Hastings

The 1940 federal census in Adams, Nebraska was enumerated 81 years ago this month, April 18, 1940.  It showed where my great-grandmother had been living for about 10 years already.  She was sadly referred to as an "inmate" at a place called Hastings State Hospital.

Family member name: Martha E. Goesch Sullivan
Years of life: 1900-1976

Places lived: Nebraska

Tree branch: Goesch
Relation: My great-grandmother (my mom's mom's mom)

See the red underlined row.  Sullivan, Martha | Inmate

This post is about Hastings.  Hastings was originally built in 1889 to house the "incurably insane," which is so sad if my great-grandmother had that diagnosis.  In an upcoming post we will talk about her and her illness.

Where is Hastings State Hospital?  It's in the middle of the country.  However, this part of Nebraska is only about 45 minutes from where Martha was born and less than two hours from where she was raising her three children in Lincoln.  This is what Hastings looked like. 

My great-grandma lived at this hospital in Nebraska for most of her life.

The patients were trained to care for themselves and their surroundings.  Also, Hastings was designed to be self-sufficient in terms of food.  It had surrounding farms with all kinds of animals and livestock for the patients and staff to eat.

Early attempts to treat the mentally ill began in the 1920s.  But the 1950s saw breakthroughs in treatment with psychiatric drugs and rehabilitation therapies.

Hastings State Hospital was my great-grandmother's home for most of her life.  I can only hope that her life there had bright spots.  Perhaps the inside and gardens were pleasant.  

Had I known this information about my great-grandma, I definitely would have stopped by Hastings on our cross-country drive in 1999 just to see the outside of the buildings.  Hastings is right off of Route 80, which is the route we took at that time.  However, we wouldn't be able to stop by now because after 131 years, Hastings was torn down in 2020.

Sources:

1940 US Federal Census - Adams, Nebraska

Asylum Projects - Hastings State Hospital

Should I stay or should I go?

What happens when farm land is running out in your area and your livelihood is threatened?  How will you support your family?

The town of Roxbury, Massachusetts was founded in 1630.  Just 50 years later, farm land was getting tight.  The town of Roxbury bought land that was 70 miles southwest as an outlet for its "crowded" population and called it New Roxbury, later renamed Woodstock.  Who should populate New Roxbury? The would-be residents voluntarily divided into two groups: the Goers and the Stayers.

Goers

The Goers would move to New Roxbury as soon as arrangements could be made.  They were given the southern half of the town and were promised £100, to be paid by the Stayers over the first few years as funds for the first meeting house and public improvements.  The Goers would divide up the land among themselves.

Stayers

True to their name, the Stayers would stay in Roxbury for a time.  Land lots were assigned to them and set aside in the northern half of New Roxbury from the outset.   The size of their lots were at the rate of ten acres for each shilling contributed toward the £100 promised to the Goers.  

What would you do? Are you a Goer or a Stayer?  

My 8x great-grandfather, Henry Bowen, was a Goer.  

Family member name: Henry Bowen
Years of life: 1633 - 1723
Tree branch: Pearson
Lived in: Wales, UK; Roxbury, MA; Woodstock, CT

Relation: My 8x great-grandfather (my dad's dad's mom's mom's mom's dad's mom's dad's dad's dad)

Grandpa Henry is listed on the town sign in Woodstock, Connecticut as one of the original 13 Goers who settled the town.

The Stayers didn't inhabit their side of town until 15 years later.

Woodstock is a beautiful New England town and sparsely settled today. It indeed gave the Roxbury families room to spread out.  The Goers arrived April 5, 1686 - 335 years ago today.

Sign in Woodstock showing the 13 original Goers.  Henry Bowen is third.

Roxbury Road in the center of town in Woodstock, CT

I took a selfie with my 8x great-grandfather's headstone.

PS: During the COVID pandemic, I've definitely been a Stayer.  But outside of those circumstances, I'm an unintentional Goer.

Sources:

Woodstock Historical Society

Dividing the Land: Early American Beginnings of Our Private Property Mosaic, page 62

Woodstock, An Historical Sketch by Clarence Winthrop Bowen, PHD

Street Signs

Sometimes when a family is well-known in the community and lives there for several generations, a street gets named after them.  Here are some street signs named after my family members that I've come across in my ancestry road trips around New England.

1. Webber Road, Brimfield, Massachusetts

Charles Arnold Webber and family lived on this property in Brimfield for many years in the 1800s.  I'm holding his picture under his street sign and he is my 2x great-grandfather.

2. Morse Street, Putnam, Connecticut

Just over the border of Woodstock, Connecticut is Morse Street.  The Morse family lived in Woodstock since the 1600s. Peter Morse, my 8x great-grandfather, was one of the original settlers of Woodstock.  

3. Peake Brook Road, Woodstock, Connecticut

Sarah Peake is my 7x great-grandmother she was one of the first generation of settlers born in Woodstock whose parents were originally from Roxbury, Massachusetts.  Sarah Peake lived to be 99 years old (1702-1801).  Peake Brook Road was named after their family.

4. Harris Road, Cumberland, Maine

The huge Harris family lived in Cumberland and North Yarmouth, Maine for several generations in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Harris Road is just a couple miles from Turkey Lane and Gray Road, where other Harris family members lived. Amos Harris was my 5x great-grandfather.