Correspondence journals and copybooks

Along with the correspondence in the case files, correspondence journals and copybooks are key types of documents that tell us about letters and communications to and from the hospitals. Such records are found in all of the archives.

A correspondence journal is a record where all incoming letters are registered as they are received. Each letter is assigned a serial number, and case files are often organised according to this number so that letters can be easily found. The journal usually records when the letter was written, when it was received, who sent it, and a brief description of what the letter is about. Sometimes the content is described in a little more detail. In addition, the journal often contains a comment about what action has been taken, whether a reply has been sent, and whether the letter has been filed or forwarded to someone else. It often also refers to other letters, past and future, in the same case.

The copybooks, on the other hand, contain copies or transcripts of letters sent from the hospitals. Together, the copybooks, correspondence journals and case files provide an insight into how various cases concerning the running of the various hospitals progressed. You often have to look in all three archives to understand the case as a whole.

The hospitals’ archives contain a number of separate journals and copybooks for certain functions in the administration, such as the superintendent and the bookkeeper. The archives of St. Jørgen’s Hospital hold the copybooks and journals of its inspection authority.