Willie George (abt. 1895 - 1919)

Born about 1895 in Walker River Reservation, Esmeralda, Nevada, United States

Ancestors

Died 23 Nov 1919 at about age 24 in The Canton Asylum for Insane Indians, Canton, Lincoln, South Dakota, United States

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Biography

Willie was Paiute.

Willie George was born c. 1895 to parents WE To Noh 'Henry' George (b. 1858) and his wife Sallie NN (b. 1863). They were of the Walker River Tribe, Northern Paiute Band.

According to Carla Joinson in her book Vanished in Hiawatha, Willie was admitted to the Canton Asylum on November 15, 1917,^[1] from the Walker River Reservation and diagnosed with Constitutional psychopath, hysterical, nymphomania. (Nymphomania is a term reserved for women, how it is applied has not been explained. This diagnosis does NOT come from the Joinson book!) (In the early 20th century, the term "constitutional psychopath" was used to describe people who violated social norms or were considered socially undesirable. The term "constitutional psychopath" was a catch-all term for psychological behaviors that were so pervasive that they were thought to have genetic or congenital origins. A constitutional psychopath is not technically insane, but their abnormality is present from birth.)

Willie was reported to have died in the Canton Asylum on November 18, 1919, at the age of 24. According to the letter from Dr. L.L. Culp to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs dated February 23, 1934, Willie was buried in the Canton Hiawatha Cemetery tier 1 plot 78.^[2]

His profile is part of the The Canton Asylum One Place Study.

Research Notes

-the 1917 draft registration identifies him as an Imbecile, unable to attend alone.

-the 1919 census has been lost, Willie is NOT in the 1920 Canton census Camp Verde School: 1910-27; Canton Insane Asylum: 1910-22, Series: Superintendents' Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20408 @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/155854182?objectPage=898

Sources

1. ↑ Joinson, Carla. Vanished in Hiawatha: The Story of the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. University of Nebraska Press, 2016.
2. ↑ Culp, L.L. L.L. Culp to Commissioner of Indian Affairs, February 17, 1934, RG 75, CCF 1907-1939, box 4, folder 7448-150 Part 2, Canton Asylum, NARA-DC.

• 1898 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W2VR-L2N2 : Fri Oct 06 02:36:20 UTC 2023), Entry for Wm George, 1898, pg. 35/313, line 230, census of the Paj-Ute Indians, Walker River Agency, Nevada
• 1899 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WGS4-9QN2 : Wed Oct 04 19:12:59 UTC 2023), Entry for Wm George, 1899, pg. 55/313, line 227 (age 3), census of the Pah-Ute Indians, Walker River Agency, Nevada
• 1900 Jun 4 - "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MST8-BGL : Fri Oct 06 09:46:33 UTC 2023), Entry for David George and Mattie George, 1900, pg. 335/1355, line 34, census of the Walker River Indian Reservation, Esmerelda County, Nevada
• 1911 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WGCY-ZQPZ : Thu Oct 05 16:50:26 UTC 2023), Entry for Billy George, 1911, pg. 260/313, line 162 (Unallotted, son of 425=Susie George), census of Paiute Indians, Walker River Agency, Nevada
• 1915 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4DTT-TR3Z : Fri Oct 06 22:39:36 UTC 2023), Entry for Jake George, 1924, pg. 49/513, line 179, census of the Paiute Indians, Walker River, Nev.
• 1917 Jun 2- "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYRY-3FP?cc=1968530&wc... : 24 August 2019), Nevada > Indians, Prisoners, Insane, In Hospitals, Late Registrants; A-Z > image 264 of 420; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), pg. 264/420 (hopeless Imbicle)
• 1917 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4DBM-11PZ : Fri Oct 06 16:39:32 UTC 2023), Entry for Billy George, 1924, pg. 135/513, line 170 (grandson of Susie), census of the Paiute Indians, Walker River Agency, Nevada
• 1918 Jun 30 - Camp Verde School: 1910-27; Canton Insane Asylum: 1910-22, Series: Superintendents' Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20408 @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/155854182?objectPage=886, line 11, male census of the Canton Asylum dated June 30, 1918
• 1919 Nov 23 - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14494267/willie-george: accessed February 13, 2024), memorial page for Willie George (–), Find a Grave Memorial ID 14494267, citing Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery, Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Graveaddiction (contributor 46528400).
• 1919 Nov 23 - Hilton, M. (Ed.). (2023, July 10). Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians Historical Marker. Historical Marker. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183486 Photo by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 10, 2023, courtesy of HMdb.org Joseph D. Marshall 11-21-19 · Willie George 11-23-19 · James Hathorn 11-29-19