Home› Welcome to the FamilySearch Community!› Ask a Question› Search

Ability to access records from the Utica New York Insane Asylum

LegacyUser
LegacyUser ✭✭✭✭
January 18, 2021 edited July 27, 2024 in Search
Ability to access records from the Utica New York Insane Asylum

I'm trying to discover the death date and burial location of Augustus Samuel Beckwith (LHVW-7RX). He lead a wagon train of Saints to the Salt Lake valley in 1859, married Eliza Hill in 1860, divorced in 1861, was a member of the Utah Territorial Militia in 1862, and then disappears until 1870 when he appears in the census record at the Utica New York Insane Asylum. After that I can find no further record of him. I've requested access to his patient records but was told I must have either a doctor's letter requesting the information for my own medical reasons, or a court order. Has anyone else dealt with this issue?

Tagged:
  • New
0

Best Answer

  • DRPGrigg
    DRPGrigg ✭✭
    June 14, 2021 edited June 14, 2021 Answer ✓
    https://exploringupstate.com/a-look-inside-the-former-new-york-state-lunatic-asylum-at-utica/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utica_Psychiatric_Center

    It looks like you have been given some great resources to help you. Using Google gets a lot of information about the Utica Asylum. In one the comments we read that the state hospital would have records of any deaths that occurred there.

    It might also be helpful to check at a Family History Center at some of the Partner sites to see if there are other people working on Augustus Samuel Beckwith.

    Family Search also has a great place to search for vital records on their Research Wiki Guided Research. I included a link above also.

    https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page


    0

Answers

  • Brett .
    Brett . ✭✭✭✭✭
    January 18, 2021

    @Valea Lund​ 

    .

    Valea

    .

    I am "Tagging" this (General) 'Question' of yours in this "Community.FamilySearch" Forum, to two (x2) specific 'Groups' in the Forum being:

    (1)  "United States Genealogy Research"; and,

    (2)  "New York" ... [ ie. the State, not just the City ... ]

    in the hope that, the members of those groups may be able to answer/assist you.

    .

    Both those Groups are "Public", which you can join, if you wish.

    .

    Brett 

    .

    @United States Genealogy Research​ 

    @New York​ 

    .

    1
  • LegacyUser
    LegacyUser ✭✭✭✭
    January 18, 2021

    Thank you for the help! I did post my question in the New York group as well.​

    0
  • Brett .
    Brett . ✭✭✭✭✭
    January 19, 2021

    😀

    0
  • Suzy Adams
    Suzy Adams ✭✭
    June 9, 2021

    On Janury 19th, @Family Bible posted the following link. Perhaps this will help you,


    Insane Asylum Records

    https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Insane_Asylum_Records_in_the_United_States

    2
  • Sandra Stark Smith
    Sandra Stark Smith ✭
    March 19, 2023

    Was anyone able to find if it is possible to access patient files or case books from the Utica Asylum. My 2nd ggrandfather was institutionalized at the St Peters Hospital in Minnesota. I was able to get his file from the Minnesota Historical society. In his record it states he had 2 brothers die of insanity at the Utica Asylum. I would very much like to see if I can gain access to these records to find out which brothers it might have been and get more accurate information about their deaths. So far I see no way to access these records. Thank you.

    0
This discussion has been closed.
Clear
No Groups Found

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 43K Ask a Question
  • 3.4K General Questions
  • 571 FamilySearch Center
  • 6.8K Get Involved/Indexing
  • 645 FamilySearch Account
  • 6.5K Family Tree
  • 5.2K Search
  • 1K Memories
  • 2 Suggest an Idea
  • 478 Other Languages
  • 62 Community News
  • Groups