Madness Monday: Whether He Came to His Right Reason or Mind
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| General Register, Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital, 1876 |
I have worked to piece together information from these
records to relate the story of this ancestor. In addition, I recently read Annie’s Ghost by Steve Luxenberg which
also helped me understand how persons with mental illness were treated in the
past.
At age 39, Eliud Smith, a married farmer of Thorold,
Ontario, Canada was charged with being insane and a warrant was ordered to
commit him from the Gaol of the County of Welland to the Hamilton Asylum for
the Insane, some 33 miles away. The certificate was signed on 16 April 1879.
Upon admission, information was elicited and recorded as to
this person charged with being insane (Schedule No. 2):
Names in full and age of prisoner: Eliud Smith, 39 years old
Occupation, Religion, and Country: Farmer C. Methodist Canada
Whether married or single: Married
How many children, if any: 4 Children
Address to Parents or nearest
Relative, how connected: Thorold P.O.
Wellington Smith
How long Prisoner has been
Insane: for
years at times
Duration of present attack
And whether first: Some
three weeks – 3rd attack
How the insanity first
Showed itself and the supposed
Cause: Religious
excitement
Whether any delusions and if so
What are they: Has
a Great Work to do
Whether the Prisoner is
Suicidal or dangerous to others: Recently Dangerous
Whether any offense has ever
Been committed: None
excepting an assault committed last attack
Whether Prisoner is subject to
Epilepsy or paralysis: Neither
Whether any of the other members
Of the Prisoner’s family suffered in
A similar way or been committed: No
What have been the habits of the
Prisoner as to temperance, industry,
& general conduct & in what
Manner have they changed: has drank at times, hard
worker and conduct good.
Change
taken place in past year.
Whether Prisoner has been subject
To any bodily ailments & nature: None (has passed a large quantity
of tape worm)
Degree of education: Moderate
English education
Whether Prisoner is idiotic,
Imbecile or incurable: ---------
[line through space for answer]
Listed as #287 on the General Register of the Asylum, Eliud
spent 29 years, 6 months and 16 days there.
The register included information taken from Schedule No. 2. Under
apparent or alleged cause, there is a comment under “other” rather than
“hereditary” but the comment is illegible. “Religion” was listed as the
“exciting” factor and the form of mental disorder was listed as “Mania.”
His wife, Wilhelmina, was pregnant with their fifth child.
She gave birth to a son, George Arthur, three months later on 21 July 1879. His
four siblings included Eliud Wellington age 10, Mary age 9, Ella Louise 6 &
Wilhelmina age 2.
Wilhelmina lived with her elderly parents and brother,
Robert Lepper, who were farmers in the town of Thorold, Welland County, Ontario,
Canada. She and the children were recorded there during the 1881 Canadian
Census.
After her parents’ death, she continued to live with her
brother Robert as the children married and left home. In the 1901 Canadian
Census, just she and George were listed with Robert. Her daughter Wilhelmina
married Egerton W. Detlor in March of that year. By 1904, they had the elder
Wilhelmina living with them in Niagara Falls South. George married in October
of 1903.
In those years, the family wrote letters to inquire as to
Eliud’s status. Excerpts of those
letters follow.
One letter dated
March 29, 18—[photocopy cut off on edge so the year does not show] reads as
follows:
Dear Sir –
I am anxious to hear about my husband
Eluid Smith. We got word that he was better and was fit to come home and
knowing it to be my duty I now write to you. Please write and let me know how
he is and if what I heard is so or not as I am very anxious to hear from him. I
remain yours truly. Mrs. Eluid Smith, Thorold, Ontario.
Another
letter written to Dr. Wallace on July 17, 1883 reads:
Dear Sir—
Please let me know how my brother
Eluid Smith is, mentally and physically. Since my last correspondence with you
my dear Father has departed this life after suffering intensely for over a year
with a cancer. I don’t think it would be wisdom to tell Eluid of his death, for
he always had hopes that Father would remove him from the asylum. Yours, Samuel
Smith.
A reply was
sent back from Stephen Lett, M.D., the acting medical supt the same day,
stating:
Dear Sir—
I beg leave to acknowledge the
receipt of your communication of the 17th inst. Referring to Eliud
Smith and in reply would merely state I regret to say there is no change in the
mental condition of this patient, he is in fair bodily health at the present
time. I will not communicate the sad news to him reported in your last letter.
Yours very respectfully.
On November
18, 1885, Eliud’s wife wrote:
Dear Sir. I was up to Hamilton to see
my husband the time of the fair and he was glad to see me. I thought he seemed
some better. I inquired if he received his clothes that his mother sent him
last fall. They said the clothes that was sent to him were old and all patched up.
They were all new clothes bought right out of the store. We have sent him two
or three suits of clothes that he has never got. It is of no use for us to send
him any more clothes when he don’t get wearing them. I wish you would see that
he is comfortable this winter. Please write soon and let me know how he is.
She received
a reply on November 20th from J.M. Wallace, the Medical Supt:
Dear Madam: I beg leave to
acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 18th inst. And
in reply would state, There is no notable change in your husband’s condition.
You state that you sent him two or three suits of clothes that he has never
got. It is a very singular thing that you did not try to find out what became
of them. If you sent them by express you would receive a receipt each time, and
by means of the receipts you could have traced the goods. If you send me the
receipts I will try to get some information, but it is remarkable that you have
not done so yourself at the proper time. Yours very respectfully, J.M. Wallace.
From the Proceedings and
Transactions from the Royal Society of Canada, 1898, digitized from
the University of California 17 Nov 2009, page 42:
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“On the retirement of Dr. Wallace, owing to ill health, in 1887,
Dr. James Russell, the present superintendent, was appointed to the position
thus made vacant, and assumed duty August 1st of that year.”
In the files from the archives, a note
written by J. Russell states the following:
Eluid Smith
That he is
in good bodily health in regard to his mental condition I may say that he is
very quiet, works well, but talks very little, sometimes will not speak at all
– [illegible] just[?] he is rather stupid[?] and ---- [illegible] I cannot say
that he is quite fit to go home. Yours very truly, J. Russell, Med. Supt.
On July 1st, 1895, Eliud’s mother
sent a letter to the superintendent of the asylum for the insane:
Dear Sir:
Will you kindly inform me as to my son Eliud Smith. How is he physically? Is there
any improvement mentally? Is he contented? Does he take any part in the work
that is done on the grounds belonging to the institution? I would like to see
him but my health will not permit my doing so. His friends would be pleased to
realize the hope that he would be himself once more and be restored to his
family. Yours. Mrs. Mary M. Smith, Box 103, Thorold, Ont.
The reply letter was typed and dated July 8th:
Dear Madam,
In reply to your communication of the 1st inst. Referring to your
son. I beg to state that he is in good physical health, but unimproved
mentally. He works on the grounds and is very quiet and well behaved. He talks
very little and is apparently contented. It is doubtful if he will ever by any
better. Yours truly, Med. Supt.
From Niagara Falls South on March 1st,
1904, Mrs. Eliud Smith wrote again to J. Russell Esq.
Write these
few lines hoping they will find Mr. E. Smith (my husband) well. I was pleased
to see him looking so well when I was up last fall. Please let him know I have
written to you about him hoping he is well and that if nothing preventing I
will be up to see him again this fall if not before. Trusting to hear from you
soon. Remain Yours. Mrs. Eliud Smith.
A reply was typed March 2, 1904: Re E. Smith. Dear Madam, Your husband is
enjoying his usual good health, and I am sure he will be glad to have a visit
from you as soon as it is convenient. I shall let him know that I have heard
from you and will also ask him if he would like to hear from you directly.
Yours truly, Med. Supt.
Another letter inquiring to Eliud’s health
was written by his wife in March of 1907 with an address of Niagara Falls
South, c/o Mr. Egerton Detlor. A reply was typed March 16, 1907 to say that “he
is enjoying good health and otherwise unchanged.” Again a typed reply was sent
in reply to her inquiry on Jan. 24, 1908 stating that her husband “is very well
physically but quite unchanged mentally. “
Some months later, a short note was written on
the back of a visitors order sheet:
Mrs. Eliud
Smith, Niagara Falls South, c/o E.W. Detlor
Your husband
is dead. Please arrange for burial.
W. M.
English
Collect
12/11/08
Eliud’s wife once again wrote a letter:
December 8,
1908
Dear Sir—
Just a few
lines in regard to my Husband Mr. Eluid Smith. Being his death was so sudden I
write as I would like to know as to whether he came to his right reason or mind
and if he spoke of me or any of the children. I understand congestion of the
liver was cause of death. Is that right? We all sincerely thank you for all
kindness towards him. Remain Yours Truly, Mrs. Eluid Smith, Niagara Falls
South, Ont. c/o. Mr. E.W. Detlor
Please write
soon. P.S. Enclosed find a stamp for answer to letter.
The typed reply was dated Dec. 10th,
1908:
re Elind
Smith, deceased.
Dear Madam,-
Regarding your husband’s death – there was no
mental change preceding it. He did not speak at all and had scarcely uttered a
word for years. Death came very suddenly and was due to acute inflammation of
the bladder. Yours truly. Med. Supt.
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| Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital 1890s facade |
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