“Indian Kate” Grimsley’s story is unique, but reflective of individuals the community learned to serve. One story on Indian Kate was that “she was found along the river, being left there by her Indian family because she was mentally challenged (Facebook contributor, page “I grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois”). According to the poorhouse record, she entered at 28 years old in 1850 and was from Canada. Her death record in one source claims she was 87, which would have put her entrance to the Poorhouse at around 17 years old; a newspaper article stated she was 102 years old at death (which would put her around 30 upon entrance). It’s possible a family adopted her. The Physician’s record shows she had a large family: her father was frozen to death, her brother died, no history on her mother, and her sister died during child birth. She was reportedly 75 years old in 1915 and from Meredosia; the date of admittance by the doctor was “1850?” and the record states her son John Grimsley, age 20, was “feeble minded” at the Lincoln state hospital. John was born at the poorhouse (May 13, 1882 according to the record book, which thus shows inconsistency in some dates/ages). The poorhouse record shows John Grimsley was born in May 1882 with the description of “child of Indian Kate,” and after 2 months, the child was taken away from her and “taken to Lincoln.” As Indian Kate was a resident of the poor farm in 1850, she was likely impregnated and had the child in care; a July 1891 news article states that “Gohn [sic] Grimsely, an inmate at the poor farm, will be sent to the Asylum for the Feeble Minded at Lincoln. The boy is a son of ‘Indian Kate,’ a familiar character at the county farm.”[1] The Jacksonville Journal Courier on March 27, 1970, in the “50 years ago” section, stated “Indian Kate who has been at the Morgan county poor farm for 70 years was committed to the state hospital yesterday. Nothing much is known of her except she is an Indian who was born somewhere around Meredosia. At 50 cents a day she has cost the county more than $12,500 and now the state must pay for her upkeep.” The 1920 Journal Courier article that is referred to in the 1970 article (March 26, 1920) states: “now she is confined to her bed practically all the time and her mental condition is such that the authorities deemed an order of committal to Jacksonville State hospital to be advisable. Somebody with a penchant for figures said yesterday afternoon that Indian Kate had been a ward of the county 22,550 days” then cites the $12,500 cost figure; “However, the matter of money is by no means the most important thing in connection with such a case.” One record book has her being discharged to Bartonville State Hospital on October 22, 1906.  

One of Jacksonville’s residents, Marietta Hall Turner, recounted the resident profile in 1988 during an interview: There were all kinds of people: those who did not save for their old age; but the chief group were those who had had misfortune; those who had a bad habit, those whose earnings had been used by relatives…the inmates were harmless…One of the women was called Crazy Kate, (an Indian woman) who at times could be persuaded to dance for us. Although she was weird, she MAY have had a crazy act for attention and to avoid work...[2] 

One day in 1920, she and others from the poorhouse were taken to the County Judge to be assessed for having “sounds minds,” were found not to have sounds minds, and ordered to the State Hospital (the “insane asylum” in Jacksonville). Kate lay on a stretcher the whole time. After the judgment, she raised her head and yelled “I ain’t crazy", I ain’t crazy.”

She was sent to the State Hospital, where she died.

[1] “City and County,” The Illinois Daily Courier, Jacksonville, IL, Monday July 27, 1891. [2] Jacksonville Genealogical Journal, December 1988, Vol.16, Issue 4, p.15