Department of Mental Hygiene - Sonoma State Hospital Records, 1885-1966

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Summary

Creators:
California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble-Minded Children, 1885-1915; Sonoma State Home, 1915-1921; Department of Institutions - Homes for the Feeble-Minded - Sonoma State Home, 1921-1945; Department of Mental Hygiene - Homes for the Feeble-Minded - Sonoma State Home, 1945-1953; Department of Mental Hygiene - State Hospitals - Sonoma State Hospital, 1953-1972
Abstract:
The records of the Department of Mental Hygiene - Sonoma State Hospital consist of 139 volumes, 266 file folders, 173 photographs, and 4 items spanning the period 1884-1966. The records are organized into one series of photographs and four subgroups: Board of Trustees Records, Superintendents Records, Medical Records Division, and Fiscal and Facility Files.
Extent:
139 volumes, 266 file folders, 173 photographs, 4 items
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the Department of Mental Hygiene - Sonoma State Hospital comprise 139 volumes, 266 file folders, 173 photographs, and 4 items spanning the period 1884-1972. The records are organized first with records directly under the record group, followed by four subgroups: Board of Trustees Records, Superintendents Records, Medical Records Division Records, and Fiscal and Facility Files.

The Photographs series consists of 173 photographs that document the hospital building, cottages, and grounds. Photographs also depict patient and staff participation in various activities, events, and holiday festivities.

The Board of Trustees records include board meeting minutes and reports dating from 1885-1929. The Superintendent's Records consist of letterbooks, correspondence, monthly statements and reports related to the cost of supporting patients. Also present are General Office Files, which consist of Selected Archives material such as committee reports, minutes, and administrative files.

The Medical Records Division records relate to the admission, care and discharge of hospital patients. Registers of Applications dating from 1884-1949 contain information about individuals whose family members applied for their admission to the hospital. Some of these volumes contain indexes, while others may be accessed through the Index of Applicants, 1922-1940. Case Books and Personal Descriptions (Medical Histories) provide detailed information about patients' family and medical history, as well as their behavior, appearance, and other personal information. The Medical Records Division records also consist of an Index of Inmates (Patients) Deceased or Discharged, Admission Records, Records of Absentees, Parole Records, and Spasm Records.

The Fiscal and Facility Files reveal information about routine operations of the hospital facilities. Steward's Monthly Reports contain daily attendance data, costs of hospital departments, and expenditures for equipment and supplies. Also of interest are Departmental Accounting Books, which document labor performed by patients; General Accounting Records, which detail business transactions with local creditors; and Facility Files, which contain bids, estimates and contracts pertaining to facility construction or furnishing of supplies.

Biographical / historical:

The California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble-Minded Children was created in 1885 (Statutes 1885, Chapter 156) and was originally located in the town of Santa Clara. The Home was charged with caring for children between the ages of five and eighteen who were "incapable of receiving instructions in the common schools." Soon after its official creation, the facilities proved to be inadequate. In 1889, the William McPherson Hill farm, some 1,660 acres and near the town of Glen Ellen, was purchased for $50,000 as a site for a new home. On November 24, 1891, the physical move was made to the new site. The name of the institution was changed to Sonoma State Home in 1915 (Statutes 1915, Chapter 60).

Initially, Sonoma State Home existed more or less as an autonomous unit, although a uniform system of government for the state hospitals, under the control of the State Commission in Lunacy, had been provided as early as 1897 (Statutes 1897, Chapter 227). In 1921 Sonoma State Home was placed under the Department of Institutions, which was created to centralize authority, finances, and management at the various state institutions (Statutes 1921, Chapter 610). The Department of Institutions was later superseded by the Department of Mental Hygiene (Statutes 1945, Chapter 665). Sonoma State Home was renamed Sonoma State Hospital in 1953 (Statutes 1953, Chapter 661). In 1972, the Department of Health assumed the duties and responsibilities of the Department of Mental Hygiene (Statutes 1971, Chapter 1593). Yet another reorganization occurred in 1978, when the Department of Health was abolished and the state hospitals were placed under the newly created Department of Developmental Services (Statutes 1977, Chapter 1252). The Sonoma State Hospital was renamed Sonoma Developmental Center in 1985 (Statutes 1985, Chapter 582).

Acquisition information:
The California State Archives acquired the Department of Mental Hygiene - Sonoma State Hospital Records in a series of transfers according to state law.
Accruals:

Further accruals are expected.

Physical location:
California State Archives

Access and use

Location of this collection:
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, CA 95814, US
Contact:
(916) 653-2246
reference@sos.ca.gov
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