Lena, probably taken on one of her Texas trips, date unknown.
Helena (Lena) was born in the Village of Caledonia, RacineCounty, Wisconsin in 1873. Her parents, John and Helen (Seitz) Besack had 9 other children-Mary, Emma, Elizabeth, Henry, Catherine, Rose, John, Odtelia ((John and Odtelia died in childhood) and Joseph. I don't have any knowledge of her childhood however by the 1900 US Census, Lena was 27 years old, living with her mother, sister Rose and niece Verna Poulson in Racine and working as a seamstress.
On June 13, 1902 Lena married William Stone Atwell in Racine. In 1904 their first child, Claude, was born in Chicago followed by
Wedding announcement from the Racine Weekly Journal.
Helen, James, Harry (my grandfather) and Norman all born in Racine. Lena and her husband built a cottage at Round Lake in Lake County, Illinois and enjoyed it for many years. In photo below you can see that the steps to the front door were never completed and their grandchildren remember it remaining this way forever.
Lena with her son Harry, about 1926.
It's worth mentioning here that I believe there is much more to my great grandmother's life than the following paragraphs, however, I lack this knowledge. Nobody should be defined or remembered by their mental illness, yet it seems to happen often because of the effects of the disease on not only the person but their family as well. Although the timeline isn't clear, sometime after 1940 Lena had, as described to me, either a nervous breakdown and/or mental illness of some kind and confined to a facility in Libertyville, Illinois by her husband. After his death in 1944, Lena's son Harry fought to get her released and brought her to live with him, his wife and 4 children. The difficulties this brought upon the whole family cannot be overstated. Lena basically became my grandmother Marie's charge, since Harry was working all day, on top of taking care of her own four children, one of them also in poor health. In spite of these difficulties Marie "never lost her kindness or faith in humanity" according to her daughter Marlene.
Lena did, however, overcome her anxiety issues and became well enough to spend winters in Texas with her cousin and summers with her daughter Helen in Kenosha. She regularly traveled by rail free of charge since her husband was a retired railroad employee. She outlived her husband almost 20 years and her son Claude and daughter Helen as well. Lena died on March 19, 1963 at Lake County General Hospital (Waukegan, Illinois) after a lengthy illness. A catholic mass was held at St. Joseph's Church in Round Lake with burial at St. Joseph's Cemetery.
While researching, I found this quote online and although it could apply to any illness I believe it speaks in a powerful way to individuals battling a mental illness. My hope is that one day I will write a more complete story for Lena, of which she is most deserving.
"You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle".
-Julian Seifter, MD
Lena's physical appearance changed dramatically during her health issues.
Round Lake cottage. Lena, Harry & Marie with their daughters Joan and Marlene.