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Mary Fonsic Ran Away Again.
Exploring the newspaper articles that chronicle her path to the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded. Read the Plain Language version over on Substack. Many thanks to the Gloucester Lyceum, the Sawyer Free Library, and Community History Archive for digitizing these newspapers and making them freely accessible and searchable. In 1900, Mary Fonsic was sixteen years…
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ID in the News: September 2024
Welcome to the first Intellectual Disability News recap on Finding Mary Fonsic. I’ll aim to do this once a month and hit the biggest recent ID news in the USA. Click here for the Plain Language Version of ID News September 2024. Politics Massachusetts Program trains migrants for much-needed DDS positions The Lowell Sun reports…
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Once Upon a River and Authentic Disability Representation
Diane Setterfield’s masterpiece stars two very different characters with intellectual disabilities. Plain language version: Review of Once Upon a River After a heavier week researching mid 19th century institutionalization efforts, I’m excited to write instead about a book that I absolutely adore. There are so few books with characters who have intellectual disabilities, and even…
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Hugh Blair of Borgue had an Intellectual Disability
Plain Language Version here! Hugh Blair of Borgue was a 18th century Scottish Laird, a member of the landowning class, a son, brother, husband, and father, and he was most likely autistic. None of these traits are why we’re talking about Hugh 300 years later, though. Details of Hugh’s life exist today because of the…
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Autism vs Intellectual Disability
Autism vs. Intellectual Disability: Plain Language Version here! Autism and Intellectual Disability are not the same, but the two diagnoses share a deep history. This shared history is important and reveals the origin of many beliefs, misconceptions, and prejudices about Autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Here, I’ll provide a brief overview of…
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I don’t have an intellectual disability
Access the plain language version of this post here! I’ve pondered putting my thoughts, research, and experience with intellectual disability into writing for some time now. Many things delayed me, most of them pretty typical—work is busy, my laptop is on the fritz, and it’s just generally challenging to sit down and start a new…
Who is Mary Fonsic?
Mary Fonsic was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts in the 1880s to Portuguese immigrants. When she was in her twenties, she was institutionalized at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded, later renamed the Walter E. Fernald School. She remained there for the rest of her life.
My great-grandfather must have known about his Aunt Mary. He lived with extended family, he was in his late teens when she died, and she was buried in the same plot as his mother. Yet he never mentioned her to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, many of whom are intellectually disabled.
At its core, I am seeking to solve the mystery of my family. Why are my intellectually disabled relatives largely hidden from the world? And are their lives today impacted by Mary Fonsic’s life, and what my great-grandfather saw of it?
I’ve been thinking about these questions for around a year, since I found Mary Fonsic listed as an “Inmate” on historical records from the Walter E. Fernald School. I realized these questions are far from simple, and the answers dig deep into the history of the way our society views intellectual disability. Once a week, I hope to bring some insight into cultural perceptions of intellectual disability through a variety of lenses such as historical records, personal anecdotes, scientific and sociological research, governmental legislation, and current activism.
Caroline Lunt