I stumbled onto the 1860 federal census of the Lunatic Asylum of the State of Georgia. The Lunatic Asylum was later known as the State Asylum for the Insane, the Georgia State Sanitarium, Milledgeville State Hospital, and now Central State Hospital.
The census begins with a note that reads “Dr. T.F. Greene, Physician of the Asylum refuses to give more than the initial letters of the names of the patients and is contrary to the rules of the institution.”
Good for Dr. Greene!
The census lists everyone who was in the asylum and notes their diagnosis. The diagnoses were Lunatic, Insane, Dwarf, Deaf, Dumb, and Idiot. It was a long list of names, 5 diagnoses. In my 15 years in the state mental health system, I met a couple idiots, but no one with that diagnosis.
Following the entry for patient M., there is a note that reads “These five with two others, also lunatics are of the same family.” As my friend David once said, genetics are all hereditary.
Did you find this information online? If so, I'd love to see the link. I have visited the state asylum cemetery and it is heartbreaking...lots of unmarked graves with only a number on the stones as a memorial.
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ReplyDeleteHi Natalie. The link to the 1860 Census of CSH is at http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ga/county/baldwin/1860censussylum.html.
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