Return toHome Page

MUSKINGUM COUNTY INFIRMARY



The Muskingum County Home was once known as the "poor house" but by legislature in 1850 the name became the County Infirmary. When a fire in 1859 partially destroyed the building it was rebuilt and enlarged in 1860.  This building was west of where the present structure is now. When that building became too old and too small  to meet the needs a new structure was built and completed in 1881 and is still in use today. It is located on St Rt 146 across from the Ohio University campus in Falls Twp. The inmates were not only the indigent but, also, the physically and mentally ill. The insane  were kept there until a law in 1898 banned  county infirmaries from accepting them. Another law enacted in 1919 again changed the name from County Infirmary to County Home.
.
The records for the County Home have not been located.  A list of inmates are given on  census records.  Some   deaths have been obtained through mortuary records, probate court records and obituaries  but there are still many unknown. The infirmary cemetery has been abandoned. Below are the known  infirmary deaths to date:

                        

Allen, William
 30 Dec 1904
 Married
 74 yrs
Armstrong, George
 1 Apr 1906

Arnold, Samuel
 23 Jun 1904
 Single
 65 yrs
Ashford, George
 20 Dec 1907
51 yrs
Atkinson, Katie
 6 June 1912

Austin, Louiza
 21 Aug 1902
40 yrs
Austin, Amanda
 9 Sep 1906
80 yrs
Austin, Maria
 31 Aug 1902
 Single
 29 yrs
Bainer, Jesse
 3 May 1907
70 yrs
Baker, Sarah
 18 Jan 1919

Bay,Willam
 24 Mar 1907
80 yrs
Bearfelt, Louis
 16 Feb 1915

Bell, Mary
 22 Dec 1906
55 yrs
Bellmire, John
 22 Dec 1906
80 yrs
Benjamin, Joel
 24 Mar 1915

Berry, Charlotte
 4 Sep 1906
72 yrs
Bishop, Goldie Irene
 2 Dec 1910

Bohn, E
 21 Jun 1907
45 yrs
Boyd, Susan
 9 Oct 1915
 b.Dec 1910
Brown, Cornelius
 24 Dec 1894  
74 yrs
Brown, Isabella
 24 Sep 1896
43 yrs
Butler, Eli
 14 Jun 1900
68 yrs
Coleman, Anna
 21 Jul 1914

Collins, infant
 9 Sep 1909

Congle, Sarah
 8 Aug 1911

Crooks, Ida
 19 Feb 1902
30 yrs
Dickson, Clarence
 22 Jan 1890
4 mo
Dillar, Philip
 11 Apr 1911

Donley, Michael
 27 Jan 1890
57 yrs
Drew, John
 14 Oct 1909
 b. Ireland
Durret, Melvin
 29 Dec 1921
49 yrs
Earhart, John
 12 Oct 1910
 b. 1831
Few, William
 2 May 1907
68 yrs
Foraker, Lucinda
 18 Apr 1911

Frydst, Frank
 16 May 1914

Golightly, Wm
 5 Mar 1916
ca 42 yrs
Griffith, John
 8 Mar 1915

Hampton,Ray
 30 Mar 1898
7 yrs
Hardin,Wm
 7 Oct 1916

Harper, Minerva
 30 Jul 1912

Hempfield, Mrs
 5 Feb 1894
65 yrs
Hughes, Lucy
 28 Apr 1918
60 yrs
Kelly, James
 26 Nov 1916
ca 50 yrs
Layton,Wm
 29 Apr 1916

Lytle, Mary
 20 Mar 1899
70 yrs
Melick, Francis
 26 Jul 1909

Miller, Benjamin
 26 Nov 1915

Miller, Zachariah
 1 Jan 1918

Moore, George
 6 Oct 1909
78 yrs
Naline, Wm
 19 Aug 1911

O'Dell, John
 16 May 1893
74 yrs
Parker, Margaret
 25 Jul 1917

Patterson,Thomas
 4 Mar 1907
72 yrs
Powell,Thomas
 14 Sep 1917
65 yrs
Rainles, Jonah
 11 Feb 1909

Riley, John
 10 May 1901
55 yrs
Rodman, Edward
 26 May 1917
59 yrs
Russell, Mrs
 27 Dec 1917
60 yrs
Sargent, Charles
 14 Jul 1881
 Single
Sargent, Thomas
 24 Jun1916

Savage, Pat
 25 May 1888
 Single
Saxon, George
 2 Feb 1917

Scott, Lena S
 5 May 1887

Settles, Elizabeth
 26 May 1888

Shaffer, John
 5 Aug 1879
 b. Germany
 49 yrs
Sharwic, Well
 11 Feb 1889

Sheridan, Anthony
 14 Mar 1874
 Single
 30 yrs
Shier, Alex
 15 Jul 1892
80 yrs
Shirts, Ellsworth
 28 Dec 1888

Sigle, Emanuel
 4 Oct 1896
35 yrs
Sisine, Mary
 8 May 1877
 Single
 58 yrs
Slack, Mahala
 18 Jan 1876
 Single
 58 yrs
Slendon, Anthony
 14 Nov 1874
30 yrs
Smith, John
 4 Apr 1890
80 yrs
Smith, Lizzie
 29 Dec 1892
 Married
 43 yrs
Smith, Polin
 26 Oct 1897
50 yrs
Snellow, Jane
 22 Sep 1872
9 yrs
Sperry, John
 12 Dec 1884
 Single
 25 yrs
Spurgeon, Frank
 11 Mar 1917

Spurrier, Daniel
 10Oct 1881

Steinhauer, George
 1 Feb 1882
 widower; b. Germany
Stevenson, James
 10 Jan 1915

Stockwell, Joseph
 19 Jul 1874
62 yrs
Stotts,
 3 Jun 1872
10 yrs
Stotts, Washington
 6 May 1892
80 yrs
Streets, James
 22 Apr 1895

Streets, Joseph
 7 Apr 1869
35 yrs
Sturtz, Onetta
 26 Aaug 1877
24 yrs
Swagert, Mrs
 13 Dec 1877
b. Germany
 76 yrs
Thomas, Charles B
 4 Apr 1908
56 yrs
Thomas, Elizabeth
 4 Apr 1889
 Single
Thornton, Robert
 26 Dec 1893
 b. England
 80 yrs
Tignor, Sarah
 7 Jul 1881
 Single
Tipton, William
 24  Oct 1888

Tittle,Ray
 30 Dec 1909

Toll, Elizabeth
 10 Aug 1912

Uphold, William
 10 May 1869
10 yrs
Van Atta, Stephen
 31 Aug 1887

Vermillion, Catherine
 2 Feb 1908
85 yrs
Wagoner,Daniel
 29 Oct 1892
75 yrs
Wallace, John
 25 May 1884
 Single
 75 yrs
West, G M
 4 Aug 1892
54 yrs
Whitcraft, Thomas
 3 Feb 1878
 b. PA
White, James
 6 Oct 1916

White, Oliver
 8 Mar 1915

Williams, Issac
 31 Aug 1879
 Married
 67 yrs
Wills, Lewis
 10 Mar 1892
80 yrs
Wilson, John C
 5 Oct 1873
33 yrs
Wilst, Mary
 5 Oct 1890
 b. PA
 51 yrs
Wimning,Samuel
 6 Apr 1877
57 yrs
Winn, Bushrod
 21 Jan 1878
65 yrs
Wise, William
 16 Mar 1918
51 yrs
Worstall, David
 22 Feb 1905
67 yrs
Worstall, Phineas
 27 Jul 1881
 Single
 73 yrs
Wortman, Rachel
 25 Sep 1877
56 yrs
Wylie, J
 23 Feb 1893
71 yrs




The above records were copied by Kathryn McCutcheon. Transcription errors may exist but were copied as accurately as possible.


The following article was taken from the Zanesville Daily Signal, Monday, April 19, 1869:

                                                            THE INFIRMARY MATTER
    We, the undersigned,  inmates of the County Infirmary of Muskingum County, say that Mr Bolin, the Superintendent, Has treated us all very kindly, and has given us plenty of food. We have no complaint to make against him, and hope he will remain with us. We have read and heard read the articles of the Courier, stating that we had been badly treated and starved, by Mr Bolin, and we say that the statements are not one of them true:
M. S.  Sperry
 Edward T Duvall
Patt. Reilly
 Jacob Phillips
S. E. Francis
 Daniel W Prouty
Joshua Molve
 John W Wilson
Susan Worley
 Sarah Menick
Margaret Willson
 Serena Rusk
Catherine Adkins
 Theodosia Sperry
Eliza Bowers
 Virginia Willson
Charles M'Claren
 Bradley Morrison
William Pean
 Edward Smith
Thomas Gould
 Jedediah Evergreen
William Vanatta
 Thomas Woods
Mrs Mary McCullough, (cook)
 Mary Lloyd
Catherine Burton
 Nancy Biglow
Matilda Bagley
 Mary Brigman
James McDaniel (his mark)
 Alfred Clemings
C. Prosser
 Thomas Benton
Edward Bois
 Betsy Baberren  (?)
Kesiah Gales
 Sarah Joseph
Emarella Willson
 Sarah Detro
Margaret E Gould
 Cornel Spring
Ellen Danford
 Mary A Bell
Robert Annon
 Christ Coke
William Kirtin
 Robert Campbell
William Kain
 William James McKeurn, warder
William Hemphill
 Elizabeth Bane
Betsy Evergourn
 Mary Durken
Elizabeth Kinkade
 Caroline E Hatton
Mary Ann Clayton
   
    We, the undersigned, hereby certify, that we had full opportunity to know how Joel Street was treated at the Infirmary, during his last sickness, and take pleasure in saying that he had the best of care and every kind of food he desired, sent hiim from the table of Mr Bolin. Even every luxury that could be obtained was furnished him, and we freely say we have never known any one here so well taken care of as Mr Street, although we have been familiar with the institution for a long time as employees.
                                    James Perigo,
                                    R A Meenan, (sempatress),
                                    Mary McCullough, (Chief Cook).
Return toHome Page
         

   

                       

                                       
                   

                                

                   

             



Return toHome Page