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Collection: Pedigrees of Inmates at the Vermont School for Feebleminded Children, 1925

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Pedigree 05 - Male

This pedigree describes a boy who was was 13 at the time of his commitment to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children. Under "History," the social worker has written "ran away; stole; masturbation."

Pedigree 04 - Female

This document describes a 15-year-old girl with the mental status of "high imbecile" who was transferred to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children from the Vermont Industrial School in Vergennes. According to the pedigree, she initially…

Pedigree 03 - Female

This pedigree describes a female patient with Downs Syndrome who was 9 years old at the time of her admission to the institution in 1922. Note the assigned cause: "Mother had headaches and brooded over news of insane stepsister." In the early 20th…

Pedigree 02 - Female

The inmate described in this pedigree was 16 years old when she was committed to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children in 1922. She had already given birth to two children. Her defect is stated to be "Two illegitimate children; sex." …

Pedigree 01 - Female

This brief pedigree describes an inmate who was committed to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children in 1920, when she was 14 years old. The "Defects" attributed to her are horrifying: "Sex; Venereal, Syphilis and Gonorrhea; Raped by…

Pedigree 43 - Male

This pedigree describes a young man who was committed to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children when he was 11 years old. After 6 years, he ran away from the institution and was subsequently discharged. Runaways were not uncommon;…

Pedigree 42 - Male

The boy described in this pedigree was committed to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children when he was 12 years old. Like many inmates, he had been without consistent care for much of his life. Under "Additional History," the social…

Pedigree 41 - Female

This pedigree describes a young woman who was 20 years old at the time of her commitment to the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children. Her commitment exemplifies the practice, begun in 1919, of institutionalizing "feeble-minded" women of…

Pedigree 40 - Female

This pedigree describes an adult woman with a traumatic history who was committed to the Vermont State School in 1925. Of her father, the social worker writes, "Insane. Violent temper. Abusive . . . People afraid of him. Points gun at them." Of the…

Pedigree 39 - Male

While most male inmates entered the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children at a younger age than their female counterparts in the 1920s, this man was 25 when he was transferred to Brandon from the Vermont State Hospital, where he had been…

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