Gacke, Mary (Miss), abt. 1861-1916

GACKE

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/19/2016 at 19:01:18

From the Alton Democrat, April 22, 1916: Rock Valley news:

Miss Mary Gacke, who has been confined in the asylum for several years at Cherokee, died in that institution one day last week and her remains were shipped here Monday. Funeral services were held at the Catholic church Tuesday morning after which she was buried in the Catholic cemetery south of town. Miss Gacke, several years ago, was in the millinery business here and was well liked by her many patrons and did well until overtaken by misfortunes.

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The Rock Valley newspaper is missing for this time period.

She does not appear in the Sioux County Cemetery Index, although FindaGrave.com has an entry for her in St. Mary's Cemetery, birth and death dates unknown. Brief biographical data from the Burlington [Wisconsin] Free Press (no date) is included on her page on that site. It says that she was 58 years old; born in Burlington, Wisconsin; came to Rock Valley about age 26 to conduct a millinery store for about 10 years; about 19 years ago she became ill and has been in the hospital for the insane since that time

A search for her in the online Rock Valley Bee shows her conducting a millinery business at least into 1896, but did not find any reference to her insanity commitment.

The 1900 U.S. census has a Mary Gack or Gacke in the Iowa Hospital for the Insane at Page, Iowa, age 39, born Wisconsin. The 1910 U.S. census has Mary Gacke, age 49, born Wisconsin of German parents, in the Cherokee State Hospital. She was probably moved there when it opened in August 1902 and patients from other overcrowded state hospitals were transferred to Cherokee.