Oregon Historical County Records Guide
Jackson County Records Inventory
Insane Commitment Records
1859-[ongoing]
Series documents the examination, commitment, and release of mentally ill persons to and from the state's mental institutions. Series contains statements of complaint and commitment recorded by the county clerk or recorder and includes petitions to have an individual committed; physicians certification that an individual is insane; delivery warrants authorizing a county official (usually the sheriff) to take the individual to the state hospital; patient discharges; paroles or transfers; indexes; and correspondence. Information includes patient and family names, date committed, reason, physical description, and a brief family history. This series may also be known as the Insane Record, Mental Illness Record, and Mentally Ill and Feeble Minded Record. By 1968, in most counties, the commitment of the mentally ill or deficient had become the responsibility of the circuit court. Access to these records may be restricted for 75 years by Oregon Revised Statute 192.496.
Records at the Jackson County Justice Building Basement, Court
Archives:
Active Account Feeble-Minded and Insane [Payment
Record], ca.1904-1934 (1 volume);
Civil Business [County Court-includes mental commitments], vol. 9, 1957-1958 (1 volume);
County Court Civil Business [Docket-includes mental
commitment and naturalization entries-with index], vol. 3,
1873-1896 (1 volume);
County Court Civil Business [Docket-includes mental
commitment entries-with index], vol. 5-8, 1919-1957 (4
volumes);
[County Court Civil Business-Docket-includes mental commitment
and naturalization entries-with index], vol. 1, 1859-1873 (1
reel of microfilm); vol. 4, 1896-1919 (1 reel of microfilm);
[Mental Commitment Case Files], no. 1-6096, 84.6101M-06.801MC, 1904-2006 (79 cu.ft.);
Old Index Cards for Mentals [Commitment Case Files],
ca.1904-1988 (1.20 cu.ft.).
Records at the Jackson County Justice Building, Circuit Court
Probate Office:
[Mental Commitment Case Files], no. 07.001MC-08.340MC, 2007-present (1.50
cu.ft.).
Records at the Jackson County Genealogy Library Building, Library:
County Court Civil Business [Docket-includes mental
commitment and naturalization entries-with index], vol. 1,
1859-1873 (1 volume).