I think it was around 1967. I was supposed to spend that summer as a psychiatric intern at DeWitt or Sonoma State Hospitals and the program was eliminated becoasue they were going to do that stupid release. I bet if you ask the elderly homeless till floating around, most of them were in the State system till the late 60s. What a dumb move! By the way, I never went into that field, either. Jan in San Diego ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marciel Wood" <marcielwood@att.net> To: <norcal@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 3:39 PM Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Agnews History Museum I was a social worker in San Diego County during the release of the mentally disabled in CA. Reagan was governor. The plan was was to relocate them to the counties that they were committed from and live with relatives, board and care facilities or live in dependently. The plan was a disaster I suspect in all of CA, because most of them stopped taking their medications. The Supplemental Security Program was law by January 1974 and these people were on the streets and costing the taxpayers a lot of money. I know because I worked with the mentally disabled trying to get them stablized and off the streets. Marciel Hart Wood Agnew was closed, I believe during the Reagan governorship so that would have been in the early 70s when he emptied all the mentally ill, brain damaged and Alzheimer's patients onto the streets. EdrieAnne ----------------------------------------- NORCAL ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. ----------------------------------------- To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ________________________________ From: EdrieAnne Broughton <edrieanne@gmail.com> To: norcal@rootsweb.com Sent: Fri, May 28, 2010 10:18:15 AM Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Agnews History Museum ----------------------------------------- NORCAL ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. ----------------------------------------- To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I was a social worker in San Diego County during the release of the mentally disabled in CA.  Reagan was governor.  The plan was was  to relocate  them to the counties that they were committed from and live with relatives, board and care facilities or live in dependently.  The plan was a disaster I suspect in all of CA, because most of them stopped taking their medications.  The Supplemental Security Program was law by January 1974 and these people were on the streets and costing the taxpayers a lot of money.  I know because I worked with the mentally disabled  trying to get them stablized and off the streets.  Marciel Hart Wood Agnew was closed, I believe during the Reagan governorship so that would have been in the early 70s when he emptied all the mentally ill, brain damaged and Alzheimer's patients onto the streets.                                 EdrieAnne ----------------------------------------- NORCAL ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ Enter NORCAL.  Browse by month. Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. ----------------------------------------- To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ________________________________ From: EdrieAnne Broughton <edrieanne@gmail.com> To: norcal@rootsweb.com Sent: Fri, May 28, 2010 10:18:15 AM Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Agnews History Museum

Agnew was still open in the 90s. It's now Cisco & a shopping center. Also, just for teh sake of getting history correct, the CA Legislature voted to change the rules for mental incarceration. As the chief executive, Reagan had to comply though he didn't raise the red flag. As usual, it was poorly thought through & so many of the mentally unstable were just dumped on the street. The Democrats blame Reagan & the Republicans blame the Democratic legislature but in fact, both were equally at fault. It was once too easy to get people committed, now it's very hard. Jim -----Original Message----- >From: EdrieAnne Broughton <edrieanne@gmail.com> >Sent: May 28, 2010 10:18 AM >To: norcal@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Agnews History Museum > >Agnew was closed, I believe during the Reagan governorship so that would >have been in the early 70s when he emptied all the mentally ill, brain >damaged and Alzheimer's patients onto the streets. > EdrieAnne > > >----------------------------------------- >NORCAL ARCHIVES: >http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ >Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. >Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. >----------------------------------------- >To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

You all have talked about Agnews and I thought maybe that is where my Isabelle Gordon died. In her tiny obit it states she died at home, but I am positive she might have went insane at some point. Had an affair on her husband, he killed her lover, then he was free and took the boys away from her. This happened in PA, then she went back home to San Jose and lived with her parents. She died in 1885, was there any asylum at that point in San Jose or Santa Clara County? Its just a suspicion I have that she may have been institutionalized. She was only 35 when she died. Karen Rodgers Manteo, NC ----- Original Message ----- From: "ROLAND ELLIOTT" <rolandelliott2@wildblue.net> To: norcal@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 9:54:59 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Agnews History Museum It had a Alms House[Poor house} not far from ASH On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 5:47 AM, Nancy W. <wright4766@bellsouth.net> wrote: > > > > > ________________________________ > > My sister was a special education teacher in San Jose. She taught the > older teens. In the 1980s she had a student that lived at Agnew. I am not > sure I understand what Agnew was. This girl was not insane, she was > simple. At that time did Agnew house some of the indigent who were not > mentally capable of caring for themselves? > > Nancy in Louisiana > > > ----------------------------------------- > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > ----------------------------------------- > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to > NORCAL@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > ----------------------------------------- NORCAL ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. ----------------------------------------- To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

It is over cast and temp dropped so you get to here my ASH story.I was discharged june 9th of 54 and married the 10th of July ,54 so I signed up at San Jose State to finish college,i needed a job and heard the Sheriff's office was higher Disabled Vets so I got the job on the swing shift.In the spring of 55 on the 1S1[SO,Swing shift,first district close to the office] got a call for a 5050[now 5150] at Fire Station #1 off north first street .When we got there a very strong babbling ,unwashed women was being subdued by Fire personel.She was claim her children were burning to death at a address that did not exist and on and on so we got her in car and I handed my handgun to the driver[who died up here by the way] and got in the back with her sitting behind the driver as we did not have screens in those days in the 52 Ford.She was semi calm until "Ripper" called dispatch and stated we were 928 enroute ASH ,at that point the went bananas and tried for the driver I grabber her and we went to the floor with the raised drive shaft under may back and a firm hold on a smelly crazy women and Ripper went Code 3[red lights and siren ]at that point encouragein me to hold tight.When we got there they knew were coming and took her off me and four men got her in a jacket then the came to help me as I was semi paralyxed.had been to ASH before and when she heard the word it had set her off.

Agnew was closed, I believe during the Reagan governorship so that would have been in the early 70s when he emptied all the mentally ill, brain damaged and Alzheimer's patients onto the streets. EdrieAnne

Re: NORCAL Digest, Vol 5, Issue 212 Even a century ago medical science understood that there was a difference between the "developmentally disabled" and the "insane" and that the two needed to be separated and treated differently. In consequence, in 1891 the State built the "Home for the Care and Training of Feeble-Minded Children" at Eldridge (near Glen Ellen) in Sonoma County. All developmentally disabled persons were transferred there from other state institutions, including Agnews. [There may also have been a similar institution located in the State of Southern California but that is beyond my purview.] The 'Home' later was renamed the "Sonoma State Hospital" and now is the "Sonoma Developmental Center." SDC is still a major California center for care of the developmentally disabled. Many are permanently institutionalized "custodial cases" while others are mainstreamed, in whole or in part. Not all "clients" of SDC are indigent; some receive financial support from their families. The famous Sonoma County author Jack London wrote a short story obviously based upon SDC (his Beauty Ranch was literally next door) called Told In The Drooling Ward (first published in The Bookman, Vol. 39, June, 1914). It is at once both funny and sad. SDC has grown over the years and today has a huge and quite attractive campus. It also has its own cemetery, in which hundreds of patients were buried. In the 1960s all of the tombstones were removed by the State in a fit of political correctness. They were afraid that someone would see from a tombstone that someone's family member had been a patient there. SDC still has a map of the cemetery, it is said, and those who can prove a family relationship are allowed to visit the grave, it is said. Previous to the establishment of SDC, the developmentally disabled were kept at home, locked up with the insane, or sent to local establishments. One such girl, Nora Spurr (1855-1928) was sent to the Sonoma County Hospital in 1878 by her father, a successful Healdsburg lawyer. Nora spent her entire adult life at the county hospital, died there, and was buried by the county in their pauper's cemetery. Nora holds the sad distinction of being the person who spent the most time, 50 years, at the Sonoma County Hospital. Jeremy Nichols Santa Rosa [1]norcal-request@rootsweb.com wrote: Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 05:47:06 -0700 (PDT) From: "Nancy W." [2]<wright4766@bellsouth.net> Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Agnews History Museum My sister was a special education teacher in San Jose. She taught the older tee ns. In the 1980s she had a student that lived at Agnew. I am not sure I underst and what Agnew was. This girl was not insane, she was simple. At that time did Agnew house some of the indigent who were not mentally capable of caring for th emselves? Nancy in Louisiana References 1. mailto:norcal-request@rootsweb.com 2. mailto:wright4766@bellsouth.net

Roland, you can always put a smile on my face! Silly man of course I had female relatives..just none who got locked up J Susan From: ROLAND ELLIOTT [mailto:rolandelliott2@wildblue.net] Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 9:12 AM To: sdsladegrossl@cableone.net; norcal@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [NORCAL] Insane? No Father,No Mother?????????.that is parthenogenesis's On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 8:09 AM, Susan D Slade Grossl <sdsladegrossl@cableone.net> wrote: I guess I'm the one out of the norm here. I did not have an Aunt, or other female relative, but rather a Great Uncle of my Grandfathers who was locked up. His business failed and he apparently had a hard time dealing with it. He was "accidentally" scalded to death in a bath by one of the attendants. There was a big investigation over it and it made the papers. Susan Boise, Idaho, USA ----------------------------------------- NORCAL ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. ----------------------------------------- To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2898 - Release Date: 05/28/10 06:25:00

My mother had what is now diagnosed as "early onset Alzheimers" but in the 1950s it was diagnosed as dementia from too much bathtub gin. My father had the papers that gave that medical diagnosis. Because she started hiding knives and had become very violent my father had her put in Agnew. Within a few months he was told she had jerked away from an attendant while going down the steps to take a walk and hit her head. Her brain swelled and she died within a few days. As an adult I was never able to get any information from Agnew and my father was dead by that time. Armendine Osthoff Berry

Most hospitals owned by the State have their own burial grounds on the property, most were limited in size.(999 graves) Records kept varied greatly as to information if any was kept..then if they filled the qutoa, it was to the local cemetery's, they keep different types of records. Most were buried in pauper's graves with little information, mostly name, age and date of death...If an imate was fortunate enough, their family claimed the remains for burial in the family plots. Napa burials need to check Tulocay Cemetery on Combsville Road. As Napa State uses them...Napa State doesn't release information easliy. So I'd start at the cemetery. ~Linda~ Willow Creek, CA.

> No. They remained married until his death a year before hers. Payback is hell!!! Armendine

It could have been earlier, my sister went back to teaching about 1965.  I do remember the discussion was when we were together.  We didn't visit often.  It was a stop on the way to visit my parents.  Plane tickets for four was a luxury that didn't come often. Nancy ________________________________ The developmentally challenged were routinely institutionalized in the old days.  A lot of people abandoned those children.  The 1980s seems a bit late though.  I thought ASH was closed by the mid 1970s.                         EdrieAnne

I guess I'm the one out of the norm here. I did not have an Aunt, or other female relative, but rather a Great Uncle of my Grandfathers who was locked up. His business failed and he apparently had a hard time dealing with it. He was "accidentally" scalded to death in a bath by one of the attendants. There was a big investigation over it and it made the papers. Susan Boise, Idaho, USA

The developmentally challenged were routinely institutionalized in the old days. A lot of people abandoned those children. The 1980s seems a bit late though. I thought ASH was closed by the mid 1970s. EdrieAnne

No Father,No Mother?????????.that is parthenogenesis's On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 8:09 AM, Susan D Slade Grossl < sdsladegrossl@cableone.net> wrote: > I guess I'm the one out of the norm here. I did not have an Aunt, or other > female relative, but rather a Great Uncle of my Grandfathers who was locked > up. > His business failed and he apparently had a hard time dealing with it. He > was > "accidentally" scalded to death in a bath by one of the attendants. There > was a > big investigation over it and it made the papers. > > Susan > Boise, Idaho, USA > > > > ----------------------------------------- > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > ----------------------------------------- > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to > NORCAL@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >

Damn I never thought of the "younger Bride" approach. On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 7:41 AM, Betty Loose <betty@unisette.com> wrote: > No. They remained married until his death a year before hers. > > > > He probably wanted a younger wife. Did he remarry? > > Judith > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: "scrapsbratt@aol.com" <scrapsbratt@aol.com> > > To: norcal@rootsweb.com > > Sent: Thu, May 27, 2010 8:02:09 PM > > Subject: [NORCAL] Insane? > > > > > > > > > > I have been trying to determine the cause of my ggrandmother's > > "affliction" for several years. > > She was first adjudged insane in 1882 and sent to Napa. She was > > returned home in 1885 and, adjudged still insane, sent to Stockton > > where she died in 1912. > > > > In the Trinity County Court house, I found the Superior Court Ledger > > that stated my ggrandfather, George Vitzthum, swore that his wife, > > Theresa, was "insane, and by reason of such insanity dangerous to be > > at large". A warrant was signed for her arrest. Family "story" says > > that she went insane by having too many children too fast (11). It > > could have been menopause, post-partem, or just plain "don't touch > > me". I find it interesting that the signing Judge was a relative my > > marriage (T.E. Jones). > > > > In any case, I have never been able to discover what made > > ggrandfather decide that she was insane and/or dangerous. Still > > looking.... > > > > > > Betty > > > > > > > > > > > > ----------------------------------------- > > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > > ----------------------------------------- > > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to > NORCAL@rootsweb.com > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com > > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > > the body of the message > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----------------------------------------- > > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > > ----------------------------------------- > > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to > NORCAL@rootsweb.com > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com > > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > > the body of the message > > > > ----------------------------------------- > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > ----------------------------------------- > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to > NORCAL@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >

No. They remained married until his death a year before hers. > He probably wanted a younger wife. Did he remarry? > Judith > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: "scrapsbratt@aol.com" <scrapsbratt@aol.com> > To: norcal@rootsweb.com > Sent: Thu, May 27, 2010 8:02:09 PM > Subject: [NORCAL] Insane? > > > > > I have been trying to determine the cause of my ggrandmother's > "affliction" for several years. > She was first adjudged insane in 1882 and sent to Napa. She was > returned home in 1885 and, adjudged still insane, sent to Stockton > where she died in 1912. > > In the Trinity County Court house, I found the Superior Court Ledger > that stated my ggrandfather, George Vitzthum, swore that his wife, > Theresa, was "insane, and by reason of such insanity dangerous to be > at large". A warrant was signed for her arrest. Family "story" says > that she went insane by having too many children too fast (11). It > could have been menopause, post-partem, or just plain "don't touch > me". I find it interesting that the signing Judge was a relative my > marriage (T.E. Jones). > > In any case, I have never been able to discover what made > ggrandfather decide that she was insane and/or dangerous. Still > looking.... > > > Betty > > > > > > ----------------------------------------- > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > ----------------------------------------- > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message > > > > > > > ----------------------------------------- > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > ----------------------------------------- > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to NORCAL@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message

It had a Alms House[Poor house} not far from ASH On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 5:47 AM, Nancy W. <wright4766@bellsouth.net> wrote: > > > > > ________________________________ > > My sister was a special education teacher in San Jose. She taught the > older teens. In the 1980s she had a student that lived at Agnew. I am not > sure I understand what Agnew was. This girl was not insane, she was > simple. At that time did Agnew house some of the indigent who were not > mentally capable of caring for themselves? > > Nancy in Louisiana > > > ----------------------------------------- > NORCAL ARCHIVES: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ > Enter NORCAL. Browse by month. > Or click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. > ----------------------------------------- > To post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to > NORCAL@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NORCAL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >

________________________________ My sister was a special education teacher in San Jose.  She taught the older teens.  In the 1980s she had a student that lived at Agnew.  I am not sure I understand what Agnew was.  This girl was not insane, she was simple.  At that time did Agnew house some of the indigent who were not mentally capable of caring for themselves?   Nancy in Louisiana

Yes, the Bar was Bimbo's and there was a girl in the Fishbowl. Ronnie Draper (brother of Rusty) was featured in the Piano Bar. Evalou