When Gladys Marie Campbell Abernathy died in early 1941, she was just 37 years old. On paper, her death certificate lists a "coronary occlusion" as the cause, but the location of her passing reveals a much more heartbreaking reality. Gladys died inside Missouri’s State Hospital No. 4 in Farmington, a facility for the mentally ill. While the official record cites a heart issue, the contributing cause—"Manic Depressive Psychosis"—hints that this young mother of six wasn't just battling a physical ailment, but likely suffering from what we now recognize as severe postpartum psychosis.
Gladys's mother Hattie died on 8 June 1933, at the age of 49. Gladys was 29 at the time and had given birth to her fourth child just six months prior.
To understand the sheer weight Gladys was carrying, consider that over the course of thirteen years, she bore six children. She seemingly never got a break from birthing and nursing. When the 1940 Federal Census was enumerated in April, it captured a snapshot of a household that was likely already stretched to its limit. Gladys was caring for five children at the time, but the record obscures a crucial detail: she was heavily pregnant. At that moment, she was just three months away from giving birth to her sixth child, Hersel Eugene, and only nine months away from her death. But her role as a caretaker hadn't started with her own children; as the eldest of twelve siblings, a life of endless responsibility was likely all she had ever known.
Gladys was just 37 years old when she died of a coronary occlusion. A couple of items on her death certificate provide clues to what might've been going on in this still-very-young woman's life.
First, Gladys died in Farmington, St. Francois County, Missouri at State Hospital No. 4. This hospital housed and treated the mentally ill. The death certificate does not provide the length of Gladys's stay, however.
Second, handwritten under "Other contributory causes of importance," is Manic Depressive Psychosis, Manic type. The date of onset is given as 6 January 1941. I suppose Gladys may have been at the hospital for less than a month.
My guess regarding Gladys's life circumstances at the time of her death involves postpartum psychosis. From the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine:
Childbirth is considered a major physical, emotional, and social stressor in a woman’s life. Following days to weeks after childbirth, most women experience some mental disturbance like mood swings and mild depression (also known as post-baby blues), but a few can also suffer from PTSD, major depression, or even full-blown psychosis. This change in maternal behavior and thought process is due to several bio-psycho-social factors...Postpartum psychosis is the severest form of mental illness in that category characterized by extreme confusion, loss of touch with reality, paranoia, delusions, disorganized thought process, and hallucinations.
I imagine this was a scary time for Gladys and her family.
Noted in the Missouri Department of Mental Health's history of State Hospital No. 4 (now called Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center), are popular treatments during the times surrounding Gladys's stay: "In 1924 one of the favored treatments was hydrotherapy, followed by lobotomies in 1940 and electro-shock therapy in 1942." At least Gladys and her family were spared that madness.
Genealogical Notes
Subject: Gladys Marie Campbell (1903–1941)
- Born: 15 September 1903, Scott County, MO
- Died: January 1941, Farmington, St. Francois County, MO
- Parents: George M. Campbell (1883–1974) and Hattie Ann Lancaster (1883–1933)
Spouse: Harry Joseph Abernathy (1901–1957)
- Married: 7 September 1925, Benton, MO
Children of Gladys & Harry:
- Raymond Winston (1926–2001)
- Lentice Melvin (1929–2010)
- Loudean Olleva (1932–2021)
- Willard Ervin (1935–1948)
- Hersel Eugene (1940–2022)
Siblings of Gladys Campbell:
Gladys was the eldest of twelve children. Her siblings included: Jessie Mae (1904), Chester Wesley (1906–1994), Marvin (1907–1974), Raymond S. (1909–1997), Arlen M. (1911–2004), Elmer Lloyd (1913), Pearl Olivia (1914–2000), Ovie (1916–1946), Veda Inez (1917–1918), and Roy L. (1920–1995).
Note: the census record and death certificate highlighted above and used to tell part of the life story of Gladys Marie Campbell Abernathy were found with an Ancestry membership. Interested in learning more about your family history? Try a 14-day free trial today with Ancestry® (affiliate link).
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