Unusual death place case study: Thomas Cammenga

When Thomas Cammenga died on 5 May 1842, he did not die in his place of residence, Leeuwarden in Friesland, but in Deventer, Overijssel. His death record showed he died at the Bagijnenstraat.¹

Death record of Thomas Cammenga

Deventer was 120 km/75 miles from Leeuwarden. Whenever we notice something odd like this, we have to ask ourselves why:

Why did Thomas die in Deventer even though he lived in Leeuwarden?

Let’s go through some of the common reasons why somebody died away from home:

• Jail. Leeuwarden had its own jail, so Thomas would not have been sent to Deventer.
• Military service. Thomas was 42 years old and a book binder. He was not serving in the military when he died.
• Trade. As a book binder, it is possible that he was in Deventer to purchase books or supplies, though unlikely.
• Family visit. No family members were known to have lived in Deventer.
• Hospital. A Google search showed that there was a mental hospital and a pauper hospital at the Bagijnenstraat in Deventer.² Many places had hospitals where poor people could receive care. But mental hospitals were few and far between. If Thomas was in a mental hospital, that would explain his presence in Deventer. He died at the Bagijnenstraat, consistent with him being in the mental hospital there.

So we now have a hypothesis why Thomas died in Deventer. How can we check if he was in a mental hospital?

• Death records may give clues, for example if the informants worked at the hospital, or the address of the deceased matched the location of the hospital.
• Hospital registers may include lists of patients
• Census and population registers may list long-term patients of such facilities.
• Court records may show if somebody was involuntarily committed.
• Municipal records may show if somebody was involuntarily committed, since the municipality would often pay for the hospital costs.

The resolutions of the city of Leeuwarden are online at the Historical Center Leeuwarden website. An entry for 6 November 1841 discusses Thomas:

Information by Martijntje Goos, wife of Thomas Camminga, book binder in this location, that her husband suffers from losing his senses and that the court has ordered him to be placed in an insane asylum, which she cannot afford.
Mayors and aldermen decide that the city will provide the means and request permission from the States Deputies to place him in the asylum in Deventer, 6 November 1841.³

This entry shows that Thomas did suffer from a mental health condition and was committed to the mental hospital in Deventer. Court records could be consulted to find more details.