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Jane's Illness: What Did Acute Mania Look Like in the 19th Century?

A woman diagnosed as suffering from hilarious mania, colour lithograph, 1892, after J. Williamson, 1890. (Wikimedia Commons) Since I began writing about Jane Darragh, my great-great-grandmother, whose cause of death was noted as "acute mania," I've heard from several readers with various theories of what might have happened to her. There are certainly many different angles to consider. More than one reader suggested that perhaps Jane's diagnosis was a case of her being deemed "hysterical" as a catch-all for any number of ailments. Others thought her diagnosis could have been an easy way to "get rid of her" if she was being troublesome to her husband or family. Another reader suggested that physicians of the day—being male—dismissed women's complaints as being imagined or that her symptoms might not have been seen as remarkable if displayed today. All are excellent points. There's much I don't know about Jane's situation, as her deat...
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Chas. Cassidy is Stricken

This blog post is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" writing challenge by genealogist, blogger and podcast host Amy Johnson Crow. Week 4 prompt: "At the Library"


Libraries hold many riveting books, popular DVDs, and and are infinite sources of knowledge, where one can step out into a wider world or delve deep into the past. Or both. Family history could be tucked away in a library waiting to be discovered.

Even though I live in Texas, I was able to search in faraway St. Catharines, Ontario to find an obituary for one of my great, great grandfathers: Charles Francis Cassidy, the grandfather of Mary Josephine Baker, my paternal grandmother. The St. Catharines Public Library in Ontario offers a archive search on its website, where I located the issue, and the friendly staff there provided a copy of the item for a small fee.

CHAS. CASSIDY IS STRICKEN the headline shouts from the page of the St. Catharines Standard, on 5 Apr 1926. It painted a very vivid picture of his life and his death.1

Charles Francis Cassidy was "the well known blacksmith" who owned his own shop. The obituary tells about how hard-working he was: He had helped "shoe 11 horses" on the day he died. It talks about his "wide circle of friends," and his affiliation with St. Catharines Roman Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society, among others. All small details of his life, which helped me understand him more.

The obituary goes on to give a sensational accounting of his death on the street - how he was "suddenly stricken," in front of an armory, and "died instantly, falling to the ground with his hands still at his sides." It names the two doctors who came to his aid, "endeavoring to stimulate life," but who were unsuccessful. 

Importantly for any family historian, it also details his surviving family, including "Mrs. Edward Baker of Cleveland," one of my paternal great grandmothers. I also learned for the first time the names of of his brothers: Matthew, Phillip and a "Rev. Bro. Mondolf," who I assume was a Christian Brother--all subjects for future research.

The attention shown to Charles Cassidy through this detailed article, shows he held a position of some prominence in his community, and he merited more than a simple obituary or death notice. I hope to flesh out more of his life more in future blog posts.

NOTES

1 "Charles Cassidy is Stricken," St. Catharines Standard, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 5 Apr 1926, p. 1; image supplied by St. Catharines Public Library, Ontario, 2017.
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