Rhoda Derry
Rhoda Derry was a young woman who became a mental patient and remained in that state for the majority of her life, but it is the narrative behind her condition that has captured the public’s imagination. Rhonda was involved with a young man named Charles, and Charles’s mother did not approve of her relationship with Charles. A spell was cast on Rhoda by the mother, who threatened to cast a spell on her if she didn’t abandon her kid. Rhoda was apprehensive of witches. Rhoda began exhibiting symptoms of mental illness at the age of 18 and was diagnosed with “madness” shortly after. Despite being described as “blind and insane” she was admitted to the Adams County Almshouse when she was 25 years old, and she spent the rest of her adult life in institutions, living to be one day shy of 72.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln began his professional life as a lawyer, Illinois state politician, congressman, and Whig Party leader before becoming the 16th president of the United States. After Lincoln was elected president in 1860, pro-slavery states began to split from the Union, sparking the start of the American Civil War. In the following years, Lincoln led the country through the Civil War, successfully maintaining the Union, until he was killed in December of 1865. He is still regarded as one of the greatest presidents to have ever served in the United States.
