Question: I understand that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was concerned about poor arriving during the Irish famine. Do you have any record of this?
Answer: At NEHGS we have a publication online which may interest you. The description of the database Boston, MA: Lists of Alien Passengers to the Port of Boston, 1847-1852 can be found below. You can search this database at AmericanAncestors.org at this link: http://www.americanancestors.org/Search.aspx?Ca=97&Da=150
Description: These lists were prepared by the Superintendent of the Port of Boston for the use of the overseers of the poor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Compiled from various sources in 1851 for the period January 1, 1847 through January 1, 1851, they were issued monthly in succeeding years. Thousands of bonded passengers who arrived during these years are listed, usually including the name of the passenger, date of arrival, ship's name, their age, and place of birth. Later years included comments about the condition of the passenger upon arrival. The database does not contain information for all passengers or for all months. For more information about these lists read this introduction published by the Superintendent's office in the first volume.