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Subject: [TXCem] Re: TX-CEMETERIES-D Digest V03 #68
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 14:26:01 -0500


Regarding the search to obtain old patient records from a mental
institution. I was successful at obtaining records from a Missouri
institution where one of my relatives was a patient around 1900. First,
it was necessary to obtain a court order from a lawyer in Missouri. (The
mental institution gave me the names of several lawyers in the town who
would be willing to handle the matter and I talked with one of them over
the phone.) The court order gave my reason for wanting the records: For
genealogical research. The process went along slowly as my court order
was misplaced by the lawyer's secretary for a long time and only
rediscovered when I called to find out why it was taking so long. When
the institution finally received the order, it was placed on a long list
of people waiting for copies of medical records, and I had to wait
several months again. Ultimately, only one page containing basic
information about my relative was still extant but, when I received it,
it did provide some new and useful information. I did not inquire about
the relative's burial. Possibly, Texas requires a court order, too, for
obtaining very old medical records. Hope this will be helpful.
Char

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