Worcester Jail, House of Corrections

[osekat66]

Does anyone know if there are documents/records from the jail that was on Summer Street?  One of my ancestors may have been an inmate but how would I check it?

[worcmik]

osekat,
       In a census you can often identify jail, hospitals, reform schools and poor farms, by a notation in the margin. That will give you a snapshot of the place in census years. Massachusetts 1855 & 1865 as well as Feds on the oughts. 1860 is on-line.
     Criminal Court records should exist. I don't know of anyone that has sought Jail records, so I don't know if they are out there, I would encourage you to look into them. You may want to see if there is any mention of the jail/house of correction in the city records (a series of books in the Worc. Public Library). They have school committee, public works, etc in them. I doubt they will give inmate names but you might learn who was in charge in the years you are interested in, County vs. city.
      When are we talking about? Are you just missing someone for a time? Work might have taken them from the household for a construction season. Please share what you know, or at least post again with an update of your search.           John

[corky3]

  Hopefully you will have better luck than I. Right now I am trying to get some records concerning John Curtin who died in 1911 in Tewksbury Hospital.

   I am still trying to figure out what kind of scissors (authorization) I need to cut through the red tape that has been entangling me. John's line died with him-he never married and,as far as we know, never had any children. The Curtin line continued-his only surviving family member (that we know-we have no idea still if there were any left in Ireland although the 1900 Census would indicate where Bridget stated she only had two children would indicate otherwise. But then again the question may have been misinterpeted in some way and that is not accurate information)-his brother Michael of which my husband is a direct descendant.

  I imagine jail sentences were more public records since presumably there was a trial and arrest which presumably would have been public record.

[osekat66]

Thank you guys,
I was looking for the children of Cornelius (b.1830) and Catherine (Goulding b.1834) Shea.  They seem to have disbursed after Catherine died in 1872.  I did find a Dennis Shea born at the right time (1860) in the 1880 census living at the Worcester County Jail & House of Corrections on Summer Street.  I also found James Shea born at the right time (1866) at the Lowell Reform School who might also be the son of Cornelius and Catherine.  If anyone already claims these boys in their line, please let me know.  I've been down a few wrong roads already.