Lunch and Learn: How Did Colonial New Englanders Cope with Mental Health Crises?

In this virtual talk, Professor Cornelia Dayton of the University of Connecticut will discuss on Euro-American settlers and mental health. She will discuss their repertoire of coping strategies (including conservatorships). While her research has shown that they were largely sympathetic and patient with acquaintances who struggled with depression and other mental afflictions, White settlers’ sympathy did not extend to their Indigenous and African-descended neighbors.

This virtual program is free. To secure a spot, register now. You will receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link attached, and we will send you a reminder on the day of the program.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Busa, Public Programs and Special Events Coordinator, at [email protected].

About the Speaker
Cornelia Dayton, Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, is currently researching mental health sufferers in New England until 1840, emphasizing people’s life stories and the fault lines of race, gender, and social status. Her publications include Women before the Bar: Gender, Law, and Society in Connecticut, 1639‑1789; Robert Love’s Warnings: Searching for Strangers in Colonial Boston (with Sharon V. Salinger); and a recent New England Quarterly article, “Lost Years Recovered: John Peters and Phillis Wheatley Peters in Middleton.”

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Image:  Atwood Barnabas lost notice, Massachusetts Mercury, June 11, 1799