Not Forgotten

This site is to share public records regarding patients and employees of the Traverse City Asylum, State Hospital for the Insane, Northern Michigan Asylum, Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital.
There is so little information available regarding patients, often known as inmates, that I felt it was important to post, make public, the little information available, as a genealogist, researcher and briefly, an "inmate" shortly before it closed.
My homage to those who suffered.

Friday, June 5, 2015

The Hermit, Roch Tybushewsky

From the book, Traverse City State Hospital
"The man known to many as "Rock the Hermit" was born in Poland in 1846. According to one account, he accidentally killed a student when he was a teacher in Alpena, Michigan. He imposed the hermit lifestyle upon himself as a penance. He lived in Leelanau County, north of Suttons Bay along M-22, in a dugout. Even though he was a hermit, he ended up posing for a variety of photographs which were made into post cards in the first part of the 20th century.  He was admitted to Traverse City State Hospital in 1919. He died there in 1931 at the age of 84."

Lived north of Suttons Bay near Belanger Pond. In a home dugout of the bank near the railroad track. Supposedly could speak 13 languages. Rumored to have studied for the priesthood but gave it up to become a teacher in Alpena.

Tybushewsky, Roch. Presque Isle Co. MI Otsego CountyNaturalizations 1875-1956

1900 census
Born December 1846, Poland Russia
Current home, Suttons Bay, Leelanau, Michigan
Immigrated 1874
Farm laborer
Single
Roch Tybushausky

1920
73, born at 1847 Poland Russia
Speaks English
Pb Poland Russia, parents spoke Polish
Roch spoke Polish
Traverse State Asylum

1930
83 years old
Single
State Hospital for Insane TC
Can read and write

Ancestry.com Family Tree, The Hermit
Born December 29, 1846, Poland Russia
Arrived 1874, 28 years old
1878 lived in Detroit
1884 lived Duncan City, Michigan
1909 lived Suttons Bay, Michigan
1920 Traverse City Asylum
1930 Traverse City Asylum
Died March 3, 1931 TC Asylum

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1 comment:

  1. UnknownMay 20, 2017 at 6:50 AM

    Thanks so much for this post! Is there any more information about why/when he was admitted to the hospital?

    ReplyDelete

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