A Relative Buried at Eloise

 Eloise was originally established in 1832 as the Wayne County Poorhouse. Over time, it evolved into a complex of buildings encompassing various facilities including:

  • a poorhouse

  • a hospital

  • a psychiatric asylum

  • a tuberculosis sanatorium

In 1911, it was renamed Eloise after the post office that served the area.

At its peak, Eloise housed thousands of patients and employed hundreds of staff members. By the mid-20th century, changes in mental health care and social services led to Eloise’s gradual decline, and it closed for good in the 1980s.

Most of the buildings were demolished or repurposed. Today, there are only a few structures left, including the Eloise Cemetery.

On Ancestry today, while piecing together details and filling in gaps in my family tree, I discovered that my great-great-grandfather, Joseph Lehman (sometimes spelled Lehmann), passed away in 1939 while under the care of the Eloise hospital and was buried in the cemetery there. 

Joseph was 83 years old when he passed away; his wife had passed away several years before him. She’s buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. I don’t know why he’s not buried with her. Perhaps no one claimed his body…patients who passed away at Eloise and whose next of kin did not claim their bodies were often laid to rest in the Eloise Cemetery. Graves there are marked only with numbered blocks. 


Matilda and Joseph Lehman c. 1880

            

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