Your email cleared some long dormant cobwebs. I recall Doc Terrell treating my grandmother, Maude Edmonds for cancer in the late '40's and early '50's. I was then in my early teens, but old enough at that time to contribute blood. We would go to his clinic where we lay side by side while the transfer was in progress. I can also recall when I was very young, probably 4-6, going to the wake of a neighbor, Mr. Lott, the open coffin setting in the parlor draped in cheesecloth, candles lite throwing shadows across the dimly lite room, numerous neighbors sitting around quietly carrying on conversations. Outside, women sat on the front porch in cane bottomed chairs, while the men stood in the front yard propped against the large blackjack oaks. It was an eerie time for a little fellow. Clyde Edmonds Rick & Susan Roberts wrote: > Wow, what a story! > Thank you. > SR > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Charles A. Wyly > To: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 10:46 PM > Subject: Re: [ERATH]: Asylum in or near Austin > > Hi, > someone asked about treatment and conditions in these asylums or homes. > May I tell that I was born in 1929 in Johnsville, Texas. and beat Dr. > Naylor to our house an hour or two. We lived on old crooked dirt U.S. > 67. New straight U.S. 67 was being built. Land owners could pay taxes by > working on road projects with their horses. Not all new bridges were > finished. Dad was crossing the prairie branch of the Duffau which ran > across U.S. 67 into Pony Creek and Hurrley- riggs- Wakefield- land and > north of Crockett School, then turned back across U.S. 67 towards > Evergreen. One bridge was out- not finished, so Dad got in his Model T. > Pickup with side curtains and pulled the gas and spark levers down full > throtle and jumped and bounced across the muddy creek> He brought Dr. > Naylor back down the old dirt U.S. 67 from old Evergreen, 3 miles down > Hwy 281. Aunt Mary was at the home and not sure who else,but they had the > box wood heater burning and me in a box south of it. Dr. Naylor said > they gave me a hot reception. > > Mom and Mrs. Ned (Ida Head) Gristy used to sometimes serve as midwives. > One neighbor - a renter- had a premature baby - born dead, and they and > the father wrapped it in a blanket and buried it on a fence Row- no money > for a Doctor or Funeral home. How did they know what to do? Some of that > can be explained as Dr. Spangleror was it Dr. Reed"? at Tarleton Junior > College that folk back then never used Veterinarians except during > Anthrax scares. He pointed out to us that it took similar knowledge to > deliver a calf and a baby human and there were other similarities in > cattle and human health , such as Mastitis and other diseases . The > gestation period was the same.so was Mastitis and mineral needs. He even > pointed out that nutrition needs were very similar for infant and adult > humans and cows. > > Also, they were still carrying Corpses back to the front room of the home > back then. Flies and varmits were a problem . That is why coffins open > for viewing had a white mosquito net over the open lid. We sat up all > night in shifts when one member im my ROTC Class - Franklin Conger, > passed away near the old Wood Furniture Store. he was a church organist > and Football player. His mom requested a Military Funeral - I was the > Squad Leader and others in it were Paulbearers. We sat up all night in > shifts because of custom dictated by the older generation which had to > keep pets away from the corpse and be there when Rigor Mortis set in - > in 1700-1800's Irish had Wakes in the room aand drank a little to scare > the evil Spirits from stealing as Rigor Mortis saat in and " The Spirit > was shaking loose from the lump of Clay it had lived in". They thought > the Evil Spirtits might steal the spirit of the deceased before it was > free. > > The State homes were not negligent in treating. One of first > Hudrocephalic (Water Head) baby surgeries was from Abilene, State Home - > I saw her at Mexia, age 2o + - The Therapist- case worker asked me to > feel the rubber tube run down from her brain toher kidney to drain the > fluid in absence of the normal ducts and drainage. Today I think they put > a shunt or stint in besides the tube. She was 20 and never been out of > bed and could not talk. I doubt that a farm wife with a grandparent or 2 > and 6 to 10 kids could have kept the girl alive that long- no electricy, > or running water, or indoor bathrooms or lights or Air Conditioning. This > girl was getting better care than an overworked mother could provide and > not neglect all her other responsibilities. > > Drs. Naylor and Terrell and others could issue a report to a Judge and > the Judge could send them to a State Home- sometimes short term , > sometimes to death I knew one in Austin who lived to age 93 . so someone > must have been giving him care. Shock treatments in a wet blanket were > used in Stephenville Hospital into 1940-s but fading swiftly No Drunk got > too far gone to protest being caried the Stephenville Hospital back > then. One Chalk Mountain man spent 4 -5 years in asylum nd returned home > in apparent perfect health. in 1953 when I was finishing Tarleton after > Korean War. > > Ewell Jones told the ROTC boys in my squad the history and traditions of > the Wake ( We call it a Visitation now), the symbolic meanings of > headstone masymbols and such and why Christian Graves were always turned > East and West, not on a modern curved drive. Orlan Weems was a member of > my ROTC squad. > Take care, > Charles Wyly > > On Mon, 10 Mar 2003 09:26:00 -0800 Linda Bowden <[email protected]> > writes: > > My husband had an anscestor that went to the hospital in San Antonio. > > We > > were able to obtain the records for her. There was no problem. We > > submitted proof that she was related and they sent us her records. > > We later > > asked if we could replace the marker on her grave with one that > > contained > > her information and they allowed and greatly approved that. > > You should not have any trouble getting the information that you > > need. The > > relation that we had there died of epilepsy.....or at least that is > > what > > they called her violent seisures. For all we know it may have been > > a brain > > tumor. Medical knowledge was limited in 1900. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "HaynesO'Neil" <[email protected]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2003 11:14 PM > > Subject: RE: [ERATH]: Asylum in or near Austin > > > > > > > > > > I was trained at the State Psychiatric Hospital in Austin in the > > 1970's. I > > > worked there a semester on and off. I can say from my own > > experience that > > these > > > facilities are humane, and the patients get excellent care, they > > are in no > > way a > > > "good" place to be. The people there are "institutional" for the > > most > > part. They > > > are very seriiously ill and couldn't survive in any normal > > setting. > > > > > > In 1900 the conditions would have been infinitly worse since that > > is long > > before > > > modern medications. The type of treatment many people received > > would be > > > considered barbaric by modern standards. Of course, they did the > > best they > > could > > > do at the time with the limited knowledge they had. > > > > > > Ausitn has the psychiatric hospital and schools for the blind, > > deaf, and > > > mentally retarted. I am certain each of these maintain records, > > but I have > > no > > > idea how accessable they might be. Contact the state hospital in > > Austin > > and I'm > > > sure they can point you in the right direction. My Best, Randy > > Haynes > > > > > > > > > Terry W Antoine <[email protected]> wrote:Is there any > > information about > > > patients in that Austin area asylum > > > available anywhere?? I am trying to track someone who supposed > > spent > > > some time there about that time (1900-1910)? > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Kathy Tate [mailto:[email protected]] > > > Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2003 7:09 PM > > > To: [email protected] > > > Subject: Re: [ERATH] > > > > > > > > > There was also the "lunatic assylum" in (or near) Austin that > > Erath > > > county residents were being sent to in the 1900 to 1910 time > > period. > > > > > > > > > > People in these parts were still being sent to the state > > hospital at > > > > Terrell during that time period. > > > > > > > >>any one know anything about the insane hospital that was in San > > > >>ANtonio around the 1900's > > > >> > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > > > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > > > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > > > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > > > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > > > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > > > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > > > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > > > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > > > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > > > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > > > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > > > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > > > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > > > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > > > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl