Daily AncestorSuperintendent of the poor
A superintendent of the poor was a county official, notably in New York, in charge of the county's poor and its poorhouse.
Where poor relief was run by counties rather than towns, officials with titles such as superintendent of the poor, director of the poor or infirmary director sent people who could not support themselves to the county poorhouse. New York counties had superintendents of the poor through the 1800s.
In New York they also committed pauper insane persons to asylums and placed some children in families. Their reports and registers can name people admitted to the county house and where they were sent.
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Daily Ancestor. "Superintendent of the poor." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/poor-relief/superintendent-of-the-poor. Last checked 2026-10-03.