Searching for Great Aunt Alice

First, a shadowy figure from a story my Grandma used to tell; and now a real name and a photo But the shame of her mental illness continues

She's actually my Great Great Aunt Alice Hatcher Brown but I will always think of her as Great Aunt Alice, which is what Grandma Mangus called her A victim of spousal abuse, she evidently had a very tragically exciting life, part of which was spent in an insane asylum (yet to be verified) and even had a forbidden romance

Seeking information, I contacted a relative through Ancestry-dot-com and was given her full name and the above photo Sadly, after several queries of mine for information, I was told to stop spreading "outlandish stories" about this long-ago family member The most my relative would admit to was that she had "had a hard life"

My heart is heavy that the stigma Great Aunt Alice suffered from is still active enough today to hinder my efforts to learn the truth about an incredible woman and what she suffered However, I am not deterred Oppression must be exposed in order to be avoided I am proud to call such a woman my very Great Aunt Alice and intend to post more about her as my research continues