South Carolina Lunatic Asylum Admissions    Newberry County, South Carolina Robert Mills, a renowned architect, was chosen to design the new South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. In 1822 the cornerstone was laid for the Mills Building. It took six years to complete. The building's many innovations included fire-proof ceilings, a central heating system, and one of the country's first roof gardens. South Carolina's asylum was one of the first in the nation built expressly for the mentally ill and funded by a state government. Citizens were wary of sending their loved ones to the asylum.  It was not until December 12, 1828, that the first patient was admitted, a young woman from Barnwell County.  She was accompanied by her mother who worked as a matron while her daughter was a patient at the hospital.  Below you will find some residences from Newberry County who were admitted to this hospital (source: South Carolina Archives, microfilm ST0835) 1828-1876 1876-1885 1881-1887 1887-1889 1889-1898 1898-1902 1902-1909 1909-1915 1915-1919 1920-1926 Name Admission Date Admit # Marital Status Sex Age How long insane Cause Support Payer Source Birth Place Occup. Remarks Anderson, Ephraim F. 3 July 1854 814 s M 16 1 yr effects measles pay Killis Anderson X farmer X Bedenbough, Henry 3 Jan 1873 2074 s M 23 5 yrs epilepsy pauper State Newberry Co. laborer epilepsy Boyce, Eliza 23 Dec 1872 2073 s F 26 6 yrs ill health pay pay Newberry Co. printer dementia chronic Boyce, Eliza M. 14 Apr 1870 1776 s F 23 2 yrs ill health pay Carver Randall SC Pendleton X X Carmichael, Nancy (colored) 17 Dec 1867 1576 s F X old case X pauper Comm. of Poor SC field hand died of dropsy of head 13 Feb 1868 Cline, Jane 11 Apr 1860 1170 s F 15 congenital idiotcy pauper Comm. of Poor SC no occupation P0I. W. P [sic] Currie, Martha 14 June 1869 1699 w/m F 42 4 mths loss of child pauper Comm. of Poor SC farmers wife suicidal cured and sent home Currie, Martha 8 Nov 1869 1738 m F 43 8 mths loss of child pauper Comm. of Poor SC farmer’s wife X Dugan, Patrick 8 Feb 1853 697 s M 40 3rd attack intemperance pauper Comm. of Poor Ireland stone cutter X Furman, Dr. Richard 5 Aug 1869 1712 m M 55 3 mths over work pay Mrs. Mary Furman SC minister X Grady, Willis 13 Mar 1873 2093 s M 25 3 mths unknown pauper State NC laborer Acute mania Groaner, Nicholas 24 June 1866 1459 s M 40 6 mths sun stroke pauper Comm. of Poor X plasterer d. dropsy of brain 27 Sept 1866 Hair, Nancy 23 May 1834 127 m F X X X pay  Peter Hair SC X d. 27 Jan 1835 Hair, Rachel 8 Mar 1834 120 m F X X X pay  John Hair SC X removed 7 Mar 1845 Hair, Thos. M. 7 Mar 1860 1163 m M 25 18 days cereboetis brain problem pay John Hair SC farmer cerebretis died from exhaustion 18 Mar 1860 Hall, Robt. 19 Nov 1834 137 s M 35 12 mths masturbation pauper Comm. of Poor SC teacher died 1860 Hardy, G. A. 6 May 1853 717 s M 25 4th attack W. B. Hardy pay X SC X X Hardy, Gustavus A. 6 Aug 1862 1304 m M 5th attack X pay Wm. B. Hardy SC farmer cured Hardy, G. A. 22 Mar 1851 603 s M 20 insane periodical X pay  Wm. Hardy SC X X Hare, Rachel 12 Feb 1833 83 m F X X X pay  Harris SC X cured 15 May 1833 Johnson, Sarah 29 Oct 1855 894 m F 52 4 yrs hereditary pauper Comm. of Poor SC farmers wife discharged improved 7 June 1859 Jones, Henry (colored) 2 Apr 1867 1509 m M 24 2nd attack 10 yrs cannot say pauper Comm. of Poor X laborer admissions for the last half of May 1876 shows Henry Jones being admitted again Langdon, Fanny M. 19 Sept 1861 1260 s F X X tapeworm pay Jas. N. Lipscomb England governess Chappells Depot Lewis (a slave) 10 Dec 1851 640 m M 30 old case Benfield pay X SC X cured Livingston, Simon 1 Mar 1869 1673 s M 17 congenital hereditary X pauper Comm. of Poor SC none X McConnel, John M. 2 Oct 1834 133 X M X X X pay  A. McConnel Ireland X died 11 Feb 1835 Monts, Mahala 17 July 1869 1711 s F 22 7 mths insane hereditary poor Comm. of Poor SC labourer always simple Onealle, Rebecca 7 Nov 1833 111 s F 30 3 mths X pay  J. B. Onealle SC X died 21 Jan 1834 Randall, Jno. B. 20 Feb 1871 1849 s M 54 5  yrs epilepsy pay Newberry SC X epileptic Robertson, John B. 30 Jan 1855 854 s M 45 old case X pay R. Boyce SC farmer X Rowe, Laval 19 June 1875 2361 m M 24 8 mths severe illness State epilepsy SC servant epileptic mania Russel, Andrew 25 Oct 1851 632 s M 38 3 mths intemperance self pay X SC teacher discharged cured 24 Feb 1852 Russele, Andrew 16 Feb 1836 170 s M 27 X X pay  Jas. Russel SC X eloped 13 July 1836 Sheppard, John R. 18 May 1870 1789 s M 30 several yrs epilepsy pauper Comm. of Poor SC X X Sondley, Wm. C. 23 Apr 1866 1451 s M 34 3 weeks unknown pay Dr. C. H. F. Sondley SC physician Dr. Sondley wn Tucker, Mrs. Mary 14 Feb 1869 1671 m F 58 many yrs hereditary payer G. B. Tucker SC planters wife Whitmires P0 VanRenesaliair, Gary 7 Sept 1859 1125 s M 30 6 yrs hereditary pauper Comm. of Poor SC taylor X Wallace, Bennet 18 Feb 1867 1503 w M 51 7 or 8 yrs family trouble pay W. W. Wallace & W. H. Garrett SC farmer Laurens C. H., shot himself 1877 Wells, Mary 14 Apr 1853 714 m F 55 12 mths ill health pay John Caldwell SC X X Wells, Mary 28 June 1853 731 m F 55 14 mths ill health pay Caldwell SC X X Yonn, Jacob 23 Apr 1830 7 X M X X X pauper X X X died