Research Tips

What Does a Penitentiary Record Look Like?

Dana 2 min read

After discovering Ephraim P Bennett in the Missouri State Prison on the 1900 census, I emailed the Missouri State Archives about his penitentiary records. First of all, they were incredibly helpful and emailed back within hours. And, they explained how to order his two-page record. The cost: only $1!

I had never seen a penitentiary record before and wasn’t sure what it would contain. It is actually quite interesting and helpful! The record book is obviously a large book as I got two 11×17 pages. I don’t have a scanner that can scan that will scan those, so I’m going to share 4 images which are really a two-page spread.

I thought the physical descriptions were really interesting. My favorite columns were the “length of foot,” “whiskers worn,” “habits of life,” and “education.”

    • Register No: 12163
    • Name; Ephraim P Bennett
    • Age: 53
    • Nativity: Tenn[essee]
    • Trade: farmer
    • Height: 5 ft 10 1/4 in
    • Length Foot: 10 1/2
    • Hair: Dark
    • Eyes: Gray

    • Complexion: Dark
    • Whiskers Worn: Full Beard
    • Religion: None
    • Habits of Life: Temp[erance] [everyone on the page says the same thing]
    • Education: R & W [Reading & Writing]
    • Former Imprisonment: None

    • Marks and Scars:
      • Single Parent Compton Mo. [Missouri] 
      • Scar left side neck
      •   ”     muscle left arm
      •   ”     back first finger left hand
      •   ”     inside right wrist
        • Wright 172 [everyone on page says this & I wonder if it is a mark for whoever is describing the person]
    • Offense: T. C. – Murder 2nd Deg.  [everyone else says “P. G.”, not “T. C.” but I don’t know what these mean… maybe it relates to the offense?]  
    • County: Dallas
    • Sentence: 10 Ten Years from Oct 16 1894

    • Term of Court: Oct 1894
    • When Received: Oct 20 1894
    • Expiration of Sentence:
      • Full Time: Oct 16 1902
      • Three-Fourths Time: April 16 1902
    • Discharged: [stamped] Discharged under 3/4 law [not all readable] [stamped] APR 15 1902

P.S. I am new to doing citations and have both looked in Elizabeth Shown Mill’s “Evidence!” and searched the internet and cannot find an example of a way to write this source. Any help would be appreciated!

Do we share common ancestors? I’d love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

6 thoughts on “What Does a Penitentiary Record Look Like?”

  • Terrific info – thank you! I re-posted on my blog Genealogy: Beyond the BMD

  • These are great records! You can learn a lot from these records. I found one record listing the color of an inmate's undergarments!

  • This is another great find Dana. I've never seen a penitentiary record. I have a little bit of bias interest in anything relating to law enforcement, justice or crime because both myself and my husband are retired law enforcement. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  • If it were today "T.C." would be a conviction under the Transportation Code [of laws] that he killed someone in a motor vehicle or train accident. I don't know if Tennessee had a set of laws entitled "Transportation Code" in the 1890's but it could be something to look into.

  • Thanks, Jo. I found out more about the murder & it didn't have anything to do with a vehicle or train. But, it's something I do need to look more into.

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