Register of property brought to the pound in the Second District of New Orleans, 1853-1856

Item — Reel: 89-292

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The record is a manuscript volume recording the date that each animal was brought to the second district pound, the name of the person bringing said animal, the time of day admitted, a description of the animal (including a statement as to where it was found), name of the claimant, number of days in the pound, expenses per day, total amount, date released, and by whom released. For animals not claimed by their owners, the date sold, amount brought by the sale, and the name of the purchaser were also recorded. The first complete record in this volume is dated June 30, 1854. At the front of the book is a brief list of animals brought into the pound prior to that date.

Dates

Other: 1853-1856

Conditions Governing Access

Available to registered researchers by appointment.

Biographical / Historical

Ordinance #751 (1853) made it unlawful for persons to permit animals to run at large within specified portions of the city. The Street Commissioner and his deputies were empowered to arrest and confine in the pounds of the city all animals found running at large. Specific charges for keeping animals in the pounds were set forth in the law, along with other regulations to govern the matter. The Street Commissioner was charged to keep at each of the pounds, "a correct record of the admissions and date of arrest, as well as an accurate description of all animals taken up, so that they may be identified by their brands, signs, marks or other peculiarities."

Several pounds appear to have been provided for prior to the passage of this ordinance. Ordinance #1520 (1854) provided for the establishment of two additional pounds, one in the second and one in the fourth district. The ordinance further provided for the appointment by the Street Commissioner of four pound keepers to arrest and detain strays running at large in the streets.