More Buchan 'Lunatics'

I was very excited to receive an email from Roy BUCHAN - author of the book 'From Peterhead to Passchendaele' mentioned on this blog and distant relative of mine.

He also mentioned that the Mr Peter BUCHAN listed above (on the Rimutaka 1893 passenger list) as aged 35 was, in fact, mentally retarded from birth and died 3 years after landing in New Zealand.  This was roughly the same time as his brother, and my direct ancestor, Alexander Ritchie BUCHAN died while working on a fishing boat.

Before I'd even had a chance to look into it, another distant BUCHAN relative, emailed me the information that Peter had actually died in July 1897 (seven months after his brother, Alex).  He apparently died at Seacliff Hospital, Dunedin - also known as Seacliff Lunatic Asylum.
(NOTE: A further email from the same relative warns that this may not be true)

Seacliff Hospital, Dunedin, NZ c.1910

Peter was the son of  Charles and Jessie (nee RITCHIE) BUCHAN.
I will now be checking for his asylum records.

Next Steps:

• Check for Peter BUCHAN's death in New Zealand (Place of death - asylum?)
• Look into story from Roy Buchan's book that suggests he went out 'wandering' and died from exposure

I Feel the Need... the Need for FOCUS

I've been MIA the last few weeks as I travelled back to Australia for my brother's wedding (which was lovely).
Sadly, my grandmother's health has deteriorated and she has now moved to Sydney to be closer to my uncle. (Interestingly, she is a direct descendant of the BUCHAN lunatics I've been blogging about and is also suffering from senility). 

However, this move uncovered many photograph albums that I think even grandma had forgotten existed.  She told me once that she had thrown out all her old photos because she didn't think anyone was interested (!).  Happily, this has turned out not to be the case and I pored over loads of antique photographs of her life (which until now I had never seen).  More on those when I have access to a scanner...

image via doubleday

In other news, I am currently reading a new book entitled, 'Tasmania's Convicts' by Alison Alexander, which I found whilst in Australia.  I am less than halfway through but find it addictive reading and am happy to recommend it to anyone researching convict ancestors in Van Diemen's Land.  It even mentions my ancestor Elizabeth ALLEN (very briefly) who was transported there in 1843 for stealing a shawl.

My brother has just returned from his honeymoon in Tasmania, where he had spent part of it 'researching' at Port Arthur. I hope to receive some information from him in the near future.

My head is swimming with genealogy right now so I've decided to focus on my convict ancestors for a while to give me a bit of focus.  No doubt when I get this scanner, I'll be flitting around again though.

Workhouse Call

Read 1st part here and 2nd part here.

It took some time (and a bit of money) for me to find the right George PALMER's death certificate. I am now quite sure this is the correct one as the age, occupation and location fit.

George Palmer's death certificate - 29th October 1896

After an eventful life, George died in Westminster Union Workhouse. How did he end up there?

Note that George died of 'Senile Decay'. Does this mean I have another lunatic on my hands?
Ancestry UK now has London Poor Law records available to view online. I searched the Westminster Union 'Register of Lunatics', which thankfully has a surname index and found there were no PALMER lunatics between the years of 1890 and 1898.

Unfortunately the 'Admission and Discharge Book' does NOT have a surname index. Using George's date of death, I found his 'discharge' (death).

October 1896 Westminster Union Workhouse 'Admission and Discharge Book'

George died on Thursday, October 29th 1896. His last meal was breakfast and his diet was described as 'class 2' (The Workhouse site explains the class of diet from 1900 onwards but I have yet to find a key to the Westminster Union classes in 1896).

The 1891 census for Westminster Union Workhouse contains a George Palmer of the same age, occupation and county of birth as mine.

George PALMER on the 1891 census in Westminster Union Workhouse

Presuming the George on the 1891 census is mine (the town of birth is listed as Winchester, Hampshire whereas all the other information that I have, states that George was born in Portsea, Hampshire), I have a window of 10 years in which to search for his admission.

Considering there is no surname index, this is a bit of a tedious task as I have to trawl through each page in the book for his surname - wish me luck!

Snow Friend of Mine

image source: h is for home

I've been gone a while as I haven't had much time to do genealogy lately. I haven't even emailed my fabulous archivist for more information on the new lunatics I've uncovered from the last information received (She's probably glad for the break).

At least this glorious snow we've been having will give me an opportunity to try and get in the swing of things again.

I'm going to sit back and relax now, read my brand new family tree magazine and wait for inspiration to strike. I'll be back.

(Oh, and thankyou for the compliments and blog awards - you're all very kind).

A Family of Lunatics!

I received the case notes for Wilson BUCHAN today. The contents were very interesting. Wilson's case is sad but what strikes me from these notes is that the sense of family was very strong. It also strikes me that insanity very much runs in my family.

On the 17th June 1875, Wilson BUCHAN was admitted in the Royal Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum.

I can almost visualise Wilson - his description was more unique than that given for his sister Agnes. At age 60, he was a short man with a square, stooping figure. His eyes were black, his hair grey with a bald scalp and his complexion ruddy.

His history upon admission reads:

The present attack , supposed to be the first, has lasted for eight months during which time he has twice attempted suicide. There is a strong hereditary predisposition to insanity, his father committed suicide, his sister Mrs James Tait was in this Asylum two years ago, and his nephew James Third is at present a patient here.
According to the medical certificates, he distresses himself unreasonably about his wife's death, will not engage in his ordinary occupation, imagines that the Police are to apprehend him for murder & stealing, talks of committing suicide and has been found with a rope round his neck.

On the 7th October 1876, Wilson was "Removed by his friends - Much Improved".

I have become even more interested in these small fishing villages where everyone seems to be related and plan to do a bit more research on them.

Other facts I have managed to glean from these records:

• Wilson's wife died before June 1875 (this was unclear on his death record)



• his father (& Agnes') committed suicide



• a sister Mrs James TAIT (also Agnes' sister) was in the asylum two years ago,



• a nephew, James THIRD presently in the Asylum



• a son John Buchan (and his address - 91 Cairnbulg)



• 3 daughters - Mrs Mary BUCHAN or Stephen; Mrs Robert STEPHEN; Christian BUCHAN
  

Next steps:
Work out his sister's & daughter's names by finding their marriages
Gain more information about the locality (map of houses)

image via flickr

Son of a Lunatic

I received another reply from the wonderful archivist at NHS Grampian archives. Apparently, Agnes' brother Wilson was also admitted into the Aberdeen Royal Lunatic Asylum. Wilson was suicidal when he entered the asylum in June 1875. He was released under the authority of John BUCHAN in October 1876. He had either recovered from his 'melancholia' or was being cared for at home.

While I wait for the case notes to arrive, I've been looking into John BUCHAN as he seems to be playing a vital role in his families lives. I don't know yet whether this John is Agnes' son or another family member. There are 2 or 3 John Buchans of the right age in the Lonmay parish in 1881. One married to a Mary PIRIE and one to an Isabella. I downloaded the death record of the only appropriate Lonmay death record (between 1876 and 1930) - this John was married to Mary PIRIE and his mother is recorded as Nancy BUCHAN (father - Arthur).

Statutory Death Record of John Buchan, 1907

Click for larger image

At first glance, it seems the other John in the 1881 census is my man. HOWEVER, the names Nancy and Agnes do sound similar - could this be an error? The informant was the man's son, who was 18 on the 1881 census and so very likely to know his grandmother well.

A quick google search reveals that Nancy seems to be a nickname for Agnes. This record is looking more likely to be a match. Hopefully, the case notes will give me a clue (at least to whether the John Buchan whom Wilson was released to was in fact Agnes' son).

Then it dawned on me, dear readers, the case notes had also given son John's occupation as 'carter'. The same occupation is recorded on these records and so, in a village full of fisherman, I can be fairly confident this is my man.

1881 Census Record

John BUCHAN & family and FINDLAY servant

Click for larger image

Before I go, however, the census record and the name Mary PIRIE seemed very familiar to me. Then I noticed the name of their servant, Agnes FINDLAY - this was a direct ancestor!

I even blogged about this Agnes' gravestone a few months ago. I had often wondered if this Agnes was related to her 'employer' as her mother was a Buchan. It turns out young Agnes (Mad Agnes' grandaughter) was living with her uncle. I will look into this situation more and report back. I LOVE genealogy!

If you've only just found this blog - this particular story starts here.

Lunatic in the Family - Death of a Daughter

Rocks at St Combs

Photo by w11buch via flickr

I had a bit of a hunch and it seems I was correct.

As Jane seemed to be the one looking after Agnes, I wondered if she was the daughter Agnes thought people believed she had killed. I searched the death records and found she died in 1886. 2 years before Agnes was admitted to the asylum.

Her brother John informed the death as well as petitioned for her admittance. I presume Agnes stayed with him until it got too much for him and his family. Her address prior to admittance was 12 Charleston (a nearby village). If I can find evidence of John living at this address, it seems to be the most likely scenario.

Lunatic in the Family - Case Notes

I received my case notes from the archives yesterday which made for very interesting reading:

This is a case of senile insanity and patient is stated to have been more or less doted for twelve years. Her brother however is insane.
Medical certificates testify that for some time she has been very excitable, that she uses foul and obscene language and that she sometimes exposes her person. Further that she is sleepless, refuses food, and that she fancies people are going to kill her.

Not just any people though. One of the medical certificates state that she "suspects her friends and relatives are going to kill her. Fancies that they blame her for killing [her] daughter". (I would like to find out which, if any, of her daughters died before her but I'm also aware that the daughter's death could also have been imagined).

On her return to the asylum (after 6 months in the poorhouse wards), another doctor states that Agnes "Talks in an excited manner. Her memory is deficient. She fancies the other patients in the ward eat coals. She has delusions about her husband and family".

Although poor Agnes' case is quite tragic, I think its important to have sense of humour about these things and I find it amusing that she felt her fellow inmates ate coal, of all things. It seems I will never know exactly what her delusions were about her then deceased husband but these notes have given me a pretty good indication of her state of mind.

The case notes also give me a vague description of Agnes. She has a pale complexion, her hair is grey (not surprising for an 81 year old), and her figure is 'stooping from age'.

Did she look like the fisherwoman in the photo on the left?

Among other information that I had already gleaned from other records, the sheriff petitions have given me 2 former addresses, the occupation of her son John, and the name of a brother who had also been declared insane.

Fortunately they give the name of this brother, Wilson BUCHAN who I was able to find christening, marriage and death records for. The death record mentions nothing of his insanity and as his wife is still alive, I assume he was being cared for at home. I have emailed the archivist to ask if she can offer any help finding out more.

One of my next steps in the previous post was to find out if any other family members lived at home in the 1881 census to care for Agnes. It looks as if that responsibility fell on her 48 year old daughter Jean (or Jane). I can only imagine that an already tough life as a Victorian fisherwoman was made tougher when she needed to care for her mentally ill mother.

Agnes, Arthur and Jane BUCHAN on the 1881 census.

Click to see larger image.

Lunatic in the Family Update

I received a quick and detailed email back from the archivist at the Grampian Archives, who searched the Asylum (& Poorhouse) records for me. The information she has given me from the admission registers, has enabled me to put some more pieces of Agnes' life together.

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary

Agnes was admitted into the Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum on Christmas Day (!) 1888. She was 81 and a recently widowed pauper. Her husband, Arthur had died in August earlier that year. According to the records, Agnes had suffered from her dementia for 12 years, having her first 'attack' when she was 69.

It seems as though the family were unable to care for Agnes after Arthur's death and admitted her into the asylum.

Six months later, Agnes' condition had not improved and she was transferred to the Lunatic wards of the Buchan Poorhouse. Her physical condition was described as 'very weak' and she was suffering from heart disease and bronchitis along with her 'mental decay'. She was 'sent back' to the Lunatic Asylum another six months later as her condition had not improved. Her disorder was now recorded as "mania, senile" caused by age and heredity. She lived in the asylum for about 3 and a half years before dying in early May 1893. A post mortem examination was carried out and the cause of death recorded as senile decay. She was 85 years old.

Buchan Poorhouse

opened January 1869

source: workhouses.org.uk

The archivist has very helpfully offered to send me copies of the petitions to the Sheriff for Mrs Buchan’s admission to the asylum. I am told these include statements by two doctors giving reasons for committing the patient to hospital and can sometimes also contain additional information about the patient’s background. She has also offered to send me the case notes.

I also want to thank 'The Professional Descendant' who gave very helpful advice on this issue in the comments section of the last post. If you are after more information on this, make sure you read her comments here.

Next steps:

* Check 1881 census for family members living there at the time, possibly caring for Agnes
* Obtain more information from the petitions and case notes

Murder Most Foul

While combing New Zealand newspapers for mentions of my ancestors on the magnificent Papers Past site, I came across a terrible tragedy. I can't help but think that this is somebody's family history waiting to be discovered.

In what seems to be the typical journalistic style of its time, the descriptions are quite graphic.

3 December 1896 - Star

SHOCKING TRAGEDY.
A MANIAC MURDERS HIS WIFE.
[Per Press Association.]
WELLINGTON, Dec. 2.
A shocking tragedy happened at Pangatotara, near Motueka, last Saturday night. John Grooby, who, a fortnight ago, was released from the Nelson asylum on probation at the request of his wife and sons, who undertook to take care of him, about halfpast five o'clock on Saturday evening took an axe used for cutting firewood, and attacked his wife.
Mrs Grooby was, at the time, in the act of drawing bread from an oven. She apparently held up the bread tin to ward off the blows, as the tin was found cut right through.
The unfortunate woman was apparently then forced to the ground, and as she lay there helpless the maniac knelt down and with the axe completed his murderous deed. The whole of the front and sides of the head were cut and beaten into a
fearful and unrecognisable mass. After finishing the deed Grooby washed his
hands and face, laid the axe beside the house and walked to and fro beside the
body. He told one of his sons that he committed the act with a tomahawk, and he
subsequently said that the devil did it.
Grooby's sister, who was close by, heard screams and rushing in saw her brother chopping at his wife's head. She spoke to him but he did not reply, and she then sent for help. The murderer was subsequently arrested by the police, and at the inquest a verdict of wilful murder was returned against him. Grooby has since been brought before the Magistrate's Court, and stands remanded. The family is well known in the
district.

The next source mentions how Grooby was remanded so that the family, who were witnesses to the event, could attend the funeral that afternoon.

Apparently, mental health issues ran in the family. John Grooby's sister, who is mentioned only by her husband's name is recorded in the same edition of the Colonist (2 December 1896):

"Mrs Joseph Graves, who was formerly committed to the Lunatic Asylum, but was released some two or three years ago, has again exhibited strong symptoms of insanity. It is rumored that she left her home on Monday night, and was wandering about the whole night".

John Grooby and his sister ended up in the asylum together. The whole affair is indeed "a most sad one".