You might take a look at *Disordered Minds: The First Century of Eastern
State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia: 1766-1866* by Norman Dain.
HBG


At 08:31 PM 7/5/2004 -0500, Paul Drake wrote:
>Hi Barb.  Your question is extraordinarily difficult of response.  The
>care of such folks as were called lunatics, imbeciles, idiots, "madmen" or
>feeble-minded fell to the local government - usually the counties - since
>those so afflicted who were of families of some measure of affluence were
>hidden away ("crazy Aunt Betty who lives upstairs") or otherwise placed
>with those who for pay would care for such people.
>
>So too did the care of the destitute fall to local government.  The lack
>of funds (and the deep resistance by taxpayers and legislatures to
>providing any such funding) led to the housing of the two groups in the
>same facilities out of simple necessity.  Thus, lunatic asylums -
>"mad-houses - frequently, as you said, served also as "poor farms".  As
>the 19th-century advanced, those facilities were dignified by such terms
>as "Lunatic Asylums".
>
>Though Benoni Buck and MANY others came to the attention of the courts on
>this continent and were recognized as "mad" even before 1650, not until
>the beginning of the Revolution did Virginia step forward with a first
>facility in the Americas dedicated to the care of those whose "heads were
>scrambled".
>
>The complete absence of knowledge of mental illnesses continued into the
>19th century, and only very gradually down to today have we progressed in
>our understanding of such aberrations.
>
>In fact, in 1862 my own G-GMother was committed for her violent temper,
>and continued as a "patient" in state sponsored institutions till her
>death 34 years later - 1896.  At various dates during her stay there
>(incarceration, in fact), her illness was said to have been "some
>lactation problem", "menstrual problems", and simply "madness".
>Interestingly, another patient contemporary to her was said to be mad by
>reason of his masturbation, a woman was said to be "moon-struck" (the term
>lunacy derives from "luna" - the moon), another because of the "death of
>her husband", a man for "intemperance", and one said to have been
>afflicted "by demons".
>
>So it is that though the term madness was in everyday use by those trained
>and the common man equally, the meaning of the word remains hidden in the
>character of every individual so labeled.
>
>Were I you, I would seek out ANY records that may have been preserved by
>that local probate court (they very often kept all "affidavits of lunacy"
>filed in any case), any records of local or state institutions that
>pertained to such patients or to mental illness, and the writings
>concerning mental illnesses by physicians of the period, such writings
>usually housed in the state's archives or in the archives or libraries of
>the medical schools in the area.
>
>I and numerous others have learned MUCH by such searches, and those
>findings were both revealing of how far we have come (and how far we yet
>must go) and very interesting.  I even gained a complete list of the
>clothing and belongings she had at her death in the asylum.
>
>Hope this helps.  Paul
>
>To:
>Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 6:56 PM
>   Subject: [DRAKE] Definition of insane ca 1860
>
>
>   Paul, I was going to send this privately, then decided that others might
>   be interested in your answers. On the 1860 Census, my 4th great
>   grandfather, Benjamin Drake was called "insane". In 1870, he was living
>   in the Delaware County , Indiana Asylum where I know other "inmates" (as
>   they were called) were there because they couldn't afford to live
>   anywhere else. It doubled as "the poor farm."
>
>   Several thoughts come to mind: perhaps he had a stroke; became
>   alcoholic, dementia, any number of things could have happened, but I
>   know that people were considered insane back then for things that we now
>   wouldn't think much of. I'd love to hear your comments on this.
>
>   Barb Marshall
>
>
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