Kells, Robert, 1819-1888

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Robert Kells was a medical doctor and the superintendent of the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum during the Civil War.

Born on June 19, 1819, at Claverack, New York, Kells was educated in the north and moved to Edward’s Depot, Mississippi, in 1840 where he began a medical practice. He married Mary Montgomery Phillips in 1846 and the couple received a substantial amount of land in Mississippi from Mary’s wealthy father in 1850. For a few years, Kells was a planter on the property, until he received an appointment as the superintendent of the State Lunatic Asylum in Jackson in 1859.

The asylum was under investigation over practices by previous superintendents, and Kells was brought in to improve the facility. He lobbied the state legislature to expand the facility, and invited famed nurse and humanitarian Dorothea Dix to aid in his efforts. They received some promises for increased funding, but the Civil War broke out before Kells could implement substantial changes to the facility and care of the patients. Kells remained in charge of the asylum during the war, and stayed at his post when Union soldiers occupied Jackson in 1863. Most sources indicate that Kells was a capable supervisor and did well in his job despite the hardships of war in Mississippi and the lack of support and supplies. Immediately after the war, he renewed his efforts to boost funding for the asylum, but in 1865 Kells was replaced by a new appointee (reportedly selected by federal officials then occupying Mississippi).

After leaving his position as supervisor of the state asylum, Kells practiced medicine in Jackson. Eventually, he returned to his plantation to again oversee planting operations. He maintained a general connection to the medical field, being a member of Mississippi’s Medical Association and the State Board of Health.

Kells’ wife Mary passed away in 1871. He lived until 1888, dying of a stroke at the age of 68. Kells is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.

(FindaGrave; The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS, April 26, 1888; Whitney E. Barringer, “The Corruption of Promise: The Insane Asylum in Mississippi, 1848-1910,” [2016], Electronic Theses and Dissertations, University of Mississippi)

Robert Kells belonged to the following social groups:

See also: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1642&context=etd

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