Maine's Pauper Laws and the Cumberland Overseers of the Poor

In March 1821, the Maine Legislature passed the so-called pauper laws, which governed the treatment of the state’s poor and indigent citizens. The legislation was a continuation of the laws in force when Maine had been part of Massachusetts, which in turn were linked directly to English law, specifically the 1601 Poor Law Act and the 1662 Settlement Laws. Maine’s pauper laws, which remained in effect until a major revision of the general assistance law in the mid-1970s, resulted in the creation of the Cumberland Overseers of the Poor, the municipal board tasked with providing support for the town’s indigent residents.

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