Posts in October 10, 2020

These comments generally apply to US research on those individuals who were sent to a state “asylum” for the “insane.” Keep in mind that the general meaning of that last word has changed over time. Access to state hospital records is normally set by state statute–so if a court order is required, it’s required and the process in one state may be different that the process in another state. Records of the committal are typically county court records and those may be open–you just need to find out what court handles those sorts of cases during the time period in question. In some areas, they may be town records. There may also be references to the case in the newspaper–not as likely, but possible depending upon the situation. […]