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Jane's Illness: Home Life, Beginnings of Mania, and Mental Illness as a Cause of Death

Nähendes Mädchen by Hermann Lindenschmit, 1900 ( rawpixel.com )   In my last post about my great-great-grandmother Maria Jane Darragh and her acute mania diagnosis, I wrote about some theories I've formed about what happened to her. (Catch up on previous posts about Jane  here , here , and here .) In this post, I'll begin exploring my theories and discoveries. But first, let's set the stage.   Jane's Home Life in St. Catharines Jane and her husband Charles Francis Cassidy married in St. Catharines in 1883 and settled into married life there. 1 At the time, St. Catharines was the largest and most populous town on the Niagara Peninsula and a thriving port city located on the Welland Canal. During Jane's life in St. Catharines, the population hovered around 10,000 residents. The city drew manufacturing, milling, shipping, and supporting businesses. 2 St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines in 1877, a few years before Charles and Jane married. (Photo court...
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Mysteries Solved! Cases Studies in Cracking Death and Burial Puzzles


Last year I was excited to hear that the editors of Stirpes, the journal of the Texas State Genealogical Society, had planned to publish an issue with a death theme. Now that might sound morbid, but think about it...there are so many records and resources that we can use to determine death dates, burial places, etc. And they might not be the ones you immediately think of, such as Find a Grave or a death register. 

I have had my share of challenges to determine when various ancestors died, where they were buried, etc. I wrote the article "Mysteries Solved! Case Studies in Cracking Death and Burial Puzzles," for the June 2025 Stirpes issue, "Final Footsteps: Our Ancestors' Journey."

I hope reading about these cases will give you ideas for solving your own death and burial puzzles. 

Let me know in the comments if any of these approaches might work for your case. Or, if you've had a similar success, share them here so we can all learn from one another.

Got Texas roots? Learn more about the Texas State Genealogical Society here. 

Until next time... 

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2026. All rights reserved.  


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  1. Marian B. WoodJuly 16, 2026 at 4:55 AM

    Fabulous case studies! TY for fresh takes on how to answer such questions about where/when ancestors dies and where they were laid to rest.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJuly 16, 2026 at 9:22 AM

      Thank you Marian. I am glad you found it useful. That's the goal! Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  2. Lisa S. GorrellJuly 17, 2026 at 6:37 AM

    Great article and case studies. I loved reading your article last year.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJuly 17, 2026 at 8:15 AM

      Thank you Lisa! I appreciate that a lot. Glad you're reading Stirpes!

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