Boston (Mass.). Assessing Department

Scope and Contents

Records of abatement of real estate, personal estate and poll taxes. The majority of the volumes are registers including names, assessed amounts, amount abated, and reason for the abatement. Also includes certificates of abatement, applications and petitions.

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Applications for exemptions from taxes completed by individuals.

Scope and Contents Includes copies of Annual Reports of the Assessing Department for the years 1894, 1921, 1923-1924, 1926-1937, 1941, 1943, 1945, 1973-1977, 1981, 1983, 1988-1992 and 1994-1995; List of Persons, Copartnerships and Corporations Who were Taxed Twenty-five Dollars and Upwards in the City of Boston in 1838; List of Persons, Copartnerships and Corporations Who were Taxed Twenty-five Dollars and Upwards in the City of Boston in 1842; Boston's Tax Rate for 1926; Rules of Procedure in the Abatement of...

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Incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Assessing Department. Includes mayoral circulars.

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Payroll of the Assessing Department. Includes name, position and pay.

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Collection of aerial photographs of Boston from 1983.

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Large format plans arranged by ward number and block. Includes the block numbers, street names, plot dimensions, and building footprints. These plans were used for reference purposes only.

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Includes one volume of betterments assessed to properties whose value benefitted from public works projects such as the widening or paving of streets, 1868-1908.

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Minutes of the Board of Assessors which record the actions of the Board relating to abatements, exemptions, legal questions, the appointment of assessors, etc. Volumes for 1901-1956 are indexed. The volume for 1928-1929 is missing.

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Notices of apportionment and revision of assessments for street improvements, street watering and sewerage works and notices of street improvements.

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Employee indentification badge of James J. Byrne, Assessing Department with photograph.

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Record of taxes assessed on foreign shareholders of banks in Boston. Includes owner, registered, shares, taxable value, total value and tax.

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Records documenting the assessment for the suppression of gypsy moths. Arranged by street these volumes contain the address, name of resident, date summons was mailed, the amount of tax and the date paid of assessments for work done toward the eradication of gypsy moths. Also includes recommendations from the Parks Commissioner and Department of Public Grounds for abatement of assessments for the suppression of gypsy and brown tail moths.

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Lists of exempt properties arranged by clause and by ward/parcel. Exempt properties include properties owned by the City, State, or Federal government or various charitable and religious organizations. These volumes list the addresses, owners of the property and the valuation.

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Lists of women's names and addresses arranged by ward and precinct.

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Correspondence to the Assessors from residents notifying them of changes in domicile.

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Minutes of the Dooming Board for the years 1869-1901, 1946-1947 and 1949-1950. Includes the individual or company being assessed a tax on their personal property, the original assessment, and the revised assessment.

Scope and Contents note

Records of taxes assessed for real estate, personal estate and poll taxes. Includes real estate valuations, 1822-1973; personal estate valuations, 1822-1985; and poll tax assessments, circa 1822-1963. The assessment of poll taxes was abolished in 1963.

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Includes a list of trustees and their addresses, who or what they were trustees of, their address, and the value of and items held in trust.

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In accordance with Chapter 283 of the Acts of 1865, the Assessors made returns of corporations located in the City of Boston or owning real estate in the City of Boston with a statement in detail of the value of works, structures, real estate and machinery and amount of taxes assessed. Includes one volume of returns for 1865-1875.

Scope and Contents

Volumes containing forms recording the names and addresses of Trustees, Guardians or Executors, and the name of the trust. Includes value of money, interests, and debts owed to the trust; cash on hand; annuities, vessels and parts of vessels, horses and vehicles, furniture exceeding $1000 value; shares in banks; public stocks, railroad bonds, and securities; and other personal property.

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Scrapbook of George A. Comins, Real Estate and Mortgage Broker of news clippings of property auctions and sales. Includes some mentions of the "Burnt District".

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One volume labeled "Stock Book" which lists names, number of shares, company and cash value.

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In November of 1876, the Board of Assessors requested an appropriation of $1500 for the purpose of causing the preparation of a set of reduced copies, on tracing cloth, of surveyors' plans of estates, to be used in street and office work in the Assessors' Department. Includes copies of surveyor plans, arranged by neighborhood, which were drawn circa 1856-1877.

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Under Chapter 12 of the Acts of 1943, individuals serving in the military could apply for a temporary exemption from real and personal estate taxes. Includes one volume of applications for exemption from 1944-1947.