These handwritten letters were written to Dr. Francis T. Stribling in his capacity as director of the Western Lunatic Asylum in Staunton, Virginia. A few of the letters are from county sheriffs and other local officials who have confined lunatics in their jails and want to send them to the asylum; most of the letters are from family members of individuals who are, should be, or have been in the asylum. The family members typically write requesting information about the patient, providing payment for the patient's stay, asking advice, making arrangements for a patient who has died, or discussing a patient who has escaped the asylum. Some of the letters provide information about symptoms. This correspondence is part of the historic psychiatry material in the Menninger Archives. A searchable, full-text transcription is available by clicking "Text Version" below.

Creator: Stribling, Francis T. (Francis Taliaferro), 1810-1874
Date: 1836-1868, 1907 (bulk 1841-1854)