​When we can’t trace family members beyond a particular point in time, one possibility is that the family member was institutionalized. Institutions could help the mentally ill, disabled, orphaned, old, bankrupt, people with tuberculosis, or those convicted of crimes. No matter what the reason, we want to find out what happened to them because all relatives have a part in our stories.

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In Massachusetts, many older institutional registers are accessible to genealogists. This page provides links directly to images of the records available for an institution, or to catalog entries when those records are still only in manuscript form.

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Accessing these records means that we should understand two things: (1) the historical context of these illnesses, disabilities, and treatments because they differ so much from those of today, and (2) the laws and regulations pertaining to our ability to access these records. With a deeper understanding, we can tell a more complete story to our family.

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

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Massachusetts has over 400 years of European settlement. The types of institutions developed over that period is staggering. As a society, Massachusetts has continually discussed the best approach to aid those in need. The state has been at the forefront of treatment options. It is also true that our ability to deliver treatment has never lived up to our ideals. The implementation of the best ideas falls short of the intentions.

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In the colonial period, the destitute were sent to live with unrelated families while the town’s board of selectmen paid their room and board. Later, workhouses were developed in towns. Still later the state built large almshouses and workhouses. A little-known legal tool called "warning out" was used by town to tell newcomers that they were not eligible for the town-supported poorhouse. Families warned in this way had two alternatives, to return to their town of birth or to enter the state-run almshouse. Today, we expect social services and public welfare to help families in need to stay in their own homes and lead normal lives. 

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The mentally ill in the early colonial period could be treated as witches or as felons or in the system developed for treating the destitute. Massachusetts led the national movement to provide more humane treatment in the 1800s, developing massive hospitals with what was then considered advanced treatment. In its implementation of massive hospitals, the state’s institutions moved quickly to conditions that were overcrowded, and staff that was untrained. With the advent of medications, patients became able to live within communities. Massive hospitals were dismantled or repurposed, often to house smaller programs for specific health issues such as opioid addition.

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The treatment of people with intellectual or physical disability also changed over time. In the early period, people facing challenges often remained at home under the care of family members. The same movement that in the 1800s moved the mentally ill into what was then considered more humane institutionalized treatment moved those with disabilities into hospitals, schools, and later large institutions. Today people with these challenges live in their local communities, often with support services. The old state institutions have been dismantled or repurposed.

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Many institutions have had more than one name over time. The first name sounds harsh to the modern ear and later names sound too generic to be meaningful to the researcher. For example, the Industrial School for Crippled and Deformed Children was later called the Massachusetts Hospital School. The Northampton Lunatic Asylum became the Northampton State Hospital.

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In researching institutionalized family members, the researcher should recognize that treatment considered humane and at the forefront of good care in 1870 was by 1980 considered inhumane. There are several books that provide background on the evolving concepts of what was considered good care and on the poor conditions in these institutions. Here is a list of some helpful resources to use when communicating these historical contexts to our families.

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• Sheilagh Doerfler, "Warnings Out," Vita Brevis blog, American Ancestors, posted 20 June 2017.

• Tammy Rebello, L.F. Blanchard. Abandoned Asylums of Massachusetts. Images of Modern AmericaSeries, Arcadia Publishing, February 1, 2016.

• Kim Caisse interviewed Lynn Blanchard (one of the authors above) for the Worcester State University News, “Book Shows Remains of Sad Time in Mental Health Care”.

• Several independent organizations perform education and reform advocacy around the issues for which people were institutionalized. For example, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health looks at System Reform.

• The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, Parallels in Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities, provides resources and a history of treatment.

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