Roots Television | Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

My grandfather committed suicide in a state hospital when my Dad was just 12. I was curious to know the circumstances so I went to the Minnesota Historical Society where there are archives of all state records.

While looking in the index for the hospital I ran across another patient with the same last name. It turned out to be my grandfather’s mother who had also died there almost 20 years earlier. It was exciting finding more than what I had gone there for. That was in 2002. It is now 2007 and I continue to do volunteer look ups on patients that had been in Minnesota state hospitals. I call it my “winter hobby”. I love it when I can find information for others and I get excited to find extra bits and pieces for them.

The following are some emails about a lookup I did for a lady who lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. Her appreciation makes it all worth it.

Note: Surnames removed for a bit of privacy.

Greetings from Saskatchewan, Canada
Dear Nancy,
I was very happy to find your listing with RAOGK.
My great grandmother, Ellen (not named) of Polk Co., MN was committed to the State Hospital at Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co. MN about Sept. of 1923 where she died March 30, 1924.
Thank you kindly,
Lorraine

Lorraine,
Would you want copies made of commitment papers for a Christian? I happened to run across his name in looking for Ellen. He was in Fergus Falls Hospital from 1911 - 1918.
Nancy
Volunteer in MN for RAOGK

Oh, my dear Girl, YES!
You are a wonder. Christian was Ellen's husband, they were my great-grandparent and it has been a real problem trying to sort out just what happened to them after they had been through so much. And, of course, mental illness bore quite a stigma at that time so my grandparents never told my mother of their heartaches. We have searched everywhere for him and now you have found him.
How will I ever thank you?
Will you keep me posted. This is very exciting!
Sincerely,
Lorraine

Lorraine,
Here's a bit more info. from today's visit to the history center. I took a few notes from the commitment papers & patient register for Christian March 27 1918 Improved. Transferred to Willmar State Hospital July 16 1918 Died at Willmar (this was a note in the Fergus Falls book)
I'm glad this is exciting for you. I like the challenge of finding unexpected stuff.
More next week
Nancy

Dear Nancy,
Thank you. I don't know how you do all this!
Your help has paid off already. I was able to get Christian's death certificate with the info you had sent earlier.
Sincerely,
Lorraine

Lorraine,
Just an update. You will have your copies by the end of April. I have a total of 12 lookups to do & I am trying to do them all at the same time, each time I go to the History Center. My goal is to finish them all before May when the warmer weather calls me outside everyday for gardening & lawn work (I only do lookups in the winter).
Sincerely
Nancy

Dear Nancy,
All your hard work arrived this morning. It answers all my questions about my mom's terrible battle with Alzheimer's. The records of these poor little people are carbon copies of hers in the early stages. She survived much longer than they did so she was completely incapacitated.
Thank you, again and again.
Sincerely,
Lorraine

Hello,
I just had a quick story that was heartwarming as a volunteer.

Everyone I have volunteered for has been grateful and happy to receive pictures I have sent but
a recent one was especially sweet.

A woman requested headstone pictures of a relative and his two sons as she was writing a book on her family history. I knew the cemetery she was asking about was in terrible shape and I warned her I may not be able to find anything but, I'd give it a try. She knew the records for this town had burned years ago and getting these pictures was important.

I also knew I would have to have reinforcements for this search so my 9 yr old granddaughter, who has accompanied me on my searches for years and is a budding headstone hunter, my partner, and our best friend headed out to the cemetery.

We tore through brambles and bushes and hidden headstones until we, miraculously found the
headstones. It was pretty remarkable these three stones were standing as the majority were not. We took the pictures and sent them off.

This is the email I received from her:

Darlene, I don't know how to express how much you have helped me with these pictures! I'm sitting here squealing!

Thanks again for a job well done.
end...

It is so rewarding to know that I can help others while I am having a grand time running around cemeteries. It is like getting paid to do a job you love!

Darlene, Volunteer in Tompkins Co. NY

After taking the pictures, he talked with a friend of his whom worked at the state hospital to find out who I needed to contact to determine which grave belonged to my relative. I then called the hospital, found out where my relative was buried. Armed with that data Richard then went back to the cemetery a _second_ time taking flowers and a laminated card, and took several more pictures for me.

He then offered to drive to a nearby county to look up additional information for me on this relative. He did all of this for free and despite my offers to pay him, wouldn't take any money. I'm still working on trying to get him to take some money, at least for gas and the flowers.

I've thanked him over and over again but as I said, I thought his help was so exceptional that I should at least let you (ROAGK) know.

Editor Note:
1) New area was recently created for "Kudos" aka Thank You's. Check this link:
Visit RAOGK Kudos!

2) We now ask requesters to pay for gas due to the extreme cost of it. Thank You.

Being 70 years of age, all of my previous generation had already passed on and had not been very talkative. I had heard a few things about my maternal grandfather. Such as, he had changed his name but I did not know from what. I had also heard he was born in Concord,
Merrimack County, New Hampshire.

I found a RAOGK Volunteer and sent a request for his birth certificate with the little information I had. Shortly he came back to me with the comment there was not a William George Lamothe listed. He did find a George William Lamothe and also found two of George William's brothers birth certificates. They would cost me $5.00 each. Well, of course, I quickly emailed him back and said, Yes, I did want all three and would send the money. I sent the money out only to find the next morning in my mail was an envelope with the three certificates inside as he had already sent them to me.

These birth certificates allowed me to see who my great grandparents were and where they were from (Canada). For the first time in my life I had a path to follow.

Not knowing anything about Canadian research I went to the GenForum Canada site and posted a query. Two days later I had a reply with a Gedcom file that took my maternal side _ way _ way back.

It just goes to show how you can work on something for 15 years and have it all come together in less than a week. All thanks to Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness in starting the ball rolling.

Submitted by:
Bill Silliman
North Carolina

_{Enjoy,
Brenda K. Wolfgram Moore
RAOGK Volunteer
raogk.org}