Since the earliest organization of the state in 1818,
provision was made for the care of the poor. There were only nine instances of
public relief recorded in Jonesborough Township during the first ten years after
1818. Public assistance in Union County up to 1870 fell into two types: outdoor
relief, relief given to the family or person in his own home; or boarding home
care, relief given in the form of cash payment to some other person for caring
for the needy person. The latter type of care was known as "bidding off"
paupers. It was advertised throughout the county that a pauper would be "bid
off" at the court house door and the person making the lowest bid was allowed to
keep the needy person in his home for periods of from three months to a year. At
the end of the agreed period the pauper was again "bid off." The amount paid to
the person for keeping such poor persons ranged from seventy-five to one hundred
fifty dollars per year. Outdoor relief included medical care, nursing care,
burial expenses, food and clothing for the person or family in need in his own
home. The amounts allowed for this type of care varied from small amounts given
at irregular intervals to amounts given quarterly or even annually for care.
Children were usually "bound out" rather than "bid off." These procedures
differed in that the person to whom the child was bound was expected to provide
for the child until it reached maturity and he was not paid by the county for
the care of the child. In some cases, relatives were ordered to support the
needy person by the court. In case of the death of a needy person his personal
property was sold to meet his burial and other expenses.
Each year,
overseers of the poor were appointed. It was not until 1876 after the old poor
law was revised that definite rules regulating procedures to be followed by the
overseers were set up by the County Board of Commissioners. After 1870 and until
1913 outdoor relief including medical care, clothing, food, nursing and burial
expenses, indoor relief or county farm care, and institution care provided by
the state were the methods used to provide for the poor in the county.
One overseer's annual report, typical of other such reports during the one
hundred years preceding 1930, records 24 cases receiving assistance. One to
seven orders were given in each case, the orders averaging three dollars each,
varying in amount from one to nine dollars. No record was kept as to how many
members there were in each family receiving help.
In 1869, three men were appointed to select a suitable site for a "county poor
house." A two hundred acre tract of land about the central part of the county
was selected 80 acres of which was sold before 1900 and 80 acres remained in use
as the "county farm" until 1939 when the farm was discontinued by the county and
the land sold.
Before this "county poor farm" was established, poor
persons had been "bid off" as mentioned before and later, groups of them had
been "bid off" to one person for care. The county farm cared for the group of
needy persons who had heretofore been "bid off" to one person and individual
cases were still cared for in their homes or on their farms with special
permission of the superintendent of the poor farm.
At first the agent in
charge of the county farm paid rent of three hundred dollars per year for the
use of the farm and was given a per capita payment for each, person sent to him
for care and later the agent, or superintendent, was paid a salary and the
proceeds derived from the farm products were used by the county for maintenance
of the farm and care of the inmates. Additional grants were made by the County
Board when necessary.
A system of record keeping for the farm was
established and the book originally used for this purpose is still available.
Parts of it have been destroyed and the accuracy of what remains depended upon
the ability of the superintendent to make accurate entries. A few of the
superintendents could not write welT enough to keep a record. After the name of
each person in the record, space was provided for the age, sex, color,
occupation, civil condition, birthplace, parentage, residence, health habits,
date of admission, property, authority for admission, supposed cause of
pauperism and date of discharge.
It was interesting to note that between
1875 and 1900 several names of county officials appeared on the record as having
entered for short periods of time and under the heading "health habits" were
written such notations as "chills and fever," "sore throat," epilepsy," etc.
This indicates that the county farm was used as an infirmary or hospital as well
as a place for paupers to live.
From 1875 to 1930 there was an average of
approximately twenty inmates on the county farm. Usually about one hundred"
people were admitted annually. Each quarterly report showed from one to five
deaths as the reasons for discharge of the case. A few illegitimate child births
were cared for during this period. One quarterly report showed that eleven
inmates under ten years of age, three between ten and twenty, eighteen between
twenty and thirty and fifteen over thirty were admitted.
The annual
expense for maintenance of the "county farm" and care of the poor persons there
was $2,000 in 1900, $1,400 in 1910, $3,700 in 1920, $1,250 in 1925, and $1,100
in 1930.
The County Farm was disbanded and sold in 1939 because the per
capita cost of caring for the few inmates there was so much higher than the
average cost of relief cases in the county.
Before 1874 many items recorded in the County Record showed that medical care
was given to the poor by many doctors who were paid for the individual cases
they attended. In 1874 this procedure was changed by order of the County Board.
Bids were taken for the care of the poor and the lowest bidder became the
"county doctor." Some years the physician was paid on a per call basis and some
years the agreement for payment was made on an annual wage basis. Many items
recorded since 1874 showed that physicians other than the "county doctor" were
paid for their services in caring for the poor persons. In addition to the care
of the sick the "county doctor" was directed by the County Board to recommend to
the agent in charge of the county farm, the discharge of all persons sheltered
there whom he deemed physically able to support themselves.
It is
difficult to make any estimate of the amount of per capita relief which was
given in individual cases because grocery orders were recorded according to the
total amount owed to a particular grocer for "furnishing paupers" and clothing
orders were recorded in the same manner. Itemized statements of doctors were
paid.. It would also be difficult to estimate how many cases were given
assistance, however, using the overseer's report quoted above as typical of the
amount per order given and using the figure $3000 as the amount of outdoor
relief given in 1930, a fair estimate may be that there were between six hundred
fifty and seven hundred people receiving aid during the year 1930. Again
assuming that the number of case may be computed on this basis, the number of
cases cared for in 1920 was double the number cared for in 1930.
All
relief with the exception of aid to mothers and relief for the blind was
administered by the County Board or their appointed agents or overseers in
accordance with the law passed in 1874 known as "An Act to revise the law in
relation to paupers, approved March 23, 1874."
In
1903 the state of Illinois passed a law providing relief or pensions to all
blind persons in the state. These pensions were to be paid by the counties. The
law provided that all persons over 18 years of age declared to be blind should
receive a benefit of $250 per year payable quarterly upon warrants properly
drawn upon the treasurer of the county where such blind person resides. Those
eligible for the benefits of this law are blind persons who are not charges of
institutions, or who do not have an income of more than $250 per year, who have
resided in the state for ten consecutive years and in the county for three years
immediately preceding the date of applying for the benefit.
The blind
person may make application in the office of the county clerk who will send him
to the medical examiner appointed by the County Board. The medical officer will
send his report to the County Board who then allow the benefit or reject the
application as the case may be.
This act was amended in 1935 to allow a
pension of $365 per year and to allow the blind person and spouse to have an
income of $1000 per year or less. If the applicant has more than a $1000 income
he is not eligible for the benefit.
In spite of the fact that relief to
the blind was allowed in Illinois as early as 1903, there was none allowed in
Union County until after July 1, 1915.
In 1915, six persons applied for
pensions and six were allowed pensions. In 1916, 30 applied and 25 were
pensioned; in 1917, six applied and four were pensioned; in 1918, eight applied
and seven were pensioned; in 1919, four applied and one was pensioned; in 1920,
four applied and three were pensioned; in 1921, three applied and three were
pensioned, in 1922 three applied and three were pensioned; in 1923, six applied
and five were pensioned; in 1924, six applied and three were pensioned; in 1925,
three applied and two were pensioned; in 1926, eight applied and five were
pensioned; in 1927, nine applied and five were pensioned; in 1928, 12 applied
and eight were pensioned; in 1929, 11 applied and three were pensioned; in 1930,
14 applied and seven were pensioned; in 1931, 25 applied and 14 were pensioned;
in 1932, no applications were taken; 15 applied between the years 1933 and 1937,
and of these, four were allowed in 1936, 10 in 1937 and one in 1938; in 1939, 21
applications were made and 21 pensions allowed.
From the year 1933 to
1937 the medical examiner interpreted She law to mean only totally blind people
were eligible for a pension and since then the law has been interpreted that
those industrially blind, that are not able to work on account of sight defects
were eligible for a pension.
Of these applicants 8 men were between the
ages of 21 and 30; 22 were between 30 and 40; 15 between 40 and 50; 35 between
50 and 60; 39 between 60 and 70; 39 between 70 and 80; 22 between 80 and 90 and
seven of unkown ages. 82 of these applicants were over 65 years of age.
An act to provide for the partial support of
mothers and for the probationary visitation, care and supervision of the family
for whose benefit support was provided was passed by the state legislature June
30, 1930 and in force July 1, 1913. In September, 1913 the first "mother's
pension" was allowed in Union County.
The law provides that "a woman
whose husband is dead and who was a resident of the state at the time of his
death, or whose husband has become permanently incapacitated for work by reason
of physical or mental infirmity and became so incapacitated while a resident of
the state, or whose husband being the father of her child or children under
sixteen years of age has abandoned her and said child or children and neglects
or refuses to maintain or provide for them, and who has fled from this state or
secrets himself so that he cannot be apprehended and prosecuted for wife and
child abandonment, may file application for relief under this act. The mother
must have resided in the county for three years before the application is made.
The probation officer is then to make an investigation into the needs of the
mother and recommend to the County Judge that the pension be granted or refused.
Then the Judge in a court hearing renders his decision concerning the granting
of the pension.
This county have given amounts ranging from two to three
dollars per child and at the present time gives three dollars per child. In many
instances the mother is permitted to work away from her home in order to help
provide for her family. Orders are called for monthly by the mothers. In 1938,
sixty-six mothers were receiving aid under this act including one hundred twenty
children.
In larger counties this act is administered in a much different
manner. Larger amounts are allowed to the mother according to her need and few
mothers with children under 14 are permitted to work away from home. In most
cases in those counties the allowance is adequate for the needs of the family.
In Union County, several cases have been given relief by the County Relief
Agency because the aid to mothers was inadequate to meet their needs.
The
history of public assistance in Union County up to 1939 may best be summarized
by the following figures:
| 1868 | For Care of paupers | $ 934.14 | |
| 1869 | Care of paupers | 1,654.96 | |
| 1871 | Care of paupers | 1,414.67 | |
| 1881 | For care of paupers | 1,346.61 | |
| For paupers in state institutions | 138.25 | $ 1,484.86 | |
| 1882 | For care of paupers | 1,604.92 | |
| For paupers in state institutions | 219.71 | 1,824.63 | |
| 1883 | For care of paupers | 1,525.22 | |
| For paupers in institutions | 149.16 | 1,674.38 | |
| 1884 | For care of paupers | 2,968.73 | |
| For paupers in institutions | 330.42 | 3,299.15 | |
| 1886 | For care of paupers | 1,500.00 | |
| For paupers in institutions | 600.00 | 2,100.00 | |
| 1890 | For care of paupers | 1,500.00 | |
| For paupers in institutions | 600.00 | 2,100.08 | |
| 1900 | For paupers outside county farm | 300.00 | |
| For poor farm and expenses | 2,000.00 | ||
| For paupers in institutions | 300.00 | 2,000.00 | |
| 1910 | For paupers in institutions | 1,650.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 550.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 1,375.00 | ||
| For expense of county farm | 400.00 | ||
| Salary of Supt. of county farm | 450.00 | 4,425.00 | |
| 1920 | For paupers in institutions | 500.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 1,800.00 | ||
| For maintaining county farm | 700.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 6,000.00 | 9,050.00 | |
| 1922 | For paupers at institutions | 500.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For maintaining- county farm | 1,000.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 5,000.00 | ||
| M. D.'s fees for insane inquisitions | 100.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 4,950.00 | 13,050.00 | |
| 1924 | For paupers in institutions | 500.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For maintaining county farm | 750.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 5,000.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for insane inquisitions | 150.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 8,000.00 | ||
| For physicians examining blind | 25.00 | ||
| For mother's pension fund | 1,500.00 | 16,425.00 | |
| 1926 | For paupers in institutions | 500.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 5,000.00 | ||
| For maintaining county farm | 750.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for insane inquisitions | 150.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 8,000.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for examining blind | 25.00 | 14,925.00 | |
| 1928 | For county farm salaries | 600.00 | |
| For paupers in institutions | 700.00 | ||
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For maintaining county farm | 3,000.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for insane inquisitions | 150.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 9,000.00 | ||
| For mother's pension fund | 3,500.00 | 17,950.00 | |
| 1930 | For paupers in institutions | 600.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For maintaining county farm | 600.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 3,000.00 | ||
| M. D. fees £or insane inquisitions | 200.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 7,500.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for examining blind | 50.00 | ||
| For mother's pension fund | 2,000.00 | 14,450.00 | |
| 1932 | For paupers in institutions | 600.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For maintaining county farm | 1,000.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 3,000.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 18,000.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for examining blind | 50.00 | 23,150.00 | |
| 1934 | For paupers in institutions | 200.00 | |
| For paupers at county farm | 500.00 | ||
| For paupers outside county farm | 4,500.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 18,200.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for examining blind | 50.00 | ||
| For mother's pension fund | 5,000.00 | 27,050.00 | |
| 1936 | For salary of supt. of county farm | 600.00 | |
| For care of paupers outside co. farm | 6,500.00 | ||
| For maintenance of county farm | 1,200.00 | ||
| M. D. fees for insane inquisitions | 200.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 13,500.00 | ||
| For expense of old age security board | 200.00 | ||
| For mother's pension | 4,000.00 | ||
| State and Federal funds for relief | 151,794.52 | ||
| Work projects | 31,626.96 | 209,621.38 | |
| 1938 | For care of poor and indigent persons | 30,000.00 | |
| For maintenance of county farm | 1,000.00 | ||
| For relief of blind | 15,000.00 | ||
| State and Federal relief funds | 70,386.37 | ||
| Old age assistance | 118,084.60 | ||
| W. P. A. labor (adm. excluded) | 420,000.00 | *629,470.37 |
* This total does not include farm relief given by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Contributed 11 Sep 2017 by Norma Hass, extracted from History of Union County, by Lulu Leonard, published in 1941.
| Jackson | Williamson | |
| MO |
 |
Johnson |
| Alexander | Pulaski |
