Mental Hospital, Gladesville

[GDWrugby]

Hi,
    I have a person in my family tree

William John Pearson
Birth 10 May 1876 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Death 3 January 1939 in Drummoyne, New South Wales 

I know nothing about his adult life, I have a transcript of his death certificate which list his place of death as -MENTAL HOSPITAL GLADESVILLE, HUNTERS HILL MUNICIPALITY;
LATE OF ARMIDALE MUNICIPALITY NSW

as per the death cert he was a labourer and not married.

His fathers obituary in 1930 has him living in Sydney.

Any suggestions as to how I can find out more information about him ? or if or how I could access his hospital file ?

thanks
gdwrugby

[~MERLIN~]

You will need to contact the NSW Dept of Health regards his hospital file as there is a restriction period on some records.

http://www.callanpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/patient-records-information-arch85.pdf

http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=\Agency\65

http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/resources-for/historians/asylum-records

[Billyblue]

GDW
In case you are not conversant with Sydney and its environs -

presumably a funeral notice said he was from Drummoyne?

At the time you are writing about, and for many years afterwards, if someone was said to have died at Gladesville, it was presumed it was at the mental hospital.  Perhaps Drummoyne was given to "throw people off the scent"

They are both suburbs of Sydney.
Forgive me if you already know this.
Dawn M

[Jaznjjj]

I had an ancestor who was admitted to Tarban Creek Asylum in 1862 and released to his family not long before his death in 1869.  His information is in the Gladesville Casebooks at the Kingswood Repository.  While I did not need to get permission from the Department of Health to view these records because of their age, it is not hard to obtain permission if you need to.  The requirements used to be (1984) that you first obtain a Reader's Ticket, search out the files in their indexes and note the file numbers.  You then write to the Department of Health stating those numbers, giving your reasons and informing them of your relationship with the patient.  I would first of all contact State Records at Kingswood and ask what the cut off date is. 

The case books from the 1860s were huge, come up from the dungeons and you handle them with gloves. 

Good luck. 
J