Exploring the Narratives and Archives of Massachusetts' Stubborn Children

This article examines the lives and legacies of girls incarcerated under Massachusetts' Stubborn Child Law, a 17th-century statute not repealed until 1973. Through the case of Faye Tennison—a 16-year-old sentenced to Framingham Reformatory in 1940 for defying her parents—the piece explores how perceptions of adolescent femininity, mental health, and familial obedience were criminalized. Tennison's story, recovered from a 150-page case file in the Massachusetts State Archives, reveals the blurred line between domestic conflict and legal intervention, especially for young women in the early 20th century. The article also outlines the challenges and possibilities of conducting archival research of carceral histories, drawing from sources held at the Massachusetts State Archives, the Massachusetts State Library, and the Schlesinger Library at Harvard. Despite strict access restrictions, these materials provide crucial insights into the gendered dimensions of carceral control and the bureaucratic and ideological systems that shape incarceration and criminality.