Plainfield library indexes Hendricks County insanity records

The Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library has published an online index (in PDF format) to its collection of Hendricks County insanity records. This collection - which is housed in the library's Indiana Room Archives - includes admittance papers, orders for discharge, witness affidavits, clothing requisitions, re-admittance papers, and others. What is interesting is reading what was considered "cause" for the person to be hospitalized or considered insane. Some of the described symptoms for women sound much like post-partum depression, something that wasn't treated in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The insanity records range from the late 1850s to the 1920s. These records can be viewed in the library's Indiana Room upon request.

Carl PEPPER granted divorce for wife's insanity (1950)

As mentioned in Hendricks County Circuit Court Civil Order Book Volume 99 (March 1950 - April 1951), in May 1950 Carl P. Pepper was granted a divorce from Mabel Pepper (case #18490) on the grounds of Mabel's insanity. Mabel had been committed to the Richmond State Hospital more than 5 years before and was ruled to be incurably insane. Carl was given custody of their son, Bob Pepper.

Former Hendricks County Commissioner William LEWIS judged insane (1901)

from The Republican (Danville, Indiana) - issue of Thursday, April 25, 1901 - page 1, column 5:

ADJUDGED INSANE
William Lewis, former commissioner, was adjudged insane Monday and has been taken to the asylum. He had been in a sanitarium at Indianapolis last week and came home Saturday in bad condition. Saturday night and Sunday he was violent, exhibiting homicidal tendencies. This is a most sad ending of Mr. Lewis's condition which has been a serious matter for some months. A few weeks ago he was in this office and seemed in fair health and expressed his confidence that he would soon be himself.