Discovering one of my ancestors was characterized as a “lunatic” in court records was a bit unsettling. I am not sure why. I was okay with the idea that Rebecca Trantham had died tragically during childbirth (which didn’t happen) but not that she had been committed to an asylum for lunatics (which did happen). Weird. Not one to let sleeping dogs sleep, my research on Rebecca continued and I’ve learned a few new things since my last post.
Earlier court documents revealed that Rebecca’s younger brother, William Deason, was compensated for transporting her to the “State Hospital” in January of 1868. So now we know the approximate date of her departure from the home.
The “State Hospital” was likely the Central State Hospital for the Insane which was located in Nashville. This is where Rebecca was living when the 1880 census was taken. Understandably, the facility underwent a few name changes over the years. It was Tennessee’s second such hospital; the first being the Tennessee Lunatic Asylum.
The word “lunatic”, which undeniably has negative connotations today, did NOT mean the same thing back then: one was not born a lunatic; one became a lunatic because of a traumatic event, an injury to the head, a disease, etc. It is an important distinction: the afflicted was capable of making sound decisions before the event but not after.
Since Rebecca and three of her children all suffered with mental illness throughout their adult lives it leaves me wondering if a disease was the cause. Is it possible that a malicious malady entered the Trantham household, taking the life of the oldest son “H”, who was last seen in the 1860 census, and forever changing the lives of those who survived? Quite possibly.
A dear friend of mine lives in Weakley County, Tennessee not far from the Yellow Fever Cemetery where victims of a mid-19th century epidemic are buried. Typhoid fever is another possibility. Psychiatric problems – hallucinations, paranoia, psychosis – are among its long-term complications, assuming of course, the victim survived.
Frankly, I may never know the truth of the matter. I suppose it’s why genealogy is so alluring to so many: it’s a jigsaw puzzle without the benefit of a picture on the lid of the box. You have to piece things together the best you can and then try to come to a logical conclusion.
Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: 3rd great grandmother
Common ancestors: Rebecca’s parents, John R. and Lydia (Turbeville) Deason, are my 4th great grandparents
References:
https://historicnashville.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/asylum-for-the-insane
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/typhoid-fever/basics/complications/con-20028553
http://www.tngenweb.org/poor/