tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post7838685085824717077..comments2023-09-01T08:49:06.019-07:00Comments on FamilyHistory4u: Ancestors in Asylums- Were they Lunatics?Sharn Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12322295467277564960noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-53484552765543852132016-07-10T03:27:34.530-07:002016-07-10T03:27:34.530-07:00Very interesting post and observations - it would ...Very interesting post and observations - it would be difficult to find any family without 'insanity' in there somewhere. I am now looking for more information about my grandmother, having just purchased her 'historic death image' online. Una Bragg died at Goodna Hospital for the Insane on 19 December 1918, of 'melancholia, exhaustion and hypostatic pneumonia'. Perhaps Queensland State Archives would be the place to start? All I knew previously was that she probably suffered from postnatal depression after giving birth to twins, one of whom was my father. The twins were 2 years of age when she died. My father was told she 'died of nerves'. It was a shock to discover she died at Goodna Hospital for the Insane as I was aware it has a horrifying history.DatabaseQueenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03416889448812237607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-33200575533098463352016-04-12T11:42:27.680-07:002016-04-12T11:42:27.680-07:00Really enjoyed this post. I have a great grand au...Really enjoyed this post. I have a great grand aunt that died in an asylum. According to relatives, she was in there for postpartum depression.S. Lincecumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04498377639856464078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-33936915677642321002016-03-07T19:33:02.216-08:002016-03-07T19:33:02.216-08:00Great post. My great great aunt was in both Callan...Great post. My great great aunt was in both Callan park & Stockton mental institutions over a period of 40 years as she had epilepsy. She finally passed away in 1973 (before I was born). It makes me so sad to think of all their sufferingvintagelouiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151852993193447903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-78883472239439363692014-05-10T05:27:36.549-07:002014-05-10T05:27:36.549-07:00My g grandmother died in an asylum in Sunbury, Vic...My g grandmother died in an asylum in Sunbury, Victoria - cause of death was a septic uterus, very sad :-(JenjenBellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01083343965786012787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-90353401964134851642011-06-08T19:03:15.645-07:002011-06-08T19:03:15.645-07:00I found my husbands g-g-grandmother past away in a...I found my husbands g-g-grandmother past away in an asylum. The death certificate stated she died of depression. Very sad. Her husband had left her. Her death cert. stated husband unknown and just listed her parents.<br />On a lighter note - I found one patient that was admitted for 'refusing to do housework'...uh oh I better be careful!<br />Regards,<br />Theresa (Tangled Trees)TCasteelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01261694755025450452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-21447465080182724862011-05-30T20:09:23.734-07:002011-05-30T20:09:23.734-07:00Reasons for the onset of mental illness include (I...Reasons for the onset of mental illness include (I quote) childbirth, epilepsy, head injury, alcohol, syphilis, congenital defect, 'domestic troubles', bereavement, 'deserted by the father of her child', and jealousy! Many people spent only a short time in an asylum, and their descendants are probably unaware of that.<br /><br />I have spent thousands of hours working with (and indexing) mental asylum records in Queensland. There are two main series: Public Curator insanity files and Goodna Asylum case books. Information about asylum patients may also appear in many other records, including Supreme Court insanity files, Police Gazettes, Premier's Department undertaking files, Justice Department inquest files, Supreme Court equity files, CPS and Police Station records, Col.Sec. correspondence etc. For some patients there is an insanity file and inquest file but no official death registration.<br /><br />Thousands of names from my indexes to asylum records - and some tips and advice - are on my Web site, <a href="http://www.judywebster.com.au/index.html" rel="nofollow">www.judywebster.com.au</a>.Judy Websterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02331380147873608965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-13588694095526953592011-05-30T18:35:14.576-07:002011-05-30T18:35:14.576-07:00Great post! Another quite common reason for someon...Great post! Another quite common reason for someone to be in an asylum was that there was not enough room at time of admission to another care facility such as Eventide for aged care in Brisbane.<br /><br />Of course entry because of post-natal depression were also common, alcoholicism as you mentioned, epilepsy and other conditions which are able to be diagnosed and treated today.Helen V Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16418865928294578567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-75518036520685741312011-05-30T18:10:32.852-07:002011-05-30T18:10:32.852-07:00I worked in the field of mental health in England ...I worked in the field of mental health in England for nearly nine years, and you are correct in saying that historically a person could be locked up in an asylum for virtually no reason, and the key effectively thrown away.<br /><br />A pregnancy outside of wedlock was a common reason, as well as those which you have given, not to mention eccentricity, and anything which was considered to be socially unacceptable. Basically any on-going behaviour which was considered to be either unethical or antisocial could be construed as grounds for admission.<br /><br />Incidentally, I came across a case in the 1990s where a man had been committed to an asylum, not many years previous, by his wife whilst divorce proceedings were taking place!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01187890045344724877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-57330828584444922772011-05-30T18:06:22.203-07:002011-05-30T18:06:22.203-07:00Fascinating reading Sharn.
I haven't found an...Fascinating reading Sharn.<br /><br />I haven't found any ancestors in asylums, (yet), but what you've shown is that you can never make assumptions about people until you have dug a little deeper.<br /><br />TanyaTanya Honeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12653894545470484594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-456722125334928762011-05-30T17:01:33.057-07:002011-05-30T17:01:33.057-07:00Thanks for your comments Linda, some of my informa...Thanks for your comments Linda, some of my information came from death certificates and family documents I was fortunate to have. The NSW State Archives has some great information on how to assess their asylum records (unfortunately not online). On some NSW records there is a 110 closure period. In Qld it is 75 years but the Qld State archives do allow you to apply to see asylum records up to 1945 ( again not online). As most of my family referred to in the blog were in the same hospital (Goodna.. also known by other names eg Woolston Park), some prior to 1945 have been accessible. I have not yet attempted to find my husband's g grandfather's Callan Park records but will be doing that soon at the NSW State Archives. The Liverpool Asylum records are held at the Western Sydney repository for the NSW State Archives. As my uncle Alec was in the Goodna mental hospital after 1954, I have not yet found records for him. The information for Mathorgus Ustila who died in the Hartwood Asylum in Scotland came from his death certificate and family letters. (not that one can always believe those!). Hopefully someone may read your comment here and be able to offer you some more advice. regards SharnSharn Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12322295467277564960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-45902580602722247472011-05-30T03:39:53.095-07:002011-05-30T03:39:53.095-07:00Fascinating stuff!
I too, have a few ancestors w...Fascinating stuff! <br /><br />I too, have a few ancestors who died in asylums, mainly in Sydney. One was a convict, sentenced to life in Australia at the tender age of 16 for a very minor offence. His mother wrote long pleading letters to let him go, as he came from a large and loving family. He became depressed at the thought of never seeing his family again, and died at the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum in 1849; admitted by his assigned employer as he could no longer carry out his duties to the standard required. This is the same building as the Parramatta Female Factory<br /><br />I am unsure as to how you obtained your records, and would love to carry out my own research as the above story came from another family member who had copies of the mothers letters. <br /><br />If you could let us know how you go about obtaining such records, I would be very grateful, and know it will help greatly in my attempt at finding information on others from my family who ended up in a similar situation.<br /><br />Many thanks from Lindaluckyllamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16332811544831993907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172940830246247875.post-68181275657915147032011-05-30T01:48:01.082-07:002011-05-30T01:48:01.082-07:00Great, thought provoking post. I'm even keener...Great, thought provoking post. I'm even keener to get a look at the hospital records for some of my family now. All the best, SallyBarcelona Beatnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00872239476406258766noreply@blogger.com