Awareness of mental illness has increased dramatically over the years, but how did our ancestors deal with it? This post outlines the kinds of records available for researching mental illness in your family history through telling the mental illness genealogy story of my ancestor, Steadman Gray. Steadman was committed on the testimony of his wife in 1903. His story may help you know where to look to find the mentally ill in your family tree.
Trigger warning: This post talks briefly about suicide.
Newspaper Notices
The first indication I found in my research of Steadman Gray that indicated he had problems with mental illness came from local Republic County, Kansas newspaper notices. The 10 April 1903 edition of the Belleville Telescope states: “Steadman Gray is no better and will probably have to be taken to the asylum.” A few months later, the 17 July 1903 printing of the same paper issues a report from the county treasurer of all recent county expenditures and fees paid. Among them are the following:
Later, on 5 February 1904, the same paper reports: “Sheriff Hill took Steadman Gray back to the asylum at Topeka last Saturday. Mr. Gray was taken there several months ago but got so much better that he was brought home and only recently gave signs of his past condition which made it necessary for him to be restrained again.”
These newspaper records suggest that Steadman Gray was legally committed to an asylum in Topeka on account of insanity. He even had to be restrained during particularly difficult bouts of illness. The next step in learning more required a look at the probate court records of Republic County, Kansas, which included mental illness cases such as these.
Probate court records
A search of the Republic County, Kansas probate records revealed Steadman Gray’s 1903 “Statement in Lunacy.” It offers a detailed summary of his illness, including the following details:
- Steadman had suffered from epilepsy for over 35 years. He had had seizures nearly every day for two years.
- His brother had committed suicide
- He had no property of any kind, and no job, though he had once been a farmer
- First sign of mental illness came on 30 March 1903, when he “made loud noises by tramping on floor and hollowing”
- In answer to the question, “On what subject or in what way is derangement now manifested? Is there any permanent delusion?” the answer reads: “Mind runs to magnetic healing and Christian Science–Is afraid of eternal punishment which is a permanent delusion”
- Steadman had never shown a disposition to injure others. Still, he “wanted to be tied for fear he would injure himself.” He had talked of suicide.
- He had been “given opiates for quieting effect, and it made him sleepy”
Death and Burial at the Asylum
I know at least one of the hospitals Steadman resided in because he is buried there–the Parson State Hospital in Labette County, Kansas (formerly the State Hospital for Epileptics). Find-a-Grave shows a picture of the spot. There is no headstone, only a blank, metallic marker. Records from the hospital reveal that he died 24 May 1906.
When Steadman first went to this hospital, it was very new, having just been built in 1903. As it particularly focused on epileptic patients, it served as an ideal place for Steadman to receive care.
Learning More
In order to discover more about Steadman, I could:
- Look into each of his brothers to find out which one committed suicide, and under what circumstances.
- Obtain the records of the Labette hospital he was a patient in until his death.
- Research more about what “magnetic healing” and “christian science” was at the time. How did people view it?
What stories have you uncovered in your own trees about mental illness?
I have an ancestor who was committed to the state hospital here in MN. He was diagnosed with “paralysis of the insane”. After I did some research I found out it was a result of an std. Medical care not being what it is today, it’s sad to read these stories of conditions so treatable today.
I’ve studied (and indexed) many different series of records with information about mental asylum patients. Some of the records also have superb information about the patient’s *relatives*. I’ve written about the records on (1) http://www.judywebster.com.au/insanity.html and (2) http://qld-genealogy.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/children-in-mental-asylums.html.
I found a great grandfather who had died in a South Dakota mental hospital in 1927. I was able to get his medical records for his stay there and in it was a letter from his wife, my great grandmother, chronicling his illness. He had suffered no mental health symptoms until about 1925 at age 73. His usual personality was described as relaxed and friendly, but over a period of two years, he became confused, paranoid, and argumentative. He was court committed as “insane” and placed in the hospital on May 16, 1927 with a medical diagnosis of “arteriosclerosis with senile dementia” or memory loss and confusion associated with aging and circulatory problems. He died on May 26, 1927, ten days after admission. Since he was apparently not aware of his surroundings, I feel more pity for his wife having to go through the court proceedings and knowing her husband of over 50 years was taken across the state by a neighbor to a mental health facility. I doubt she attended any type of service for him after he died as he is buried on the grounds of the hospital which was almost 400 miles from their home. I’m sure she couldn’t afford to have his body returned to their hometown and pay for a funeral. She ended up dying a few years later while living in a group home run by a church in North Dakota. Her time there was paid for by the county in which she lived. It was a sad end to me for two elderly people who had worked hard all their lives.
Great article! It’s always more interesting to learn about researching mentally ill ancestors through an actual example. I have done a lot of research on the treatment of the mentally ill during the first half of the 20th century. There are five women in my family tree who were patients at state hospitals. Four of them were at Norwich State Hospital in Connecticut. Their patient records were at the State Archives. Because I could prove that I was a descendant, they made copies of them for me…about 270 pages. There was so much genealogical information and also many secrets that the family had kept, for obvious reasons. I have written a book (looking for a publisher) with what I have uncovered, but also what I have learned about the psychology of family secrets and inherited family trauma. Here’s a link to the first article I posted: https://juliannemangin.com/2017/11/08/norwich-state-hospital/