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Maria Jane Darragh's Illness: Researching Acute Mania in 19th Century Ontario

Image by rawpixel.com.     Back in January, I focused on discovering more about my great-great-grandmother Maria Jane Darragh's identity. In the next few weeks, my focus will be on discovering more about her cause of death: acute mania. Jane—as she was known—was not my only ancestress to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Another great-great-grandmother, Catherine Ryan Gilbride, suffered from puerperal mania and was institutionalized in 1881 in Danville, Pennsylvania. 1 Both Jane and Catherine are in my paternal lineage: Jane was my grandmother's grandmother, while Catherine was my grandfather's grandmother. Let's start with an objective and what we already know. Objective The objective of this project is to learn more about Maria Jane Darragh’s cause of death: acute mania. Jane was born about 1852 in Grey County, Canada West. She married Charles Cassidy on 20 June 1883 in St. Catharines, Lincoln County, Ontario. She died on 23 October 1903 in St. Catharines, Ontario,...
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SWAGGER


31 Days of Writing Family History Challenge

January 2, 2022:   My Dad - Joseph John Gilbride, Jr. (1937-2018)


By Nancy Gilbride Casey

This is by far my favorite photo of my father, Joseph John Gilbride, Jr. It was taken about 1955, when he was about 17 or 18. The photo was taken by his uncle, Pete Gambino, and I'm guessing it was taken at one of the Cleveland Metroparks, given the woodsy background.1

Dad always said that Uncle Pete was a great photographer, and I can see why he thought so. Pete truly captured Dad's young swagger, a trait he carried throughout his life. 

Dad quit high school in the 10th grade and at 17 he enlisted in the Air Force.2 Maybe he was thinking of what adventures lie ahead. Dad seemed always on the lookout for the next big opportunity—a trait sometimes both optimistic and frustrating to himself and those around him.

The photo also captures familial resemblances. I see in his face echoes of both my brother Joe and my son James. It's amazing how children can be the reflections of their parents and sometimes even grandparents or other ancestors at different points in their lives, proof that lies in the photos we are lucky enough to keep.


Bonus Photo: My great uncle Pete Gambino, Dad's photographer.3



NOTES

1 Joseph Gilbride, photographed by Pete Gambino, about 1955. Personal collection N Casey [address for private use], 2022. Photo in album belonging to my father Joseph Gilbride, who gave me the album and provided identification of photos.

2 U.S. Department of Defense, Enlistment Record - Air Force, Joseph John Gilbride, Service # AF 15 528 204, 31 August 1954; National Archives Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Mo.

3 Pete Gambino, photographer/date unknown. Personal collection N Casey [address for private use], 2022. Photo in album belonging to my father Joseph Gilbride, who gave me the album and provided identification of photos.

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