Lowell School Department Work Permit Collection [1898-1925]

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The Lowell School Department work collection consists of original documents pertaining to age verification for many immigrant children in the Lowell, MA area. When children moved to the United States, they would need to prove their age to the Lowell School Department to determine whether they would attend school or begin to work (depending on their age). Most students used baptismal records from their church of birth in Portugal, although some used their passports as well. However, these items do not only verify the age of each child. These documents are treasure troves of additional information such as the name of their parents, their hometown and baptismal information. This collection is a look into the swell of Portuguese immigrants at the turn of the century,