointed to investigate reports of graft, cruelty and nepotism in the prison system. The report of this committee brought about an end to the convict lease system.. An Act approved September 19, 1908, at an extraordinary session of the General Assembly provided that henceforth all prisoner s were to be maintained either on the State prison farm or assigned to the counties for work on the public roads.
An Act of March 30, 1937, added the Governor and the Chairman of the Georgia Highway Commission as ex-officio members of the Prison Commission. This action was nullified a year later, however, when the General Assembly divided the Prison Commission's duties between two agencies, one to operate the prisons and the other to have charge of pardons and paroles.
This dividing of the Prison Commission's responsibilities was accomplished through two acts of the legislature. The Act of January 24, 1938, created the Georgia Board of Penal Administration which was empowered with ~omplete authority, supervision and control over all misdemeanor and felony prisoners and the operation of the prison system. The Board created by this Act was composed of five members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The members were to serve five year terms staggered so that one term would expire on January 1 of each year. The Act provided that the Board become active on Fe bruary 15 of that year.
4

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The other Act, approved February 3, 1938, changed the name of the Prison Commission to the Georgia Prison and Parole Conunission. Its duties were limited to actions related to pardons, paroles, probation and other acts of clemency. The composition of the Commission was unchanged and the same persons continued to serve as Conunissioners.
The Board of Penal Administration was short-lived. An Act approved a year later--on Ma~ch 21, 1939--created the Georgia Board of Penal Corrections which took over all the duties of its predecessor. The new Board was composed of three members appointed by the Governor for staggered five year terms.
Two Acts, both approved February 19, 1941, changed the organization of the penal system once again. The Board of Penal Corrections was abolished and all its duties COllcerning the custody of the convicts and its records of the conviction and sentence of convicts or records relating to the description, identification, conduct and clas sification of convicts were turned over to the Prison and Parole Commission. The Prison and Parole Commission was all;lO given the responsibility for the assigmnent of convicts and for transferring them from one prison camp to another. A Superintendent of State Farms was given the responsibility of maintaining and operating the prison camps. He ,was to have none of the duties described above that were delegated to the Prison and Parole Commission.
Still another re-organization occurred two years later. An Act of February 2, 1943, changed the name of the Prison and Parole Commission to the Georgia Board of Prisons. Three days later another Act was pas sed which transferred all the duties concerned with pardons and paroles of prisoners to the newly created Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The penal system was re-organized into its present status by the Georgia Constitution approved August 7, 1945, which provided for the creation of the Georgia Board of Corrections, and the Act of February 1, 1946, which put the provisions of the Constitution into effect. The Board of Corrections was to be composed of five members to serve staggered terms of five years each, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Board was to elect a
5

Director of Corrections to be the executive officer of the Board. The Board was to have such jurisdiction, powers, duties and control of the State penal system and its inmates as provided by law.
There are other record groups that supplement a study of the prison systeITl. The Governor's Executive Minutes contain records of appointITlents of officials, records of pardons granted and often other information on the ITlanagement of the prison system. The Executive Minutes as well as the published House and Senate Journals also contain the annual and special ITlessages of the Governor to the General AsseITlbly in which the Governor often cOITlITlented on affairs related to the prison and the convicts. Records of the General Assembly includeITlany reports of legislative comm.ittees which investigated the penitentiary at various times. The House and Senate Journals also contain information concerning appointITlents made to the Board of Inspectors and to other Penitentiary offices during the period when the legis1ature had this responsibility. The Archives has records of the Georgia Pardons and Paroles Board and its predecessor, the Georgia Prison and Parole Comm.ission.
The Georgia Board of Corrections has retained in its own files most of the more recent records of the prison systeITl. The only series of these records, however, that dates back to the period of the Prison Comm.ission are case files on prisoners. These case files begin in the late nineteenth century.
The records described in this inventory have no legal restrictions placed on their use.
6

RECORDS OF THE
GEORGIA PRISON COMMISSION
1. PRINCIPAL KEEPER'S REPORTS, 1852-1862, 18681870, 1872-1897. Microfilm, 1 roll. These printed annual or biennial reports by the Prin-
cipal Keeper of the Penitentiary to the Governor and the General Assembly summarize the condition of the Penitentiary and its inmates. In addition to a narrative evaluation, the reports contain several tables which give detailed information concerning the convicts, such as lists of the convicts, breakdowns of the type of crimes for which they were sentenced, the counties from which they were received and their nativity. Reports by the Bookkeeper in which he presents the financial status of the Penitentiary are included in all reports through 1870. After that date, the Principal Keeper usually incorporated this information into his report. The Penitentiary Physician's reports are included for many years. (See Series 4, "Principal Physician's Reports, 1890-1897. II) The Georgia Archives microfilmed these pamphlets from originals in the Georgia State Law Library.
2. PRISON COMMISSION'S REPORTS, 1897-1936. Microfilm, 1 roll. These printed annual or biennial reports by the Prison
Commission to the Governor and the General Assembly are, in effect, a continuation of the reports of the Principal Keeper since the Commission assumed the duties of the Principal Keeper when the latter office was abolished in 1897. Each report describes the status of the prison system regarding such aspects as the financial condition; personnel; health of the inmates; operation of the State prison farm, reformatory and female camp; and future plans. Reports of various subordinate officers such as the prison farm superintendent, the warden and the chaplain are often included. An appendix to each report contains many table s showing additional information about the inmates in consider-
7

able detail, usually including rules established for the conduct of the prisoners. The Georgia Archives microfihned these reports from originals on file in the Georgia State Law Library.
3. REPORTS OF THE BOARD OF INSPECTORS, BOOKKEEPER AND OTHER OFFICIALS, 1820-1873 (Many years missing). Loose papers, 3 in. Included are manuscript copies of quarterly and annual
reports which summarize the state of the Penitentiary. Most of the reports are by the Bookkeeper and seem to be exhibits that accompanied the reports of the Inspectors, such as balance sheets, cash accounts, accounts current, and statements of receipts and expenditures. Also included are lists of the officers and guards, giving their job titles and salaries; breakdowns of the type of crimes committed by the prisoners; inventories of supplies, raw materials, manufactured goods, equipment and subsistence received, on hand and consumed; and reports by the Penitentiary Physician. Most reports are designed to show the financial condition of the Penitentiary, and others show the nature and extent of manufacturing done by the prisoners. The years 1831-1856 are covered more completely than other years and there are no reports at all for many years. The material is arranged chronologically. The first folder contains a brief calendar of the items included.
4. PRINCIPAL PHYSICIAN'S REPORTS, 1890-1897. Microfilm, 1 roll. These printed annual reports by the Principal Physi-
cian summarize the health of the convicts and the hygienic and sanitary condition of the various prison camps. A copy of the rules governing physicians in charge of individual prison camps is usually included. Information similar to that in these reports is often found in the reports described in Series I, 2 and 3 above. The Georgia Archives microfilmed the reports from originals on file in the Georgia State Law Library.
5. CENTRAL REGISTERS OF CONVICTS, 1817-1897. 4 vols., 6 in. These registers were required by law to be kept by
the Principal Keeper of the Penitentiary. The first volume, 1817-1868, shows for each prisoner his name, number, age, height, complexion, color of hair and eyes, county from which convicted, occupation, state of birth, crime, when re-
8

ceived by the Penitentiary, expiration date of sentence, and date of pardon, discharge or death (if died in prison). There are several missing pages in this volume, but most entries in it, including entries on pages that are missing, were copied into the second volume, 1817-1871. The last three volumes give, in addition to the above data, the convict's marital status, "habit of life" (good, bad or intemperate; often not filled in), grade of education, number days deducted for good conduct, and a remarks column which often shows the camp to which the prisoner was assigned during the lease period. Entries in the first two volumes are chronological by the date the prisoner was received. Entries in the other two books are arranged alphabetically by the initial letter of the prisoner' s surname, then by the date received. There is no index.
6. REGISTERS OF CONVICTS AT INDIVIDUAL CAMPS, 1875-1909. 17 vols., 1 ft., 3 in. These registers were kept by officials at the individual
camps. For each convict is shown his name; crime, term of sentence; when received; expiration date of sentence, the county from which convicted; date of discharge, escape, death or pardon; age; complexion, height; weight; color of eyes and hair; date of recapture; and remarks. The amount of information filled under each of the above column headings varies from book to book. The individual camps represented are:
Arlington Lumber Company, 1896-1908 Babcock Lumber Company, 1882-1908 Chickamauga Coal and Coke Company, 1875-1906 Durham Coal and Coke Company, 1884-1907 Georgia Iron and Coal Company, 1879-1904 (3 vo1s.) Gress Company, 1878-1909 (2 vo1s.) M. O. Maxwell's Camp, 1883 -1908 Pitts Camp, 1897-1908 Southern Lumber Company, 1906 -1909 Unidentified camps, 1877-1909 (2 vols.) Miscellaneous camps, 1877-1886 The entrie s in each volume are arranged alphabetically by initial letter of the inmate's surname and thereunder by date received. Two books only list the convicts in roughly alphabetical order and give the camp or lessee to whom they were assigned. One of these books also includes a register of escapes, deaths and discharges for 1872 near the end of the book. The other also contains a list of convicts leased
9

to former Governor Joseph E. Brown and assigned to the Dade County Coal Mine Company, showing the county of conviction, crime, date received and term of sentence. None of the books have an index.
7. LESSEE'S MONTHLY REPORTS OF CONVICTS, 18981900. 4 vols., 6 in. These monthly reports by the lessees of convicts to
the Prison Commission give the name of the camp and the contractor, followed by an alphabetical listing of the convicts showing their color, age, crime, county of conviction, length of sentence, date received, date discharged and remarks (the latter usually left blank). The reports were put into binders by the Prison Commission. The arrangement is chronological but there is no apparent order within each month. There are reports only for July-December, 1898; April-June, 1899; and February-March, 1900. There is no index.
8. MONTHLY REPORTS OF MISDEMEANOR CHAIN GANGS, 189'8-1901. 1 vol., 1 in. These monthly reports to the Prison Commission give
the county and the name of the operator of the chain gang, followed by a list of the convicts showing their county of conviction; age; color; sex; crime; date received; term of sentence; dates of discharge, death, escape, recapture, pardon and casualties; conduct; and offences for which the convicts were punished giving the date and extent or nature of the punishment. Each report usually contains the signature s of the gang captain, the chairman of the County Board of Commissioners and a notary public who attest to the accuracy of the report. Spaces to record the location of the camp, the nearest railroad station and the name of the railroad are included but not often filled in. There are reports only for October, 1898; October, 1899; May, 1900; and January-March, 1901, with a few single reports for other months. The reports were mailed to the Prison Conunission and put into a binder by that office. The arrangement is chronological and thereunder alphabetical by county. There is no index.
9. WEEKLY REGISTERS OF CONVICTS IN PRISON CAMP HOSPITALS, 1888-1899, 1902-1904, 1907. 8 vo1s., 1 ft., 7 in. These registers contain a weekly record of all persons
10

in the ca.m.p hospitals, glVIng the na.m.es of patients remaining from the previous week and new admissions, their illness, age, sex, color, the date returned to duty, the number remaining in the hospital and the total number of convicts in the camp. Only the na.m.e of the convict, the illness and the number of convicts in each camp are consistently filled in, however. The name of the ca.m.p physician is given for each ca.m.p. Comments about transfers of convicts from one ca.m.p to another and changes ~n the locations of ca.m.ps are often included. The information was apparently recorded into these books by the staff of the Principal Keeper's office and later by the Prison Commission staff from weekly reports sent in by officials of the individual ca.m.ps. Each volume contains the records of several ca.m.ps. Within each volume the ca.m.ps are in alphabetical order and the weekly entries are arranged in chronological order. Some of the volumes contain an index to the camps included but not to the names of the convicts. The other volumes have no index.
10. DESCRIPTION BOOK OF CONVICTS AT PITTS CAMP, 1899-1906, AND S. M. STANLEY'S CAMP, 1904-1908. 1 vol., 1 in. This volume contains such descriptive data concerning
convicts as name; age; county of conviction; length of sentence; date received; various physical characteristics such as height, weight, color, color hair and eyes, location and description of scars, and shoe size. Information about escape and recapture, death, occupation, disabilities and status (trusty, etc.) are also often included. Near the end of the book are some pages of isolated information concerning barrels of turpentine gum shipped by R. A. Black, 1905-1907; names of prisoners to whom shoes and hats were furnished, 1905-1907; and boxes cut, 1904-1905. The entries are in no apparent order. A partial index, not alphabetical, is at the back of the book.
11. MONT HLY REPORT S OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT, DIET, AND CONDITION OF CONVICTS, 1884-1886, 1889, ("WHIPPING REPORTS"). Loose papers, 4 in. These reports were submitted to the Principal Keeper
by the officers in charge of the individual ca:mps. They give the name of the convicts punished, the date, the type and extent of the punishment (number of lashes) and the offence for which punished. Also included is a statement
11

about the diet furnished the convicts and other remarks concerning the health and well-being of the prisoners. The reports are notarized and signed by the officer in charge of the camp. Similar information for a later period is found in SerieS' 12, Monthly Reports of Convicts Punished, 19011909, ("Whipping Reports"). The reports are arranged in chronological order but are in no particular order within each month. There is no index.
12. MONTHLY REPORTS OF CONVICTS PUNISHED, 19011909, ("WHIPPING REPORTS"). 8 vo1s., 6 in. These monthly reports give the name and location of
the camp and the month at the top of the page. For each convict punished is given his name, the date, the cause or offence and the extent of the punishment (number of lashes). Similar information for an earlier period is found in Series II, Monthly Reports of Corporal Punishment, Diet and Condition of Convicts, 1884-1886, 1889, ("Whipping Reports"). Reports are arranged in the volumes by camp (usually one camp to each volume) and thereunder by month. Presumably, the information was recorded into these volumes by the staff of the Prison Commission from monthly reports sent to that office by the officials of the individual camps. There is no index.
13. ACCOUNT BOOK OF CONVICTS LEASED, 1872-1876. 1 vol., 1 in. This book, apparently kept by the Principal Keeper,
records the amount due the State by lessees for the hire of convicts. Each lessee's convicts are listed for given periods of time, showing the amount due the State for each convict. At the end of each list is the total due and often a statement of when the account was sent to the State Corn.ptroller General for collection. There is no index.
14. REGISTERS OF CONVICTS RECEIVED, 1873-1875; PARDONED, 1871-1876, 1883-1885; DISCHARGED, 1873-1886; DIED, 1873-1886; OR ESCAPED, 18731883. 2 vols., 2 in. The first volume, covering 1871-1877, gives the name
of the convict; the date of his pardon, discharge, death or escape; the name of the camp where he was a'ssigned at the time and sometimes the convict's crirn.e. The other volume contains only registers of deaths and discharges, showing the convict's name, color, age, county of conviction, when
12

received, date of death or discharge, height, weight, health when received, and the name of the camp to which he was assigned. The first volume also contains the Principal Keeper's recorded copy of about 50 Executive Orders of the Governor granting pardons in 1877 of the type found in Series 15, Governor's Executive Orders Granting Pardons and Commuting Sentences, 1874-1886. Likewise, one volume of Series 15 contains some pages of registers of escapes, 18771883, 1885; and of pardons, 1883-1885. The other volume in that series contains registers of deaths, 1885-1886, and of escapes, 1883-1886. There is no index.
15. GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS GRANTING PARDONS AND COMMUTING SENTENCES, 1874-1886. 2 vo1s., 2 in. These books contain the Principal Keeper ' s recorded
copies of the Governor's Executive Orders granting pardons and commuting sentences. The original orders appear in the Governor's Executive Minutes books (Record Group I, Series 3). Each order gives the name of the convict, his crime, the county of conviction, the length of his sentence, the amount of time served, the reason for the pardon and the order for the Principal Keeper to discharge the prisoner. In the volume covering 1877-1883, the orders are arranged in reverse chronological sequence. In both books are entries containing the type information described in Series 14 above. Likewise, one of the volumes of Series 14 contains about 50 Executive Orders granting pardons for 1 ~77. There is no index.
16. DAILY RECORDS OF RATIONS, CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS ISSUED TO CONVICTS, 1884-1909. 8 vo1s., 6 in. Seven of these volumes give for each day the number
of prisoners at the camps and a daily accounting of the quantity of various items of food, clothing, tobacco, soap, kerosene oil and similar items furnished to them. The inclusive dates vary from book to book. The information is arranged by camp (with one to three camps in each volume) and thereunder by date. The volume for the Enterprise Lumber Company and the F. S. Royster Guano Company camps includes near the end of the book a record of whippings administered at the latter camp, 1908-1909. These seven volumes are not indexed. The other volume is a record of shoes and hats issued at the Flowers Bros. Lum-
13

ber Company camp at Blakely. It shows to whom shoes were issued, the date and the shoe size. Generally, the names of the convicts are in alphabetical order but there is an index. The record of hats issued is on page 70. Some of the other seven volumes also include records of shoes and hats issued. Pages 20-24 of the eighth book contain a daily record of the number of prisoners working on different jobs in the "turpentine department," 1899. Series 10, Description Book of Convicts at Pitts Camp, 1899-1906, and S. M. Stanley's Camp, 1904-1908, also contains records of shoe s and hats furnished to convicts.
17. EMPLOYEES' TIME BOOKS, 1899-1909. 3 vols., 3 in. Included are time books for the F. S. Royster Guano
Company Camp, 1906-1909; the Flowers Bros. Lumber Company Camp, 1899-1907; and one unidentified camp, 19041909. Entries are arranged by month. For each month the names and job titles (usually abbreviated) of the guards and other employees are listed, showing for each day of the month whether or not the employee worked and the total salary paid him for the month. There is no index.
18. RECEIPTS FOR MONEY PAID OUT AND FOR RAW MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURED ARTICLES DELIVERED, 1821-1916 (MANY YEARS MISSING). Loose papers, 7 in. The receipts for money paid out cover payments to
discharged convicts, payments to persons bringing convicts from the county courts to the Penitentiary, payments to employees for salaries and payments to suppliers for equipment purchased. These generally cover the period from 1822 to 1866, but are concentrated between 1837-1853. The receipts for raw materials and manufactured articles delivered show the delivery of these items from one offieia1 o.f the Penitentiary to another. They give a good insight into the nature and extent of prison manufacturing during the period 1841-1853. Also included are requisitions for supplies, 1915-1916. The documents are arranged by year and are in random order within each year. There is no index.
19. MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, 1816 -1916. Loose papers, 3 in. Included are:
14

(1) Photocopies of published Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly concerning the Penitentiary, 18161909. These copies were reproduced from Georgia Laws by the compilers of this inventory for use in preparing the inventory and were put here for the convenience of future users.
(2) A few items of correspondence, 1887-1892. Most are letters by prison camp officials to the Principal Keeper notifying him of the appointment of "whipping bosses" and requesting approval of the appointment. Most have a statement of approval signed by the Principal Keeper and sometimes also by the Governor added to the bottom.
(3) Four Grand Jury pre sentments from Polk, Dade, Fulton and Walker Counties, 1887-1890, commenting on conditions in convict camps in these counties.
(4) Certifications of convictions, 1866-1867, 1869-1880, consisting of extracts from the Superior Court Minutes of various counties showing that the prisoners were convicted and giving the sentence imposed by the courts. There is also a statement by the Clerk of the Superior Court certifying that the extract is a true copy and the Clerk's seal is affixed at the bottom.
(5) Weekly lists of convicts leased to Grant, Alexander and Co., and as signed to the Airline Railroad and the Brunswick and Albany Railroad camps, 1871. These lists show only the convict's name s and their county of conviction.
(6) Miscellaneous items, including a contract between the Georgia Penitentiary Company No. 2 and B. G. Locket concerning the leasing of convicts; blank forms headed "Georgia Penitentiary Descriptive List;" and a broadside headed "Orders and Instructions to Lessees of the Georgia Penitentiary," and dated 1885.
15

APPENDIX

I. Members of the Board of Inspectors, 1816-1841

The following list includes only those Inspectors appointed between 1816 and the Act of December 23, 1840, which reduced the Board of Inspectors to one person and gave most of the supervisory powers to the Principal Keeper. Names are listed in the order of their appointment; consequently, a person who served a term and then ceased being a member but later was reappointed is listed again. The date shown for the end of an Inspector's term is derived from the date his successor was appointed, even though in a few instances there may have been a few days between the resignation or death of an Inspector and the appointment of his successor.

Name of Inspector

From

To

Dr. Samuel Boykin Dr. Tomlinson Fort Thomas H. Kenan John Howard Zachariah Lamar George R. Clayton Edmund Booker Jenkins Abner Hammond Rev. Myles Greene John W. Deveaux Seaton Grantland Thomas Foard Simon Whitake r Hines Holt Rev. Edmund Shackelford James Fleming Thomas B. Stubbs John Lucas L. Q. C. Lamar, Sr. Dr. Tomlinson Fort* Thomas W. Baxter William. D. Jarratt Solomon Belton

Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Dec. 16, 1816 Mar. 5, 1817 Mar. 17, 1817 Apr. 3, 1817 Dec. 18, 1817 Dec. 18, 1817 Dec. 19, 1818 Dec. 19, 1818 Dec. 19, 1818 Dec.18, 1819 Dec. 18, 1819 Dec. 24, 1819 Dec. 31, 1819 Feb. 17, 1820 Sept. 14, 1820

Sept. 14, 1820 Dec. 19, 1818 Dec. 24, 1819 Dec. 18, 1817 Dec. 19, 1918 Mar. 17, 1817 Mar. 5, 1817 Apr. 3, 1817 Feb. 17, 1820 June 3, 1817 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 19, 1818 Sept. 15, 1820 Dec. 18, 1819 Dec. 18, 1819 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 31, 1819 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 20, 1822 Dec. 19, 1820

17

Dr. J. Gorman Thompson Bird Edward Cary John Bozeman Arthur Ginn William Greene Arthur Ginn* John Bozeman* Burton Hepburn Littleton Atkinson Francis Jeter William Greene* Thomas H. Kenan>l< Edward Cary>:' Francis Jeter* Dr. Samuel Boykin>:' James Camak James S. Calhoun Dr. Tomlinson Fort* Dr. Benjamin A. White Dr. Tomlinson Fort>:' William D. Jarratt>:' Thomas W. Baxter>:' John A. Cuthbert Robert Micklejohn Alfred M. Horton Charles J. Paine Emme r Baile s Robert McComb Charles E. Ryan JohnR. Anderson

Sept. 15, 1820 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 20, 1822 Dec. 20, 1822 Dec. 12, 1823 Dec. 6. 1824 Dec. 16, 1825 Dec. 16, 1825 Dec. 16, 1825 Sept. 25, 1826 Dec. 18, 1826 Dec. 18, 1826 Dec. 26, 1826 Dec. 29. 1827 Dec. 23. 1828 Dec. 23, 1828 Dec. 23, 1828 Dec. 31, 1829 Jan. 4. 1830 Oct. 27, 1830 Jan. 2, 1832 Jan. 2, 1832 June 27, 1832 Jan. 11, 1836 Jan. 6, 1837 Jan. 1, 1838 Jan. 1, 1838 Jan. 2, 1840 Jan. 2, 1840 Oct. 9. 1840

Dec. 19, 1820 Dec. 20, 1822 Dec. 16, 1825 Dec. 6. 1824 Dec. 12, 1823 Dec. 26, 1825 Dec. 16. 1825 Dec. 23. 1828 Dec. 18, 1826 Sept. 25, 1826 Dec. 18. 1826 Dec. 26, 1826 Dec. 23, 1828 Dec. 29, 1827 Dec. 23. 1828 Dec. 31, 1829 Jan. 2, 1832 Oct. 27, 1830 Jan. 4, 1830 Jan. 2, 1840 Jan. 2, 1832 Jan. 11, 1836 June 27, 1832 Jan. 6. 1837 Jan. 1. 1838 Jan. 1. 1838 Jan. 4, 1841 Jan. 2. 1840 Oct. 9, 1840 Jan. 4. 1841 Jan. 4, 1841

>:'Denotes that this person had served on the Board previously.

II. Principal Keepers, 1817-1897

Name of Principal Keeper

Date of Appointment

Capt. Samuel Tinsley Cornelius McCarty Maj. Philip Cook Gen. Daniel Newnan Peter Jones Williams

Mar. 20. 1817 Dec. 18. 1817 Dec. 20. 1820 Dec. 16. 1823 Nov. 1, 1824

18

Anderson Abercrombie Maj. Philip Cook* Charles C. Mills Wilkins Hunt John Bates Thomas W. Alexander Gen. Charles Haney Ne1son** Anderson Westmoreland Redding William W. Williamson Lewis Zachry William Turk Gen. Eli McConnell James Addison Green Wiley C. Anderson ave rton H. Walton John Darnell, Sr. S. A. Darnell William S. Darnell John T. Brown John W. Nelms John R. Towers George H. Jones Joseph Sydney Turner

Jan. 1, 1829 June 25, 1829 Jan. 2, 1832 Apr. I, 1835 Oct. 5, 1836 Dec. 8, 1837 Jan. 2, 1840 Jan. 1, 1844 Jan. I, 1848 Jan. 1, 1852 Jan. 2, 1854 Jan. 1, 1858 Oct. 20, 1860 Feb. 10, 1865 Aug. 8, 1868 Aug. 10, 1869 Dec. 30, 1871 Mar. 7, 1872 Feb. 21, 1873 Jan. 15, 1877 June 20, 1885 Jan. I, 1891 Nov. 28, 1894

*Denotes that this person had served previously. **Governor's Executive Minutes of Aug. 31, 1840, show that
Gen. Nelson was sent on a "short expedition against the Seminoles," and that Jacob T. Choate was appointed Principal Keeper, ~ tem, for an unspecified period during Nelson's absence.

II 1. Members of the Prison Commission, 1897-1938; the Prison and Parole Commission, 1938-1943, and the Board of Prisons, 1943 -1945

The two changes in the name of this agency did not affect the terms of office of the Commissioners.

Name of Commissioner

From

To

Joseph Sydney Turner
Gen. Clement A. Evans
Jacob L. Beach

Dec. 21, 1897 Dec. 21, 1897 Dec. 21, 1897

Sept. 29, 1909 July 2, 1911 Dec. 28, 1898

19

Thomas Eason Wylie Williams George Rufe Hutchens Robert Ernrnett Davison Thomas Edwin Patterson Eugene Leigh Rainey George Alexander Johns Vivian Lee Stanley Clement Evans Rainey

Dec. 28, 1898 Nov. 1, 1908 Oct. 1, 1909 Oct. 15, 1910 July 6, 1911 Apr. 1, 1913 June 24, 1927 Sept. 28, 1928 June 22, 1936

Nov. 1, 1908 Apr. 1, 1913 Oct. 15, 1910 Sept. 12, 1928 June 9, 1927 June 19, 1936 Nov. 27, 1945 Nov. 27, 1945 Nov. 27, 1945

IV. Members of the Board of Penal Adrninistration, 1938-1939

Name of Board Member

From

To

Aaron O. Blalock J. Atys Mills Max V. Tolbert Dr. John R. Lewis Grover Cleveland Byars

Feb. 15, 1938 Feb. 15, 1938 Feb. 15, 1938 Feb. 15, 1938 Feb. 15, 1938

Mar. 21, 1939 Mar. 21, 1939 Mar. 21, 1939 Mar. 21, 1939 Mar. 21, 1939

V. Members of the Board of Penal Corrections, 1939-1941

Name of Board Mernber

From

To

Grover Cleveland Byars H. Turner Brice Dr. John R. Lewis C. C. McKnight Sam D. Hewlett J. B. Daniel

Mar. 21, 1939 Mar. 21, 1939 Mar . 21, 1939 Jan. 15, 1941 Jan. 15, 1941 Jan. 15, 1941

Jan. 15, 1941 Jan. 15, 1941 Jan. 15, 1941 Feb. 19, 1941 Feb. 19, 1941 Feb. 19, 1941

VI. Members of the Board of Corrections, 1945 to date

Narne of Board Mernber

Frorn

To

Rev. T. F. Callaway

Nov. 27, 1945

Mar. 22, 1947

20

H. Turner Brice Wiley L. Moore Mrs. Louise J. Blalock Ben Lambert Rev. L. M. Twiggs John L. Mavity J. C. Dunn Walter B. Morrison John B. Stanley L. C. Burns C. Otis Nixon John Collins Raleigh W. Rollins J. Lynn Norris W. D. Goff E. Alvin Foster John B. Stanley* Richard W. Watkins, Jr. R. Jack Kennedy Stetson Bennett, Jr. Jack T. Rutledge Lee Arrendale E. B. Register

Nov. 27, 1945 Nov. 27, 1945 Nov. 27, 1945 Nov. 27, 1945 Mar. 22, 1947 Nov. 10, 1947 Nov. 29, 1948 Nov. 29, 1948 Jan. 11, 1949 Jan. 25, 1949 Jan. 9, 1950 May 6, 1954 Jan. 12, 19 55 Dec. 15, 1955 Dec. 10, 1956 Feb. 17, 1960 Nov. 27, 1961 Nov. 27, 1962 Aug. 3, 1964 Mar. 11, 1965 Jan. 25, 1966 July 3, 1968 Dec. 4, 1968

Nov. 27, 1949 Nov. 10, 1947 Jan. 11, 1949 Nov. 27, 1948 Jan. 19, 1949 Nov. 29, 1948 May 6, 1954 Aug. 3, 1964 Dec. 15, 1955 Dec. 10, 1956 Mar. 11, 1965 Jan. 12, 1955 Feb. 15, 1960 Jan. 25, 1966 Nov. 27, 1961 Nov. 27, 1962 Nov. 27, 1971** July 3, 1968 Dec. 4, 1968 Nov. 27, 1969** Nov. 27, 1970** Nov. 27, 1972>~* Nov. 27, 1973>~*

*Denotes that this person has served on the Board previously. >~>~These are the dates these Board member's terms are due to
expire.

VI1. Directors of Corrections, 1943 to date

Name of Director

Date of Appointment

Wiley L. Moore Francis R. Hammack Charles Adolphus Williams Robert Ernest Warren John Morgan If Jack" Forrester William R. Bowdoin Fred Hallford G. Norton Jameson Robert Harold Burson Asa D. Kelley, Jr. Robert J. Carter

Oct. 6, 1943 Feb. 21, 1944 Mar. 16, 1946 Jan. 17, 1949 Jan. 15, 1955 May 22, 1963 June 11, 1963 Sept. 27, 1963 Nov. 1, 1963 Jan. 24, 1967 June 4, 1968

21