During our time in Gloucester this fall, I've acquainted myself with the treasures available at the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Dorchester. This facility allows access to birth, marriage, death,and divorce records from 1926-present day!!! Yes! Those of us who are researching vital records in a state like New York find this to be simply amazing. A state that allows access to such materials is a friend indeed.
They are only open certain hours and they do charge $9 / hour BUT they give you full access to the records you request. You must transcribe by hand (no photos) BUT they give you full access to the records you request. Did I mention that?
Anyhow, this has allowed me to close some long open doors in the family tree. One of these is for Chester Ryan, our grandfather Paul Ryan Sr's brother. His death date and location were an uncertainty for many years. He'd been labeled as mentally deficient for draft registration so he lived with family members for much of his life. In 1929 he was living with his parents and siblings Viola (Aunt Bud) and John (Jack) on Eastern Ave in Gloucester. It appears their address (if they haven't changed the numbers in the meanwhile) puts the residence across the street from (today's) Crow's Nest.
By 1940, he was a patient at the State Hospital in Danvers. Then I lost track of him, but recently found his death record at the Registry from 1975 in a Westborough facility for adults. I'm guessing there were limited places for impaired adults to live and Westborough provided the best choice, though it is 1.5 hours from Gloucester on today's highways. It must have been a burden for his family members to visit him and I can't help but feel he was lonely.
His mother died in 1945, his father died much earlier. By the time Chester died in 1975, Grampie Paul Ryan Sr. was the only sibling left. We know Paul's condition would not have allowed for visits. I hope he was happy with other patients for as many years as he resided there. He's also buried there and I hope to visit one day to pay my respects.
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