Philander C Royce

Philander was the son of Orland W Royce and Esther Miller. The family moved to Sarpy County in the early 1870s from Kane County, Illinois. His father established the first hardware store in Papillion.

Philander resided in Papillion until he was about twenty-two years of age when he was judged insane. He was taken to Lincoln for treatment and later was sent to Hastings, Nebraska, where he resided until his death.

A "state asylum for the incurably insane" was built in Hastings and patients, transferring from Lincoln, were first received in 1889. Philander was a patient at Hastings in the 1900 Census and was probably one of the first residents.

Those sent to Hastings were believed to be incurable and the name of the Hastings facility, "Hospital for the Incurably Insane", later changed to "Asylum for the Chronic Insane". In the 1910 Census, Philander was still a patient and the name had been changed to the "Nebraska State Hospital".

The reason of why Philander was admitted and spent the last twenty years of his life at a state hospital is not known.

Philander died at the age of 44 years of paralysis of the brain.

Note: Philander's obituary states he was born in Papillion, NE. All census records indicate he was born in Kane County, IL.