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• Thomas John Healy
• Margaret Gallagher

Generation 1

• Thomas Healy
• Jean Healy
• Rose Healy
• Frances Healy
• Margaret Healy
• Patrick Healy
• Catherine Healy
• Susan Healy
• Francis Healy
• Denis Healy

Francis Joseph Healy 1894-1921

The story of Francis Joseph Healy is as tragic as his older brother Patrick, and sisters Susan and Catherine.

It appears that not many members of the 2nd generation Healy family (Sharps) knew about Francis. However he was mentioned in several family documents which led to further investigation. The true story of Francis was identified and documented in his very sad story, so uncovering an uncle many of the next generation never knew they had.

Francis Joseph Healy was the 2nd youngest of the Healy family, and was born on 9 June 1894. His mother Margaret was aged 39 and his father 48 years. He was born at Kyeburn, but according to the Kyeburn School Register of Admissions, he did not attend school. It appears Francis suffered from spastic diplegia (known today as cerebral palsy) from birth. His baptism records state: born 6/04/1895; bap 1/02/1902; father Thomas Healy; mother Margaret Gallagher; address Lower Kyeburn; minister W.A. McMullan; godparent: Mrs Sinclair (Naseby); conditional baptism; Ranfurly Book 13 (Bap 1), 27. [Note birth date discrepancy; baptised same date as brother Denis and sister Susan] See conditional baptism.

The definition of Spastic diplegia says it is a neuromuscular type of cerebral palsy involving hypertonia and spasticity in the muscles of the lower extremities, usually those of the legs, hips and pelvis.

It would appear that his physical disabilities precluded him from being gainfully employed, and he led a very sad life until his early death at Seacliff in 1921.

The Search for Francis

Francis was identified by tracing his name from the following documents. We have listed them here so you can see the process we followed.

(1) On the family tree produced several years ago by Beverley, 10 children are listed:

• Jean
• Thomas
• Rose
• Frances
• Margaret
• Dennis
• Patrick
• Catherine
• Susan
• Frank

We wondered who Frank was, as he had never been mentioned before. So the search continued.

(2) In the Probate document for Thomas Healy dated 27 August 1918, signed by Margaret Healy, the following 9 children are listed:

• Thomas Healy
• Patrick Healy
• Francis Healy
• Jane Norwood
• Rose Johnson
• Frances Healy
• Margaret Sharp
• Catherine Healy
• Susan Healy

Note: Dennis was not listed, probably because he had died in France in 1917.

(3) In an Examination Note dated 18 August 1914 for Patrick Parnell Healy on admission to Seacliff, there is the note:

• "He does not know his name or the name of his brother."

(4) In the Application for Reception Order for Patrick dated 14 August 1914 from Margaret Healy in Dunedin, under Mental Defectives Act 1911, three other siblings are listed:

• Catherine - sister
• Susan - sister
• Francis Joseph - brother

All were noted as being "imbecile since birth".

(5) In a Probate document for Margaret Healy dated 3 March 1927, the following 9 children are listed:

• Bridget Jane Norwood of Wanganui
• Rose Anne Johnson of Dunedin
• Fanny Bryant of Auckland
• Margaret Sharp of Green Island
• Patrick Parnell Healy, at present a mental patient
• Katherine Healy, at present a mental patient
• Susan Healy, at present a mental patient
• Francis Joseph Healy (now deceased) son
• Thomas John Healy of Omarama

Note: The four eldest girls had married, and 3 were recorded as being mental patients. Again, there was no mention of Denis, and Francis was then deceased.

(6) A search of the Dunedin City Council cemetery records revealed the following record:

• Francis Joseph Healy, Male 27 years, Died 7 January 1921
• Resident of Seacliff Mental Hospital
• Buried Andersons Bay, Block 24, Plot 58, 10 Jan 1921

Medical Records

(7) A request to the Otago District Health Board Archives resulted in the medical files for Francis being released.

It would appear that Francis was admitted to Seacliff Hospital on 14 August 1914, the same day as his brother Patrick and two sisters Susan and Catherine.

One medical certificate stated:

• "Constable Lemm states that the patient is not under proper control owing partly to the parents being addicted to alcoholism, that he often has hardly any clothes on him even in the coldest weather."

Francis's health was described as being only fair, with "congenital diplegia".

The first doctor who signed the medical certificate said:

• "Patient has no idea of his surroundings and is quite unable to answer simple questions in an intelligent manner, cannot say how many brothers and sisters he has got. Owing to paralysis of both legs patient gets about on his knees."

The second doctor stated:

• "His mother Margaret Healey of Kyeburn informs me that she is no longer able to look after the patient. Constable Lemm, Naseby, informs me that the parents are addicted to drink and that the boy is not under proper supervision."

The records also state that Francis was very anaemic, but free from any injury or infectious disease at the time.

• "Patient is unable to answer simple questions. He barely knew his own name and did not know the names of his brothers and sisters. He is suffering from what appears to be spastic paralysis - he crawls on his knees and is wet and dirty."

As noted previously, spastic diplegia is a form of cerebral palsy, a condition at birth which has a range of causes, including premature birth, and certain infections in the mother before and during birth. However, exactly what caused Francis to suffer from these physical and mental handicaps is impossible to speculate in the absence of evidence, but he may have been a premature baby who had a difficult birth.

The records state that he "has been an imbecile practically since birth" which suggests that the condition was not identified until some time after he was born. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but secondary conditions can include seizures, epilepsy, speech or communication disorders, eating problems, sensory impairments, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and/or behavioral disorders, all of which were noted on the medical files for Francis.

The records show that Francis was unable to do anything for himself, did not speak but at times yelled noisily. He was unable to walk owing to weakness and deformity of the feet and legs, and sat with a vacant expression on his face. In 1920 he was noted as being a demented epileptic who only crawled about, and was losing weight, pale faced, and always sat hunched up. His life at Seacliff must have been very difficult and uncomfortable. He had nothing to do, and must have spent most of his days in or near his ward.

This 1926 photo shows Seacliff patients enjoying outside activities, but considering the physical disabilities Francis suffered, this would have been impossible for him.

It was also recorded that he was likely to develop "tubercle of the lungs", which in modern terms is tuberculosis (A tubercle is a small abnormal lump in an organ or in the skin, especially a lesion in the lungs that is characteristic of tuberculosis).

Francis was being monitored for this, and on 7 September 1920 the files noted that "nothing definite made out today in chest". However, on 4 October, he was confined to bed with a cough and a temperature, but the medical staff were unable to perform a full examination because Francis was uncooperative, and curled up in bed suffering from diarrhoea. The records stop here.

Death

The next entry was a notification of death, stating that Francis had died at 2 am on 7th January 1921 at the age of 27 years, in the presence of an attendant A B Wiley. He had last been visited by his sister Rose Johnson on 7 December 1920.

The cause of death was noted as being tuberculosis (Phthisis Pulmonalis) - Consumption of the lungs; strictly applied to the tuberculous variety. Francis had spent six and a half years at Seacliff.

Francis was buried on 10 January in Block 24, Plot 0058 Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin (pictured).

Francis Joseph Healy was the youngest family member at Seacliff, and the first to die, having spent six and a half years there.

He had the most tragic life of all the Healys, and seemed to have suffered the most from his medical condition and poor health.

Photo taken by Margaret Bremner of Dunedin.