CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees
If anyone is interested, a tour of the historic buildings at the former Willard State Hospital and the cemetery will be on Saturday, May, 18, 2013. For more information, please click on the link. Seneca Daily News
Willard Drug Treatment Campus – 7116 County Road 132 – Willard, NY 14588. The cemetery is down the road on the right heading toward Seneca Lake.
There’s been a major breakthrough in records access for those of us with family medical issues that we research in part through our genealogy.
Quietly, without much fanfare, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finally come around to understanding that closing medical records forever, even after the death of the person treated, isn’t the way to go.
It adopted a new set of rules earlier this year, effective just two weeks ago, that opens medical records 50 years after the patient’s death.
The change — first proposed nearly three years ago1 — came in an omnibus Final Rule adoption governing a vast array of issues under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) designed primarily to update personal privacy rules in light of technological changes in medical recordkeeping.2 The rule was adopted in January and became effective on March 26th.
As far back as 2003, archivists had complained to HHS about the old rule, under which personal health information was to be protected forever and only disclosed even after the patient’s death only if the legal representative of the estate authorized it.
In 2005, Stephen E. Novak of Columbia University had quoted from those earlier complaints in an HHS conference, explaining that “certain historical, biographical and genealogical works where the identity of the individual is the whole point could not be written, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Midwife’s Tale, based on the late 18th and early 19th century diary of Maine midwife Martha Ballard.”3
Nancy McCall of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions told that same conference that “a number of state archives have acquired the records of defunct hospitals in their states and do not know whether they are covered entities. This is especially important for mental hospitals and TB hospitals that have closed.”4
All of those participating pleaded for clarity — and for access.
The new rule is, finally, the HHS response.
In its rulemaking, HHS recognized the problems inherent in “the lack of access to ancient or old records of historical value held by covered entities, even when there are likely few surviving individuals concerned with the privacy of such information. Archives and libraries may hold medical records, as well as correspondence files, physician diaries and casebooks, and photograph collections containing fragments of identifiable health information, that are centuries old. Currently, to the extent such information is maintained by a covered entity, it is subject to the Privacy Rule.”5
It noted that the “majority of public comment on this proposal was in favor of limiting the period of protection for decedent health information to 50 years past the date of death. Some of these commenters specifically cited the potential benefits to research. A few commenters stated that the 50-year period was too long and should be shortened to, for example, 25 years.”6
Based on its review and the public comments, HHS concluded:
We believe 50 years is an appropriate period of protection for decedent health information, taking into account the remaining privacy interests of living individuals after the span of approximately two generations have passed, and the difficulty of obtaining authorizations from a personal representative of a decedent as the same amount of time passes. For the same reason, we decline to shorten the period of protection as suggested by some commenters or to adopt a 100-year period of protection for decedent information.7
So, as of the 26th of March, HIPAA’s definition of “protected health information” expressly excludes information regarding “a person who has been deceased for more than 50 years,”8 and covered entities need only comply with HIPAA “with respect to the protected health information of a deceased individual for a period of 50 years following the death of the individual.”9
Now the fact that the federal government isn’t standing in the way doesn’t mean that all of us with family health issues can rush out and expect to be given immediate access to those old health records that may tell us so much about things we face today. The feds have never been the only player in the privacy game — state laws may also restrict access to health information.
But it’s a major breakthrough to have the federal government finally move out of the way of access to records of critical importance.
SOURCES
Tip of the hat to Ron Tschippert for alerting The Legal Genealogist to the rule adoption!
Captain Morris J. Gilbert was the Steward of The Willard Asylum for the Insane from 1873 until his death in 1901. According to Dr. Robert E. Doran, Jr., author of History Of The Willard Asylum For The Insane And The Willard State Hospital, “he was totally responsible for all purchasing as well as overseeing the farm and maintenance work.” “Report after report by different Superintendents and various Boards of Trustees or Managers speak very highly of his ability and integrity.” Willard and all New York State Asylums employed a steward. These institutions would not have been able to function without the steward running the day to day operations of the farm, garden, various workshops and overall maintenance of the buildings and property. The asylums were like villages that tried to be as self-sustaining as possible. Employees lived on the asylum property and were supplied with room and board in addition to very low wages. I have featured an excerpt from Dr. Doran’s wonderful, insightful, detailed work that sheds a great deal of light on the inner workings of how Willard operated. I have also included a few excerpts and photographs from various sources about Captain Gilbert and his extensive job duties as the steward.
Captain Morris J. Gilbert – Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
“I wish to say that I am particularly pleased to report one small matter, but one worthy of some attention, and that is, that during the past year we were able to get the Lehigh Valley railroad to change the name of the station formerly known as ‘Willard’ by naming it ‘Gilbert,’ after Captain Gilbert, who has been for so many years connected with the hospital. The name of the station at the hospital proper is also changed from ‘Asylum’ to ‘Willard.’ This change obviates a very annoying complication that has previously come from the wrong ideas that people got who wanted to come to the hospital from a distance, because of the peculiar name of these stations. Generally outsiders expected that the station known as ‘Willard’ was right at the hospital, and many of them would go there, not knowing it was over a mile away from the hospital, while the name ‘Asylum’ clinging to the locality years after the name of the institution itself had been changed to hospital, was something that we had long wished to have changed. The railroad has finally made the substitution in the name as described, and now those coming to Willard arrive at a little station that the railroad people built upon the grounds, only a short distance from the hospital, to which a cement walk leads directly.” –William Austin Macy, Medical Superintendent, 1900. (1)
According to The New York Times, published: October 24, 1901: “MORRIS J. GILBERT, for the past thirty-five years Superintendent of the State Hospital for the Insane at Willard, Seneca Lake, N.Y., died on Tuesday at Willard, after a long illness. Mr. Gilbert was sixty-nine years old, and is survived by his widow, two sons, and one daughter. One of the sons is the Rev. William Morris Gilbert, rector of St. Paul’s Church, Yonkers.” (2) NOTE: Mr. Gilbert was the Steward not the Superintendent. He held that position for 28 years.
Residence Of Cap’t Morris J. Gilbert, Asylum Steward – Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
“Farms and Industries: For a great many years, the Institution tried to be as near self-supporting as possible. The first report of the Trustees dated February 18, 1868, states that the sum of $1,000 had been received from the State Controller. Of this, $916.66 had been expended in preparing the ground, procuring the seed and sewing sixty acres of wheat. They hoped for a good crop. By the time the Asylum opened, there were 475 acres under cultivation. A Steward had been appointed and a Matron. The former was an ancient title for one who managed a feudal estate. His duties at Willard were many and important. For about the first fifty years, he did all the purchasing, supervised the farm and garden operations, the upkeep of the buildings and grounds, the distribution of supplies, and the overseeing of the various industries. The Matron was in charge of housekeeping, the sewing room, and, in the early days, the care of the sick. As early as 1870, 3,429 pieces of clothing were made, and, up until 1912 when the position was abolished, she was in charge of the kitchens and dining rooms.
The farm and gardens were never able to completely supply the needs of the Institution but they made a very large contribution. The garden extended from east of the Maples to the Hermitage with berry bushes and strawberries where the golf course was later laid out. The land was not particularly good but was gradually improved. When Captain Morris Gilbert was appointed Steward in 1873, he asked for more land as there was not enough for hay and pastures. Four years later, 258 acres were acquired at $105 an acre. Beside the farm and gardens, there were other uses for the land. The bricks for the early buildings were made on the grounds at a yard located at the site of the reservoir. Lime was made and stone quarried. It so happened that there was an outcropping of Tully limestone in Simpson’s Creek ravine. The stone was used for lime, foundations and later as crushed stone for the roads. At first, only the main road was of this material. Secondary roads were of shale which outcropped above and below the limestone. It was many years before all roads were made hard. At one time, a roadroller was borrowed from the Binghamton State Hospital, but this didn’t work out as both Institutions needed it at the same time. A steam roadroller was acquired which served several uses. It powered the rock crusher which stood in the ravine south of the reservoir. There was a little brick house near it where dynamite was kept for blasting. The roadroller also powered the threshing machine and a portable sawmill. For years, fallen timber and diseased trees were sawed, the lumber being used for various repairs and construction. Enough black walnut stock was built up to swap it for pine and maple boards. The slabs from the mill were made into bushel crates for potatoes and other vegetables. The sawdust was used in the icehouses and sometimes in the pigpens.
The Simpson House – Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
Ice was supplied from the upper reservoir and pond. This was drawn in wagons and sleds to the icehouses. There was one just west of the present Elliot Hall which was also used for cold storage. Another later became the tinsmith shop, below and south of Hadley Hall. There were icehouses in the vicinity of the barns, and we hear of new ones being built of hollow concrete blocks. In 1917, there were four of these icehouses. Ice was harvested long after the plant for artificial ice was in use. There were a couple of poor years, but in the winter of 1919 the ice was 30-34 inches thick and 1,200 tons was cut. Needless to say, this ice could only be used for cooling in refrigerators or cold rooms and not for consumption.
The Branch, Barns, &c., From The Simpson House – Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
The piggery was an important resource. As early as 1870, 4,400 pounds of pork was produced. Ten years later, 50,750 pounds at 6¢ a pound was worth $3,045. This was not without its drawback. The piggery and slaughterhouse was located near where the County Road crosses the creek and not far from Sunnycroft. It was also near the Simpson’s house to the south. Between the pigs, the slaughterhouse, the tallow rendering plant and the fact that sewage was being dumped into the creek, the Simpson’s were unhappy. In 1884, the farm of 135 acres along the south side of the creek with three dwelling houses was bought for $10,298.40. Appropriately enough, this sum had been accumulated by the sale of hides, bones, tallow and rags. In 1893, request was made to move the piggery and slaughterhouse; the lake farm was suggested as a site, but this was impractical because no railroad track was available to take the garbage there. Four years later, the pigs were moved east of the railroad cut, far enough away not to be a nuisance. While swine seemed to be freer of disease than cattle, there was a serious outbreak of swine flu or hog cholera in 1915 when 200 pigs were lost. Pork continued to be an important product. In 1960, 91,221 pounds was reported as worth $27,366.30. The next year the farm came to an end.
The dairy herd was the backbone of the farm. Starting with 1,800 quarts of milk 4 in 1870, we find over ten times that much ten years later. In 1873, the entire here had to be slaughtered because of tuberculosis and in 1883 50% were killed. It was during this decade that it was proved that bovine tuberculosis could infect human beings. The cows that formed the herd had been bought locally from various farms. It was now decided to breed their own stock from hopefully healthy animals. This seemed to work well for twenty years or more, but in 1908 sixty cows reacted to the tuberculin test. The cows were Holstein but not thoroughbreds. In 1915, the thoroughbred herd was started. All was not well as five years later out of 134 cows, 124 were positive, and out of 91 heifers, 30 were positive. The managers felt that part of this was due to improper supervision which was probably true during the war years. They asked an appropriation of $20,000 to build a new herd. By 1925, milking machines were being introduced. The pasteurizing plant had been installed previously. In 1937, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets gave the following figures for milk produced: The average production in the years from 1923 to 1935 was 8,334 pounds per cow. In the year 1936, it jumped up to 10,733. By 1940, the value of milk produced was $44,579. It was a good thing that it was high and that the farm as a whole was extending itself to the utmost. The next five years were war years with rationing and food shortages. Thanks very largely to the farm, the patients were well cared for. In 1945, the milk production was 727,571 quarts and the next year the average per cow was 12,000 pounds per year. Dr. Keil was proud of the herd and states that the State average was 6,000 pounds per year. Four years later he reports that there were 275 cows, that 15 of them gave better than 15,000 pounds a year and that one gave 18,950 pounds a year.
There was much sadness when the Department of Mental Hygiene, on order it is understood from the Governor, announced late in 1960 the closing down of the farm. The Board of Visitors unanimously opposed the idea and so did almost everyone else. For over 90 years the herd fully supplied the Institutional needs for milk. This was not true of butter and cheese. The audit of 1886 shows that butter was bought from dozens of people in small amounts. To a lesser extent, this was true of cheese.
Much of the work at the farm was to support the dairy herd. There was good pasture in season. The cows grazed in fields each side of the road running to Grandview above the County Road. Much corn was raised for ensilage, and we read from time to time of the need for more silos. Mangel-wurtzel was raised by the thousands of bushels. Alfalfa was introduced early in the century and was considered a wonder crop. The wheat raised was sent by rail to a mill and the flour returned was used in the bakery and bran fed to the stock.
Considerable beef was produced. For instance, in 1890 there was 4,714 pounds of dressed beef, and in 1934 there was 28,510 pounds. Hay and oats were raised for the horses of which at the turn of the century there were 27 plus 9 colts and one mule. There were also 24 sheep, 11 lambs; 60 turkeys, 7 geese, 30 ducks, and 260 foul completed the bird census. Sometimes there were peafowl, and for a long time there was a span of oxen. Up until 1926, there were driving horses which were called “administration horses.” They numbered a dozen or more, but in that year the automobiles took over. Farm horses hung on much longer. A Holt caterpillar tractor was bought in 1915. Mr. Warren, the Steward, was very pleased with it, stating that it could do the work of from eight to ten teams. Two years later, he again tells of it and states that, even with gasoline at the very high price of 25¢ a gallon, it was an economy.
On going over the annual reports of the Steward, one learns of the good weather and the bad, of the droughts, floods, hailstorms and tempests that occur. The latter two were particularly hard on the orchards of which there were about 120 acres. From the very start, apples had been a good crop and supplied the cider and all the vinegar for the hospital. Grapes became a big crop, large enough to give all the patients grapes everyday during the season. Some years, the grapes were exchanged on the market for oranges so that the patients could have them at Christmas time. Concords, Niagaras, Delawares and Catawbas were grown, mostly east of Edgemere or around Vinelands. The orchards also were in this general vicinity, but there were fruit trees on the lake farm back of Buttonwood.
The poultry was concentrated near Vinelands to the south, but there were some at Hillside. In 1937, there were 2,324 pounds of dressed chicken and 1,503 dozen eggs. In 194?, the egg output was reported at an all time high of 8,136 dozen.
The garden produced all the vegetables with the exception of onions and potatoes, the soil not being suitable for the former and not too good for the latter. Even so, there were years when there was a respectable potato crop. For instance, 3,850 bushels were produced in 1933.
In the early years of the century, there was a canning plant in the old warehouse located on the steamboat dock. The reports often mentioning canning and evaporating as important activities. In the 1917 report, it is broken down into categories: Canned apples 1,043 gallons, plums 914 gallons, pears 2,329 gallons, peaches 1,962 gallons and tomatoes 1,584 gallons. The evaporating apparatus was in the old pump house near the State dock. That year, 225 pounds of raspberries were dried and the dried weight of sweet corn was 1,935 pounds. This was put up in empty sugar and cracker barrels.
The garden grew everything from asparagus to vegetable oysters of which there were over six tons in 1931. The demands of the Institution at that time were for over 3,000 people.
The farm and garden always made a profit – sometimes more, sometimes less – depending on the weather and the amount of supervisory help available. As most of the work was done by the patients, good supervision was necessary.
Willard not only raised food, but also manufactured articles for the care and maintenance of the patients. There were a number of shops where a large part of the work was done by the patients, to their great benefit. A look at the figures from year to year is most instructive. The shoe shop at first spent most of its energy repairing shoes and making and repairing harness. This shop was also responsible for making and repairing mattresses. In 1895, the bulk of the articles made were mattresses, hair pill and harness, with boots, shoes and slippers repaired in quantity. By 1912, after shoemaking machinery had been acquired, 2,579 pairs of boots and shoes were made. In 1932, the shoe and mattress shop made 4,682 articles and repaired 3,286. Twenty years later, the shop wasn’t making as many shoes but it was still very busy. Seventy years ago, there were canaries in cages on many of the wards. For some reason, the shoe shop had many cages of them. Perhaps, they took the place of piped-in music. The shop was located on the second floor of the storehouse on the east side. The mattress shop was adjoining.
Interior Of The Shoe-Shop – Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
The sewing room was probably the first industry. It turned out articles by the thousands, as did the tailor shop which was adjoining. In 1885, the sewing room turned out over 20,000 articles and the tailor shop 5,841. Besides this, there were almost 9,000 sheets, towels and pillow covers made. In 1893, over 4,000 wrappers or aprons were made and 4,000 dresses, and almost as many skirts. For some reason, there were over 3,000 collars made, which seems like a strange item. The tailor shop in the same year made about 1,500 coats and over 2,000 pants, and 1,500 vests which must have been in the style at the time. In 1926, they were still going strong, making nightgowns by the thousands, 2,500 chemises; in other words, they were making practically all the clothes for the patients. It was a time when male employees, nurses and attendants, wore blue uniforms made from Metropolitan Police blue cloth. These were made in the tailor shop and sold at cost. In 1953, the sewing room made over 50,000 articles and repaired 10,000 the tailor shop made about 11,500.
Another busy industry was the broom shop which made brooms by the thousands as well as brushes, baskets, crates, doormats and floor polishers. Chairs were caned and furniture repaired. Floor polishers were an important item as the floors all over the hospital were kept polished to the “nth” degree. An attendant would spread wax on the floor by scraping a block of paraffin with a metal comb. The patients would shove the polishers back and forth by the hour. At the Hermitage, the day room was so large that a polisher about four feet square was pulled back and forth by ropes. It was weighted down by a patient sitting in a chair on top of it.
The Basket, Mat & Brush Shop – Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
The tin shop was another busy place; probably not as many patients were employed here as in other shops. The number of different articles made here is astonishing. Some years, over 75 different categories are listed – everything from bird cages to a two foot ventilator with hood for the Nautilus boathouse, boxes, basins, boilers, cups, chamber pots, cans, dippers, measures, pails, pots, pans, strainers, trays, etc. They also made yards and yards of eaves troughs and conductor pipe.
Taking a typical year, we might look at the value of articles made by patients. In 1955, the value was $50,427.28; in the same year the value of farm and garden produce used for food was $173,303.70.
Until very recently, the bakeries at Willard made all the bread for the Institution. During the late 1940’s, a new type of bread was developed at Willard in conjunction with nutritional experts from Cornell. This came to be called Willard Bread. It was a rich protein type of bread to which soy bean flour was added and also vitamins.
Of the Stewards who served Willard, three stand out for their length of service and ability. Captain Morris Gilbert was in office from 1873 until his death in 1901. During that time he was totally responsible for all purchasing as well as overseeing the farm and maintenance work. Report after report by different Superintendents and various Boards of Trustees or Managers speak very highly of his ability and integrity. When he died, Dr. Macy had to take a man from Civil Service who had had no experience with a farm. After a short term, he resigned, frankly stating that he didn’t have what it took. Mr. Frank Warne was appointed in 1902, serving with great ability until his retirement in 1934. His annual reports are of considerable interest in recording the various trials and triumphs of the farm. Mr. Samuel Peltz was appointed in January, 1936, and served until his untimely end September, 1954; he was highly regarded and well liked. It was fitting that the new storehouse building was named in his memory. These three men served a total of 75 years.” (3)
1900 Report of Steward (4) Transcribed by L.S. Stuhler
SOURCES:
(1) Thirty Second Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Willard State Hospital to the State Commission in Lunacy for the Year 1900, Chapter 20 Report of the Board of Managers of the Willard State Hospital.
(2) The New York Times, Published: October 24, 1901. Copyright@TheNewYorkTimes
(3) History Of The Willard Asylum For The Insane And The Willard State Hospital by Robert E. Doran, M.D., 1978, Pages 36 – 42. About Dr. Robert E. Doran, Jr. in his own words: “INTRODUCTION: The author of this little history of Willard lived there as a little boy when my father was First Assistant physician. Later, I made frequent visits to the place and became consulting surgeon there in 1934. My contacts with the Institution cover about two-thirds of its existence. I wish to express my thanks to Dr. Anthony Mustille who has been supportive of this history and made available the services of Mrs. Maurita Lind who has been most helpful in furnishing me with reports, articles, laws and other material. Mr. J.F. McCauley, Deputy Director for Administration, furnished me with a resume of the regulations pertaining to patient employment. Miss Helen B. Vincent, Principal of the School of Nursing, has given me information about it and its impending disestablishment.”
(4) Reprinted from Thirty Second Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Willard State Hospital to the State Commission in Lunacy for the Year 1900, Chapter 20 Report of the Board of Managers of the Willard State Hospital, Pages 297-306, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312.
(5) Photographs – Morrison, Wayne E., Pictorial Album of The Willard Asylum 1869 – 1886, 1978.
More beautiful photographs from the book Pictorial Album Of The Willard Asylum 1869 to 1886 by Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. These photographs feature “The Branch” which was later re-named “Grand View” in 1904.
The Branch, constructed in 1859, was the original site of the first state agricultural college in the United States founded by Ezra Cornell. It was in operation from 1860 to 1861. The Civil War began, the young men went off to war, and the building fell into disrepair. In 1865, New York State purchased the building and land to be the site of The Willard Asylum for the CHRONIC Insane. The first of its kind in the country. Mr. Cornell went on to found Cornell University. The Branch housed about 225 “mild, quiet” female inmates. In 1886, the top two floors were removed and it was made into the “female” infirmary, housing those who could not take care of themselves, the sick and old, and those who could not use the “toilet” facilities. The Branch was not the main hospital building.
24-The Branch From The West-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
25-The Branch During Alterations-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
26-Excavating For The Addition To The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
31-Physician, Apothecary & Attendants, The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
32-The Branch From The East-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
33-The Branch From The North-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
34-A Hall In The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
35-A View From The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
36-Horace G. Hopkins, M.D. & Anne Maycock Hopkins-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
37-Parlor Of Dr. Horace G. Hopkins, The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
38-A Hall In The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
39-Physician’s Bed-Room, The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
40-The Branch, &c., From The South-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
42-The Branch During Alterations-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
43-Third Floor Hall Of The Branch During Alterations-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
44-The Branch During Alterations 2-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
45-The Branch Following Alterations-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
46-Parlor Of Dr. Myron D. Blaine-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
47-Rooms Of Dr. Horace G. Hopkins, The Branch-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
Well, the bill has a new number but it’s not dead! Yay! Special thanks to Senator Joseph Robach and Tim Ragazzo!
On March 1, 2013, Tim Ragazzo, Director of Operations & Legislation from Senator Joe Robach‘s office, called me to let me know that the bill was re-introduced (with a new number), to the NYS Senate and has been referred to the finance committee. This is great news because it means the bill is not dead! Now it has to pass in the Assembly. Hopefully, the bill will become law before it expires at the end of 2014.
-L.S. Stuhler at lsstuhler@gmail.com
Willard Cemetery Disk by Roger Luther at nysAsylum.com
NAMES INSTEAD OF NUMBERS!
Willard Cemetery 2 by Roger Luther at nysAsylum.com
For more information about these long-closed New York State Hospitals, check out the “Interesting Articles & Documents” page.
LIST OF STATE HOSPITALS
By 1901, there were thirteen state hospitals for the insane in the State of New York. All these hospitals buried their dead in anonymous, unmarked graves. Some had their own cemetery like Willard State Hospital; others used city and county cemeteries like Rochester State Hospital. Most of these state hospital cemeteries are unmarked, unkempt, and forgotten. None of the thousands of former psychiatric patients’ names have been released to the public. Considering that in 1870, the first patient was buried in the Willard Cemetery, which in the year 2012 covers a span of five or six generations, these people have waited long enough to be remembered. When you release the names, you remove the stigma. The following is a list of most of these long-closed state hospitals; there are more.
1. Utica State Hospital – Counties of Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Saratoga, Schenectady and Warren.
2. Hudson River State Hospital – Counties of Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Putnam, Richmond, Rensselaer, Washington and Westchester.
3. Middletown State Hospital – Counties of Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster.
4. Buffalo State Hospital – Counties of Erie and Niagara.
5. Willard State Hospital – Counties of Allegany, Cayuga, Genesee, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates.
6. Binghamton State Hospital – Counties of Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schoharie and Tioga.
7. St. Lawrence State Hospital – Counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, Onondaga,Oswego and St. Lawrence.
8. Rochester State Hospital – Counties of Monroe and Livingston.
9, 10. Long Island State Hospital – (Kings Park and Flatbush, Brooklyn) – Counties of Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk.
11, 12. Manhattan State Hospital – (Manhattan and Central Islip) – Counties of New York and Richmond.
13. Gowanda State Homoeopathic Hospital (Collin’s Farm) – Counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Wyoming.
Additional State Hospitals:
14. Pilgrim State Hospital – Brentwood, Suffolk County, New York
15. Mohansic State Hospital – Yorktown, Westchester County, New York
State Hospitals for the Criminally Insane:
16, 17. Mattaewan and Dannemora State Hospitals
IPUMS-USA is a project dedicated to collecting and distributing
United States census data. Its goals are to:
The SICKNESS variable captures the self-reported health condition which kept the individual from working on the day of enumeration. The first two digits designate the general category of illness, while the second two designate the specific illness within the category. The 1880 Census contained five other questions reporting those considered insane, idiotic, maimed, blind or deaf. These five extra categories are included in SICKNESS to capture the extra detail which was sometimes provided in these separate variables. The general categories are as follows:
The terminology relating to sicknesses found in the census manuscripts presented a mixture of precision and vagueness. At the time the 1880 census was taken, bacteriology was a recent development. Nonetheless, many illnesses were readily identifiable through physical symptoms. Measles, for example, seem to have offered little difficulty in lay diagnostics, nor did malaria (referred to as malaria, ague, remittent fever, intermittent fever, or bilious fever) or typhoid fever (typhoid, gastric fever or enteric fever).
Other seemingly precise diagnoses were not as well defined as one might imagine. Chronic nephritis was still commonly used to describe that which caused general or localized edema. “Chronic nephritis” includes, therefore, not only those cases so specified, but also “dropsy,” “Bright’s disease,” and “gout,” besides the spelling variations relating specifically to the kidney. Rheumatism and paralysis were still used as symptomatic descriptions of conditions rather than as clinical diagnoses. The designation of “rheumatism” appears to have included any condition which prohibited free movement, such as rheumatoid arthritis, coxalgia (scrofula, or tuberculosis of the joints) and syphilis, while “paralysis” included conditions which preclude movement or the control of movement, such as traumatic injury, stroke, metabolic disorders or syphilis.
Since the intent of the sickness question was to ascertain whether individuals were prevented from carrying out their normal activities due to sickness or disability, the response rates underreport illness in the population in two ways.
First, sickness among children will be underrepresented since most children did not have jobs or obligations outside the home. The Census Office did even not include those under the age of 15 when they tabulated the sickness data. Sickness rates for young children produced from the IPUMS 1880 sample are extraordinarily low and should be treated with caution.
The second underreporting of sickness is due to the failure to include those illnesses which limit as well as those that prevent regular activities, as was done for later censuses. A difference, therefore, in morbidity rates between race categories does not necessarily indicate an absolute difference in the prevalence or incidence of disease. It could instead indicate a difference in the perception of illness, tolerance thereof, or the ability or necessity to keep on with one’s activities in spite of it.
Users should also keep in mind the limitations inherent in self-diagnosis as well as possible biases related to nineteenth-century medical terminology and the general understanding of diseases. It may be impossible, for example, to determine the true incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in a given population because of the potential for misdiagnosis between tuberculosis and various diseases of the respiratory system, such as bronchitis.
01 01 Typhoid Fever
01 02 Typhus Fever
01 03 Malaria
01 04 Smallpox
01 05 Measles
01 06 Scarlet Fever
01 07 Whooping Cough
01 08 Diphtheria
01 09 Cholera
01 10 Dysentery
01 11 Erysipelas
01 12 Chicken Pox
01 13 Mumps
01 14 Rheumatic Fever
01 15 Fevers (not elsewhere classified)
01 16 Meningitis
02 01 Rickets
02 02 Tumors (not elsewhere classified)
02 03 Rheumatism
02 04 Scurvy
02 05 Diabetes
02 06 Anaemia
02 07 Alcoholism
02 08 Hydrocephalis
03 01 Pulmonary Tuberculosis
03 02 Potts Disease
03 03 White Swelling
03 04 Tuberculosis, other organs
03 05 Disseminated Tuberculosis
04 00 Venereal Disease (not elsewhere classified)
04 01 Syphilis
04 02 Gonorrhea
05 01 Cancer of Stomach, Liver
05 02 Cancer of Breast
05 03 Cancer of Skin
05 04 Cancer (not elsewhere classified)
06 01 Migraine, Headache
06 02 Fainting, Vertigo
06 03 Locomotor Ataxia
06 04 Cerebral Hemorrhage
06 05 Paralysis
06 06 Convulsions
06 07 Chorea
06 08 Epilepsy
06 09 Neuralgia, Neuritis
06 10 Other Nervous System Disorder
06 11 Eye Disease
06 12 Ear Disease
07 01 Pericarditis
07 02 Organic Heart Disease
07 04 Functional Disorders of the Heart
07 05 Disease of Arteries
07 06 Disease of Veins
07 07 Lymphatic System
07 09 Hemorrhages
08 01 Influenza, Cold
08 02 Acute Bronchitis
08 03 Chronic Bronchitis
08 04 Pneumonia
08 05 Pleurisy
08 06 Pulmonary Congestion
08 07 Asthma
08 08 Other Respiratory
09 01 Throat
09 02 Ulcers
09 03 Dyspepsia
09 04 Other Stomach
09 05 Diarrhea, Enteritis
09 06 Colic
09 07 Hernias, Obstruction
09 08 Other Intestinal
09 09 Atrophy of Liver
09 10 Other Liver
09 11 Disease of Spleen
10 01 Chronic Nephritis
10 02 Other Kidney
10 03 Urinary Tract Calculi
10 04 Disease of Bladder
10 05 Disease of Urethra
10 08 Inflammation, Prostate Gland
10 11 Strangury
11 01 Pregnancy
11 02 Childbirth
11 03 Puerperal Septicemia
11 04 Illness After Childbirth
11 05 Other Puerperal
11 06 Miscarriage
12 01 Menstruation
12 02 Menopause
12 03 Uterine Ailment
12 04 Other Female
13 01 Furuncle
13 02 Acute Abcess
13 03 Hemorrhoids
13 04 Other Skin Disease
14 01 Leg, Ankle, Foot
14 02 Hip
14 03 Back or Spine
14 04 Dental
14 05 Necrosis
15 01 Congenital Malformation
15 02 Merasmus
15 03 Other Congenital Conditions
16 01 Feebleness
16 02 Senility
17 01 Chronic Illness (not elsewhere classified)
17 02 Poisoned
18 01 Unspecified Illness
18 02 Incomplete Information
18 03 Miscellaneous
21 00 Melancholy
21 01 Mania
21 02 Hysteria
21 03 Nerves
21 04 Dementia
21 05 Insane (not elsewhere classified)
22 00 Idiotic
23 00 Maimed
23 01 Burns
23 02 Gunshot Wounds
23 03 Accidents
23 04 Injury to Leg, Ankle
23 05 Injury to Hip
23 06 Injury to Arm, Hand
23 07 Injury, Ribcage
23 08 Injury to Back, Spine
23 09 Amp or Missing Limbs
23 10 Other
23 11 Other Fractures
23 12 One Eye
24 00 Blind
25 00 Deaf
26 00 Dumb
98 00 Illegible
99 00 Not applicable
99 99 Missing”
According to The American Psychiatric Association, “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States. It is intended to be applicable in a wide array of contexts and used by clinicians and researchers of many different orientations (e.g., biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, family/systems).”
DSM5
I had never heard of The DSM before I began researching the Willard Asylum. I had read many old documents about immigrants who were not allowed to disembark the ship because they were thought to be insane. It made me wonder, how were these people behaving that the authorities and physicians, with their six second examinations, determined that they were insane? I wanted to know, what does it mean to be insane? What is insanity? This is when I first learned about The DSM.
The old adage, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” isn’t true. This book affects everyone who lives in the United States. It reminds me of the Dependent, Defective, and Delinquent Census of 1880 (Men, Women), when neighbors were asked by census enumerators if their fellow neighbors were insane. The increase in the “defective classes” rose 155 percent between 1870 and 1880. In 1880, there were 6 general forms of insanity. According to The DSM, there are 13 or more categories divided into over 300 disorders. One hundred-fifty years ago we had asylums to lock people away from society and thankfully, those institutions no longer exist. Today, we have television and internet commercials, medical websites, and The DSM telling us we are ill. We are “abnormal.” We self-diagnose without a physician or psychiatrist. We walk in their offices asking for medication, wanting a magic pill, and telling them our diagnoses. It’s all there at our fingertips, all we have to do is look up what ails us and if we have two or three symptoms, then we must be sick. Are we all mentally ill? Should everyone be medicated? Will we re-build the insane asylums of the nineteenth century? How will this end?
The following is an excerpt from DSM 5 In Distress by Allen Frances, M.D., Psychology Today, December 2012: “Except for autism, all the DSM 5 changes loosen diagnosis and threaten to turn our current diagnostic inflation into diagnostic hyperinflation. Painful experience with previous DSM’s teaches that if anything in the diagnostic system can be misused and turned into a fad, it will be. Many millions of people with normal grief, gluttony, distractibility, worries, reactions to stress, the temper tantrums of childhood, the forgetting of old age, and ‘behavioral addictions’ will soon be mislabeled as psychiatrically sick and given inappropriate treatment.”
(Allen Frances, M.D., was chair of the DSM-IV Task Force and of the department of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. He is currently professor emeritus at Duke.)
On November 9, 2012, I received a beautiful gift from Doug and Jane Anderson at Port City Paranormal. They purchased the book Pictorial Album of The Willard Asylum 1869 – 1886 by Wayne E. Morrison, Sr., and sent it to me because they knew how much I would appreciate and enjoy such a rare piece of history. I cannot thank Doug and Jane enough for being so kind and thoughtful! I hope that one day I will be able to meet them!
Wayne E. Morrison in his printing shop 2009.
According to The Ithaca Journal, published on April 10, 2012: “Ovid: Wayne E. Morrison, Sr., 79 of Ovid, died Friday, April 6, 2012 at his home. He was born in Fairport (NY) a son of the late Earl B. and Grace Yorks Morrison. Mr. Morrison was a printer and publisher for 65 years and was the owner and operator of W.E. Morrison & Co. in Ovid. He was a member of the Fairport and Galen Historical Societies, a former member of the Clyde Fire Dept. and was a past Member of the Ovid Baptist Church. …There was a quote that Mr. Morrison loved that was made by Marianne Nichols. ‘Wayne doesn’t live in the past but the past lives in him.’”
1 – Pictorial Album Of The Willard Asylum 1869 – 1886.
Mr. Morrison’s book is not numbered but is filled with 119 beautiful, historical photographs of The Willard Asylum (Willard State Hospital), the people who worked there, and historical information. He also recorded who took these wonderful photographs. I would like to share with you a few photographs from the first pages of his book. What follows are Mr. Morrison’s words:
“Year after year since 1869, the Willard Asylum has proved an incalculable blessing to thousands of the unfortunate of humanity in the State of New York – a refuge for the chronic insane and upon lands partially in the Towns of Ovid and Romulus, Seneca County, it was the first such institution established in the nation and has been the exemplar from which other states have formed like asylums.
01-The Main Building-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
The early photographs of Willard Asylum, published for the first time, are the work of Nelson S. Hopkins, whose brother, Dr. Horace G. Hopkins, was a Resident Officer of the Asylum at the time. The preponderance of his pictures were made in 1886, however some were taken a year earlier, and a few as late as 1892. Some are also credited to Anne Maycock Hopkins, the wife of Dr. Hopkins. They have been preserved by Dr. Robert E. Doran of Geneva, who has in his possession the Hopkins collection in its entirety – more than three hundred fine old pictures.
Excepted are the two views in 1869 on the main building in the process of erection taken by Mr. C.V.D. Cornell, photographers, of Waterloo. The front view was loaned by the Willard Asylum Museum, and the rear view by Michael F. Perry, of Ovid. – W.E. Morrison & Co., Ovid, N.Y.”
(Copyright 1978 Wayne E. Morrison, Sr.)
02-The Asylum Medical Staff-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
03-The Asylum Officials-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
04-The Main Building In The Process Of Erection-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
05-The North Wing In Process Of Erection-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
06-Rear Of The Main Building In Process Of Erection-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
07-The Main Building From The North-West-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
08-The Main Building From The North-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
09-The Medical Office-Main Buildiing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
10-The Main Building From The North-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
11Group Of Attendants, Detached Building No. 1-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
12 Detached Building No. 1, For Men-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
13-A Group Of Physicians & Attendants, Detached Building No. 2-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
14-Detached Building No. 2, For Women-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
15-Physicians & Attendants, Detached Building No. 3-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
16-Detached Building No. 3, For Men-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
17-Supervisor-In-Chief, Attendants & Employees, Detached Building No. 4-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
18-Detached Building No. 4, For Women-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
19-Physicians & Attendants, North Wing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
20-The North Wing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
21-The South Wing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
22-Physician & Attendants, South Wing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
23-The W.B. Dunning Leaving Willard Landing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
27-A View At Willard Landing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
28-A Group Of The Asylum Staff-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
29-The Onondaga At Willard Landing-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
30-Cap’t & Mrs. Anson Wheeler-Wayne E. Morrison, Sr. 1978
Thirty New York State Institutions were subject to the 1912 statute. One man and forty-one women were sterilized. It is interesting to read the opinions of the superintendents of the custodial institutions from which sterilization was tested or performed: Auburn State Prison; Rome Custodial Asylum for the Feeble-Minded (test case of Frank Osborn challenged the New York statute); Buffalo and Gowanda State Hospitals. To read the opinions in their entirety, click on the RED link below.
Eugenics Record Office, Annual Meeting of the Eugenics Research Association, 1918 (Laughlin in front, Stewart House in background) http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/index2.html?tag=1664
NAMES: 1. Alexander Weinstein, 2. Dr. Howard J. Banker, 3. Robert W. Kegner, 4. Sarah Oates, 5. Dr. Oscar Riddle, 6. Ella Newman, 7. Mrs. H.H. Laughlin, 8. George MacArthur, 9. Ruth Gardiner, 10. Laura Garrett (Mrs. Clafflin), 11. Leslie E. Peckhem, 12. Edna Rosselot, 13. Dr. Arthur M. Banta, 14. No Name, 15. Emilee Viccari, 16. Mathilda Koch, 17. Louise A. Nelson, 18. Nua A. Minns, 19. Dr. B. Onuf, 20. Annie Henchman, 21. Dr. Wilhelmina E. Key, 22. Mrs. Howard J. Banker, 23. Mrs. Helen Martin Pitcher, 24. Julia F. Goodrich, 25. Dr. Arthur H. Harris, 26. Ethel Thayer, 27. Mrs. W.B. Browning, 28. Caroline E. Conway, 29. Alfie M. Newbuk, 30. Marion Collins, 31. Dr. Harry H. Laughlin, 32. Mrs. Estella Hughes, 33. Dr. Rene Sand, 34. Mrs. W.L.F. Brown, 35. Frederick Hoffman, 36. Mary Kitchell, 37. Mrs. Charles B. Davenport.
New York “The statute dates from 1912. Present status (January 1, 1922): Repealed 1920, after having been declared unconstitutional by the lower courts in 1918. Thirty (30) state institutions were subject to the act before its repeal; they performed eugenical sterilizing operations as follows:
1. State Prison, Auburn – 1 Vasectomy
2. Clinton State Prison, Dannemora
3. Sing Sing Prison, Ossining
4. Great Meadow Prison, Comstock
5. Farm for Boys, Valatie
6. Reformatory, Elmira
7. Eastern New York Reformatory, Napanoch
8. Agricultural and Industrial School, Industry
9. Training School for Girls, Hudson
10. Western House of Refuge for Women, Albion
11. Reformatory for Women, Bedford Hills
12. Institution for Feeble-Minded Children, Syracuse
13. Newark State School, Newark
14. Custodial Asylum, Rome – Frank Osborn Test Case for New York Statute
15. Craig Colony for Epileptics, Sonyea
16. Letchworth Village, Thiells
17. Matteawan State Hospital, Beacon
18. State Hospital, Utica
19. State Hospital, Willard
20. Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie
21. State Hospital, Middletown
22. State Hospital, Buffalo – 12 Salpingectomies
23. State Hospital, Binghamton
24. St. Lawrence State Hospital, Ogdensburg
25. State Hospital, Rochester
26. Gowanda State Hospital, Collins – 29: 24 Salpingectomies; 5 Ovariotomies
27. State Hospital, Kings Park
28. State Hospital, Central Islip
29. Long Island State Hospital, Brooklyn
30. Manhattan State Hospital, Ward’s Island, N.Y.
Total to January 1, 1921: (42) 1 Vasectomy; 36 Salpingectomies; 5 Ovariotomies
(Institutions 3, 4, 5, 8, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 29 did not supply historical comment.) 3. Sing Sing Prison, Ossining; 4. Great Meadow Prison, Comstock; 5. Farm for Boys, Valatie; 8. Agricultural and Industrial School, Industry; 17. Matteawan State Hospital, Beacon; 18. State Hospital, Utica; 19. State Hospital, Willard; 24. St. Lawrence State Hospital, Ogdensburg; 25. State Hospital, Rochester; 29. Long Island State Hospital, Brooklyn.
Auburn State Prison, Auburn, (a) Dr. Frank L. Heacox, Physician.
“The State Commission made a special study of a few cases, but no recommendations were made as to the cases investigated. One operation of double vasectomy was performed on one patient at his own and his family’s request. The patient was a youth twenty years of age, who was suffering from tubercular testicles.” Dr. Heacox stated that, in his opinion, the medical value of the statute was very little, but that eugenically it was invaluable. March, 1918. (b) “Our one case of eugenical sterilization was a voluntary one.” January, 1921.
Custodial Asylum, Rome. Dr. Charles Bernstein, Superintendent, from whose institution the test case for the New York statute arose, reported that there had been no operations under the law in his institution; that he could not in the ordinary course of professional practice perform any operation under this law that would be forbidden or illegal without it; that, in his opinion, “there was no medical value in the statute; and that, instead of being of eugenical value, the statute was a eugenical hindrance.” January, 1918.
Buffalo State Hospital (a) Dr. Arthur W. Hurd, Superintendent, in answer to inquiries, reported that he was doubtful whether the law, as it stood before tested in the courts, was applicable to inmates of the hospitals for the insane. He stated also that in reference to the medical value to the institution: “That it may be of a great deal of value in selected cases, as child-bearing, for instance, brings on recurrent attacks of insanity. Eugenically the statute is of much value in preventing the propagation of defectives. * * * Since 1912 six sterilizations have been done in this institution on women to produce sterility on account of the mental condition, which made it unwise that the patients should have any more children, and in two instances where the mental condition was in unmarried insane women and was accompanied by immoral tendencies. In each one of the cases we obtained the written consent of the relatives, which was filed in the case before such an operation was undertaken. We have always felt that indiscriminate sterilization among the insane was not indicated, but believe very strongly in it, and think it is of very great value in decreasing the number of people who would be born with a bad heredity, and also in saving the strength of women, for instance: If continued child-bearing would weaken the system, and in that way increase the tendency to mental breakdown.” February, 1918. (b) F. W. Parsons, Superintendent. “There have not been any untoward mental or physical effects resulting from our cases of salpingectomy, as the menstruation has continued uninterrupted. Before operating we obtain and file the written consent of husband, parent or guardian. Several defectives of bad moral tendencies were sterilized before they were allowed to go on parole, also a number of insane women with good intelligence and who had repeated attacks of insanity during pregnancy or the puerperium. The sterilization act is not in force in New York State. The hospital assumes the responsibility.” January, 1921.
Gowanda State Hospital, Collins. Dr. C. A. Potter, Superintendent. (a) In answer to inquiry concerning the medical and eugenical values of the statute, Dr. Potter replied: “If properly amended, the law would be of very great value in preventing recurrence of attacks of insanity, one of our cases has proven this conclusively. If enforced, after amendment, its eugenical value would be greater than any law of recent years which applies to institutions.” February, 1918. (b) “We note that several of our patients who have been sterilized have had no mental breakdown since the operation and have been able to fill their places in the household since they have not been exposed to pregnancy. Those cases which became insane on account of child-bearing or have a bad heredity but who could remain outside if not exposed to frequent child-bearing, are selected for sterilization and written consent is obtained from the husband or legal guardian, or nearest relative, the whole process and reasons therefor having been thoroughly explained. The public should be shown that insane, epileptics, feeble-minded and criminals have no right to procreate, from an economic standpoint as well as from the point of eugenics. The insane, feeble-minded, epileptics and criminals of child-bearing age should be sterilized.” January, 1921.”
For the past few years I have tried to get the attention of state and federal lawmakers to pass a law in New York State that would provide for the release of patient names; dates of birth and death; and location of graves, of people who were committed to State Hospitals and Custodial Institutions during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who were buried in unmarked or numbered, anonymous graves, whether they be in formerly state, county, or city owned cemeteries. (See My Story) I also asked for a searchable, digital database, available to the public to be included in the bill. On August 22, 2011, I finally got the opportunity to meet with Kate Munzinger, Senator Joseph Robach’s Chief of Staff. Ms. Munzinger took the time to listen to what I was asking for.
Grave Concerns Association
The reason why I’m blogging about this issue again is because the bill in New York State has not yet become a law. There are caring people in several states who are pushing to get a similar law passed but state and federal representatives will not give them the time of day or they won’t even consider passing such a law because of the misinterpretation of the federal HIPAA Law. I want to help those people in other states by sharing with them what was shared with me. If not for Laurel Lemke, Chair of Grave Concerns Association, I don’t think I would have received the attention of Senator Robach. In 2004, Ms. Lemke and others, had fought for this cause, and managed to amend law 6678 in the State of Washington that allowed for the release of patient names for the purpose of memorialization. She emailed me the bill which I in turn gave to Kate Munzinger, Chief of Staff; Tim Ragazzo, Director of Operations & Legislation; and Senator Joseph Robach. A bill was drafted and introduced to the New York State Legislature in March 2012. The title of the bill is: “An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to patients interred at state mental health hospital cemeteries.”
Western State Hospital, Pierce County, Washington, has 3,218 patients who are no longer anonymous. Grave Concerns Association has raised funds and replaced 1,200 names since 2004. The forgotten have been remembered with dignity. With community fund raising efforts and countless volunteers, inscribed headstones that identify the patient’s name, date of birth and death, have been placed at the graves; and a searchable, digital database has been uploaded to the internet. In contrast, New York State, with 22 or more former state custodial institutions combined has upwards of 11,000 or more people buried in anonymous graves who through no fault of their own have been erased from history. Willard State Hospital alone has close to 6,000 patients buried in anonymous graves.
Sherry Storms, Stacie Larson and Laurel Lemke, Grave Concerns Association, John Lucas, countless volunteers, and the State of Washington deserve to be recognized for their ground breaking, painstaking work, and above all, their model should be copied in every state in the union. The New York State bill is important and necessary in order to restore the dignity and personhood of the thousands of people who were incarcerated and died at former New York State Insane Asylums (later renamed State Hospitals), and State Custodial Institutions (for Feeble-Minded and Epileptic persons). When the bodies of the inmates were not claimed by family members, they were buried in anonymous, unmarked graves. Many of these unclaimed bodies went to medical colleges and pathology labs for the furtherance of medical science. These people deserve to be remembered, and we need to remember what happened to them so that we do not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors.
It is my hope that the State of New York, and all states, will pass similar legislation and follow the Washington State – Grave Concerns Model. They have done a great service for the community and the nation by naming the forgotten; setting up an exemplary, searchable, digital database; and trying their best to remove the stigma of mental illness.
WASHINGTON:
Grave Concerns Association
Volunteer Carla Wutz, descendent of Michael Wutz, updates the data base on the Grave Concerns website.
Grave Concerns Cemetery Database – Version 1.0 – Western State Hospital Historic PatientCemetery
http://www.wshgraveconcerns.org/search-the-database.html
The Inmates of Willard 1870 to 1900 / A Genealogy Resource 