Collection inventory

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New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women Record of Inmates

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 22 May 2014

Revision history:

Biographical History

The New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women in Newark, New York was opened in September, 1878 as a branch of the Syracuse State Institution for Feeble-minded Children. Its purpose was to provide a place for women who were too old for the Syracuse institution but could not be discharged. In 1885, by an act of the Legislature, it was made a separate institution. The Asylum was capable of housing more than 800 inmates and had about a hundred employees, including a superintendent, steward, storekeeper, matron and resident physician. (The Institutional Care of the Insane in the United States and Canada, Volume III, by Henry Mills Hurd et al., The John Hopkins Press, 1916, pp. 250-251.)

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women Record of Inmates consists of one bound volume, recording admissions beteen 1878 and 1888. Some of the pages are annotated with "Discharged" and a date, up through approximately 1915. Each patient record consists of three pages of information, including name, age, place of birth, general health, temperament, habits, and a few items of family history.

Arrangement of the Collection

Single volume.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women.

Subjects

Inmates of institutions -- United States.
Mental health services -- United States.
Mentally ill -- Commitment and detention.
Psychiatric hospitals -- New York (State)
Women -- Mental health.

Places

New York (State) -- History.

Genres and Forms

Administrative records.
Medical records.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women Record of Inmates,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 2014.

Table of Contents

Administrative records

Inventory