Martha Jane (Melton) Shipman (1856 - 1931)

Born 9 Apr 1856 in Marshall, Searcy County, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Wife of James Alexander Shipman — married 8 Feb 1872 in Searcy County, Arkansas, United States

Descendants

Died 24 Aug 1931 at age 75 in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States

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Biography

Martha (Melton) Shipman was an Arkansan.

Jane Melton was born in 1856 in Searcy County, Arkansas to Leonard Melton and Catherine Hollabaugh.

She was married to her step-brother, James Alexander Shipman around 1872. They were the parents of William, Pinson, James, Mary and Thomas. She suffered a mental collapse after the birth of Thomas. She remained institutionalized for the remainder of her life and she and James divorced.

She died on 24 Aug 1931 in Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas.^[1]

Notes

Alias: Janie Melton.

From emails in the AR-Izard county email list: In about 1888 (my calculations are not perfect), Martha Jane Melton Shipman,. wife of James Alexander Shipman was committed to the Insane Asylum at Little Rock. She remained there for the next 40 (if memory serves me right) years until her death. The reason she was placed there was that she threw (this is from family word-of-mouth record) her infant son (Thomas who was later known as Blind Thomas Shipman) over a stair banister.

She was declared insane and James Alexander was able to divorce her for this reason. He later remarried and had other children. Evidently Thomas was none the worse for the experience. His blindness later in life was the result of another situation.

I believe that Martha Jane probably suffered from what we now call postpartum depression. And it is possible that other forms of depression were inherited in her family. I have seen depression in the later generations of this family.

So, you can see that there is more than one form of insanity (or whatever you want to call it).

Beth Walker Shipman.

Martha J. Shipman. d. 8-24-1931 in Pulaski County. Vera Reeves.

Sources

1. ↑ "Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VJRV-68S : 27 November 2014), Martha J Shipman, 24 Aug 1931; derived from "Arkansas, Death Index, 1914-1950," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); a multigenerational derivative citing Division of Vital Records, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950 (Arkansas: Arkansas Genealogical Society). 24 Aug 1931, Pulaski, Arkansas.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87Y-DSG : 18 February 2021), Kathrine Melton in entry for J L Melton, 1860. Year: 1860; Census Place: Cove, Searcy, Arkansas; Roll: M653_50; Page: 937; Image: 391; Family History Library Film: 803050

J L Melton Male 28 Tenn

Kathrine Melton Female 24 Tenn

John Melton Male 6 Arks

Martha Melton Female 5 Arks

Mary Melton Female 3 Arks

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC6-K67 : 28 May 2021), Janney Melton in entry for James E Shipman, 1870. Wileys Cove, Searcy Co., Arkansas.

James E Shipman Male 44 Tennessee

Mary C Shipman Female 35 Tennessee

James A Shipman Male 18 Arkansas

Johney A Melton Male 14 Arkansas

Janney Melton Female 13 Arkansas

Isaac F Shipman Male 14 Arkansas

Robert B Shipman Male 13 Arkansas

Rebecca H Shipman Female 3 Arkansas

Thomas W Shipman Male 2 Arkansas

J Mary Melton Female 12 Arkansas

Dulcena Melton Female 11 Arkansas

Layfayett Melton Male 9 Arkansas

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWG-125 : 19 February 2021), James Shipman, Wileys Cove, Searcy, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 173, sheet 437A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,056.

James Shipman Self Male 24 Arkansas, United States

Jane Shipman Wife Female 21 Arkansas, United States

William Shipman Son Male 7 Arkansas, United States

Pincon Shipman Son Male 5 Arkansas, United States

James Shipman Son Male 3 Arkansas, United States

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3XS-51X : accessed 5 June 2021), Martha J Shipman, State Lunatic Asylum, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 207, sheet 7A, family , NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,073.
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDFD-3HN : 31 January 2021), Martha Shipman, 1920. Arkansas State Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Pulaski, Arkansas. Inmate.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMGZ-QCR : accessed 5 June 2021), Martha Shipman in household of Essie Shipman, Arkansas State Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 34, sheet 32A, line 6, family , NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 92; FHL microfilm 2,339,827. Jane and her granddaughter, Essie are both inmates.

Essie Shipman Inmate Female 25 Arkansas

Martha Shipman Inmate Female 74 Arkansas