Asylum Patient Stories
True Life Stories of Women in Canadian "Insane" Asylums
What is this website about?
This website details the stories of women who were institutionalized in Canadian asylums (mainly Ontario), but it is not just about their time in the asylum. Their life stories have been constructed from cradle to grave to provide a context as to why they were segregated from society. Due to privacy laws, the women on this website were born between the mid-1800s and 1920.
Who were these women?
They were British Home Children, war brides, immigrants to Canada, citizens of Canada, white, black, indigenous, mixed-race, domestics, factory workers, nurses, school teachers, unwed mothers, abandoned women, poverty-stricken, alcoholics, drug addicts, developmentally delayed, schizophrenic, elderly with dementia, had physical disabilities, venereal disease, were visually impaired, hearing impaired, and others who would just not adhere to society’s constraints.
How do I search for a relative who was in an Ontario asylum?
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for instructions and a few tips.
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