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Remembering Farnhurst

DGS Articles, Member Comments / By /

Stories from the Delaware State Hospital 1894-1920

Members of several DGS teams have worked with the author Katherine Dettwyler to bring this information to you.

Remembering Farnhurst

Overview:

This book, Remembering Farnhurst, published in 2019, includes a detailed look at the lives of 186 patients admitted to the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst between 1894 and 1920. Despite usually being thought of as having been simply a “mental hospital” or “lunatic asylum,” the institution cared for people with many different conditions. From brain injuries, syphilis, epilepsy, and schizophrenia to deafness, blindness, and age-related senility, a wide variety of conditions were treated because, at a time, there were few or no other options for care.

The Author:

Katherine Dettwyler

DGS Searchable Name Index:

The DGS website has a searchable Name Index. The table is searchable with a list of names with the page numbers on which they appear in Remembering Farnhurst.

The Rememberg Farnhurst page with the searchable Name Index can be found by clicking this link.

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Past DGS President Thomas Doherty, PhD, died

Obituary / By /

Thomas P. Doherty, PhD, past DGS president, died on December 26, 2023. As many people know, he was devoted to genealogy—as DGS president, editor of the first three editions of the Delaware Genealogical Research Guide, and lecturer at UD’s Osher Lifelong Learning, among many activities. We extend our condolences to Tom’s wife, Dr. Phoebe Doherty, also a past DGS president, and his family and friends.

For the full obituary, visit the Chandler Funeral Home (Delaware) website.

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Past DGS President Margaret David died

Obituary / By /

Margaret David, age 96, passed away peacefully on March 10, 2023.

She was born in 1927 in Kearney, New Jersey, the second oldest of five children. After graduating from high school, she went to work for TWA in their office. She and her husband, Vernon, were married for 60 years before his passing. Margaret taught at Goldey Beacom College and Delaware Tech in Wilmington. She also worked in the Prison Ministry and held various board positions over the years.

Margaret was president of the Delaware Genealogical Society from 2010 to 2012. She also served in various other roles as a member and on the DGS board for more than ten years, including vice president, secretary, chair of the Awards Committee, and on editorial teams for several DGS publications.

She was predeceased by her husband Vernon and her son Douglas. Margaret is survived by her son Brian and his wife Niury; by her daughter Christina and her husband Jack; and several grand- and great-grandchildren.

For the full obituary, visit https://www.chandlerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/margaret-a-david/

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