Title:
Conduct registers
Description:
The Texas Department of Corrections and its predecessors recorded information about the conduct of convicts in the Texas prison system. These sixty ledgers date 1855-about 1976, bulk 1877-1945, and consist of two separate sets.
Description:
The first set contains fifty-seven ledgers, covering inmates entering the system during the years 1855-1945, bulk 1877-1945. Additional dates added to the ledgers go up to 1970, primarily listing subsequent prison assignments, and dates of release or discharge. The indexes to the registers show that the first convict was assigned number 1 in 1849, which began the A series, with numbers going from 1 to 10,000 (numbers are listed through 10,016, but the last sixteen numbers were re-issued as 1-16 in the next numbering system). However, this particular group of registers began in 1855 with the first convict number 207, so entries for the earliest convicts are not present. In 1882, a new numbering system began, the B series, starting again at number 1, continuing throughout the registers held. There was also a separate numbering system for the convicts sent to Rusk Penitentiary, beginning in 1883, continuing though 1898. There are three separate ledgers containing data for the Rusk inmates with their own numbering system. In addition, the Rusk ledgers contain data on convicts in the prison system beginning in 1870. These pre-Rusk, i.e., pre-1883, entries are presumably for convicts in the prison system at Huntsville or an outside camp who were transferred to Rusk when that facility opened. Many of the convicts sent to Rusk were later transferred to Huntsville or an outside prison unit (farms, railroad camps, etc.). Those convicts serving time in Huntsville or an outside camp in addition to Rusk have an assigned number from the regular series of convict record ledgers, with a record appearing in those ledgers as well as the Rusk ledgers.
Description:
Information found in the registers includes the convict number, name (including aliases), county of conviction, prison unit assigned to (Huntsville, prison farm, railroad camp, etc.), any notable punishments, date of discharge, pardon information (date, proclamation number, governor issuing pardon), and other convict numbers the inmate served under (for repeat offenders). These registers are the best source for determining in which prison units individual convicts served their time and when the convicts left the prison system. Additionally, some registers will have a list in the front or rear of the volume, listing inmates in that book who escaped, who were paroled, etc. In the early registers, entries are not present for all convicts. The conduct registers complement information found in Convict record ledgers, which provides personal data and commitment information about the convicts.
Description:
Register entries are arranged numerically by convict number. Access to the convict numbers is through a set of alphabetical indexes that provide the convict name, county, and assigned convict number. The second and third indexes overlap in date coverage with the first index and with each other. When researching convicts prior to 1882, it is necessary to check all three indexes for the name sought. The first index dates from 1849 to 1898 and includes convicts sent to Rusk Penitentiary, listing their Rusk convict number and their Huntsville convict number (if they served time in both facilities). The three indexes contain entries from 1849 to 1970.
Description:
A second set of three ledgers is also present. The format is much the same, giving the convict number, name, sentence (includes notes regarding conduct), prison unit assigned to and date sent to the unit, and amount of good time credit amassed. The convict numbers covered are 23199-73075, but entries were not made for many of the numbers. The vast majority of entries are between about 1938 and about 1944. Additional entries to the ledgers, primarily listing subsequent prison assignments, and dates of release or discharge, are added back to 1906 and as late as 1976. The specific function of this set of registers is unknown. Perhaps they served to record good time credit for convicts earning it; perhaps they were meant to record information about a particular group of prisoners. It is possible other conduct registers were part of this set at one time and no longer exist.
Description:
The inventory lists the prison numbers and years covered in the ledger; the dates listed for the ledgers refer to the date the inmate or convict entered the prison system. Additional dates added to the ledgers go up to 1976, primarily listing subsequent prison assignments, and dates of release or discharge. The first three ledgers are from the Rusk Penitentiary with a different numbering system from the rest of the prison population. The next or fourth ledger has entries for the first numbering system used, from 1 to 10,000 (the highest number issued is actually 10,016, but the last sixteen numbers were re-issued as 1-16 in the next numbering system); and the fifth ledger begins the next numbering system, 1-104,924 (last number in these ledgers).
Collection:
Texas Department of Corrections convict records
Creator:
Texas. Department of Corrections
Date range of creation:
1855 to about 1976
Date range of creation:
bulk 1877 to 1945
Citation information:
(Identify the item), Conduct registers, Texas Department of Corrections convict records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Arrangement:
The registers are arranged as follows: Rusk registers, Huntsville/main prison registers, and three miscellaneous conduct registers. Entries in the indexes are alphabetical by the first letter of the last name and the first vowel used, then in chronological order by date received. The inventory lists the years covered by the indexes. Entries in the conduct registers are arranged numerically by the prison number assigned as the inmates were received. Inmates with many entries have an additional page(s) pasted on top of the original information field. Only the top page is available in the digital files. Archives staff can provide information contained on additional pages.
Copyright information:
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Size or duration:
33.4 cubic ft.
TARO URL:
https://txarchives.org/tslac/finding_aids/20120.xml
