There is a special census that was performed in 1880 for Defective, Dependent, and Delinquents Schedules. I have information on it from a book by Emily Croom. It says: In 1880, the census schedules included a special enumeration of people who were residents of various asylums, such as prisons or porrhouses, or who had various afflictions that made them dependent on others for support, such as deaf-mutes, homeless children, the indigent, the insane or the blind. The purpose of this special schedule was to identify people in these categories and to learn more specifically about their situation. One William Douglas lived in Middleton in Ada County, Idaho. He was totally blind, yet partly self-suporting, and had lived for six years in a institution for the blind in Newton, Iowa, from which he was released in 1876. In Whiteville, Hardeman County, Tennessee, the names of Rufus Green and Calvin Hall were recorded on the schedules were sent off, Dr. A.P. Waddell, M.D., scratched out the names and wrote, "I have known Rufus and Cal for many years- they are both colored and are both of sound mind." In the same county, BEn Oppenheimer of Bolivar had been deaf since the age of three, due to scarlet fever. He had lived for three years at the Kentucky State Mute Asylum, from which he was discharged in 1855. About WIlliam Burnette, listed as insane, the enumerator J.R. Jones of Hardeman County wrote, "I cannot learn any thing in reference to the above named person only that he was of sound mind up to the Shiloh Battle in April 1862 but soon after the battle he became insane and has been so ever since. He is in good health and lives with his brother George L. Burnette. He is a married man but his wife left him after he became insane. No physician has ever examined him; it is believed that he was so frightened that he became insane. These DDD schedules were made in most states. Even in the stated where they were not made or no longer exist, some of the information is available in the regular populations schedules, from which the DDD schedules were taken. Microfilm copies are available from many of the same places as the mortality and the supplemental schedules. Also....You can check the newspapers in the are around the time that you think she was put into an asylum. Most likely in some sort of police log. A lot of papers back then listed that sort of thing....a person being transported to an asylum and what caused them to be sent there. You can check the obituaries of her relatives; there might be a reference to her name and what town she lived in at the time of her relatives death. I hope this helps! Cindy Johnson [email protected] [email protected] wrote: > > Is there a website for hospitals for the Mentally Insane in AL? Or, how would > I find someone who was mentally challenged. I am talking about 1840 to???? I > have an ancestor whose husband died at a very young age and she was not able > to cope with it. > Thanks in advance, > Darlene