Have you ever come across a record you knew was going to make you sad?
While researching a couple of weeks ago, I found a record that I knew would be difficult to read. I was using Arcinsys Hesse (https://www.arcinsys.de/) to see what records I could find for my family there when I came across a patient record for Maria Brand, born on 30 May 1840 in Wehlheiden. I checked my family tree to see if this Maria Brand was connected to me—and she was. Maria Brand is the sibling of my third-great-grandfather, Heinrich Brand, making her my third-great-grandaunt.
Maria Brand was born 30 May 1840 in Wehlheiden, Kassel, Hesse, Germany to Johannes Brand and Elisabeth Eckhardt according to her confirmation record. She was the ninth and last child born to Johannes and Elisabeth.
Johannes and Elisabeth had the following children: George Brand born 1820, Heinrich Brand born 1822, Marie Elisabeth Brand born 1824, Anna Catherine Brand born 1828, Anna Catherine Brand born 1830, Elisabeth Brand born 1833, Johann Phillip Brand born 1835, Elisabeth Brand born 1838, and Maria Brand born 1840. Three of these died as children, Anna Catherine born 1830 and died 1832, Elisabeth Brand born 1833 and died 1837, and Johann Phillip who did in 1837.
I have the Wehlheiden census records for the Brand family from 1834 and then every three years from 1846 to 1864. In the 1846 Wehlheiden census, Elisabeth Brand is listed as a widow living with her children: Georg (age 26), Elisabeth (age 18), and Catherine (age 8). A side note mentions that one son works out of town as a journeyman, and one daughter is serving out of town as a maid or farm girl. While their names are not specified, the son is Heinrich—my third-great-grandfather—and I believe the daughter may be Maria, who was only six years old at the time.
Maria lived with her mother in all the other census records I have, except in 1855, when her mother is listed as living alone.
I had not learned more about Maria’s life until I came across this record from the State Hospital in Merxhausen. Maria died in Marxhausen on 17 March 1901. I knew I needed to order this record to learn more about her time in the hospital. I promptly filled out the paperwork to request her record from the LWV Hessen archive and asked for it to be sent to me by email. To my surprise, I received Maria’s hospital record just a few days later. Now comes the hard part—translating the information in the 41-page hospital record.
The Merxhausen State Hospital is still in operation today as a clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. It started as a monastery but by 1533 it was converted to the Merxhausen State Hospital for female patients from Kassel.
Maria Brand was admitted on 15 June 1892 and lived there until her death on 17 March 1901. At the bottom of the medical questionnaire, it reads “Motivated assessment of curability or incurability of illness. The mental defect has existed since childhood and has gradually worsened rather than stopped or improved. Curability is ruled out.” This is what is recorded in the record below.
I have not completely translated the record I did find one thing that caught my attention right away. In the document below I recognized the name Eliza Brand as Maria’s sister, and this is a letter written to the hospital asking about Maria.
In a letter dated 30 October 1898, Eliza inquiries about her sister Maria, who was born in Wehlheiden. It has been seven years since Eliza last heard from or spoke to her sister, and she asks whether Maria is still alive. She explains that she had not sought news of Maria she lived in London, but now that she has returned to Barmen, she is eager for an update. Eliza concludes the letter by sending her best wishes to her sister.
At the time of the letter, Maria was still alive and residing at Merxhausen Hospital. It is unknown whether Eliza ever received a response to her inquiry, but I hope she did learn how her sister was doing. Maria passed away at the hospital on 17 March 1901 at 6:30 in the evening, as recorded in her civil death register.
This story breaks my heart—I cannot imagine not knowing how my sister was doing or being unable to contact her easily. While I do not yet know the extent of Maria’s mental illness that led to her placement in Merxhausen Hospital, I plan to have her records translated to learn more about her condition and what her life might have been like during her time there.
Ella Jane Anne 