Dorothea Dix was born in Hampden, Maine on April 4, 1802. Her parents were Mary and Joseph Dix. She was the eldest of three children. Growing up wasn’t easy for Dorothea with her mother being mentally unstable and her father an alcoholic. Managing the home rested on her shoulders since she was the oldest. Her father made very little money between farming, preaching, and selling his printed sermons. Dorothea’s most hated chore …show more content…
Although Madam Dix was 68 years old, widowed, and had already raised a large family with all her kids grown; she was unsure if she should take on the responsibility of a twelve year old. However, she was amazed at Dorothea’s appealing reasoning for wanting to live with her, so she decided to allow it and sent word to her son that Dorothea would remain in Boston. As time went on living with her grandmother, their personalities began to clash. Thus, making it very stressful for Madam Dix, she then decided to entrust her “problem” with Dorothea’s aunts, who had “a reputation for being unusually successful in the management of young people”. So at that time, she went to Worchester with her