The Hidden Story of Emma Wolverton: Unraveling the Kallikak Legacy
Written on
Chapter 1: Early Life and Challenges
Emma Wolverton, known as Deborah Kallikak in historical contexts, led a life marked by institutional confinement. Born in 1889 in Vineland, New Jersey, she was the daughter of a bankrupt alcoholic who abandoned her mother, Malinda, during her pregnancy. A benevolent family stepped in to assist Malinda, allowing her to work and care for her newborn.
As Malinda faced further challenges, including another pregnancy, her benefactors urged her to marry, which she did. However, after divorcing her husband while expecting her fourth child, a conditional marriage offer arose—he would marry her only if she abandoned her three older children. Thanks to the support of her benefactors, young Wolverton was admitted to the Vineland Training School at just eight years old.
The Vineland Training School, established by S. Olin Garrison in 1888, aimed to provide compassionate care and education to children deemed "feebleminded." Garrison’s vision was to nurture these children through learning and interaction with nature, fostering their potential for a functional adult life.
The term "feeblemindedness," used broadly in the late 19th century, encompassed various mental deficiencies that would later be better defined. Upon arriving at the school in 1897, Wolverton was marked as feebleminded, primarily based on her difficulty in socializing with peers.
Over the years, she acquired skills such as sewing and woodworking, contributing to the school’s labor force as a teenager. Her roles included being a waitress, assisting in woodworking classes, and even helping care for the principal's child. Despite her classification, visitors were often taken aback by her apparent normalcy.
At 17, Wolverton encountered Henry Herbert Goddard, the new Director of Research at the school. Goddard, a psychologist with a growing interest in intelligence testing, viewed feebleminded children as subjects for his experiments. After assessing Wolverton, he labeled her a "moron," a term he coined to categorize those who were neither imbeciles nor idiots.
Section 1.1: Goddard's Research and Its Implications
Goddard sought to establish a scientific basis for diagnosing intelligence, moving away from subjective medical opinions. His breakthrough came with the Simon-Binet test, which evaluated children's mental ages. Implementing this test at Vineland, he began compiling family histories to explore hereditary patterns in feeblemindedness.
Initially relying on admission forms and hearsay, Goddard later developed a structured form for parents and doctors to provide more accurate data. To his astonishment, he discovered many familial links to mental deficiencies, leading him to theorize that feeblemindedness was a hereditary trait.
Goddard’s team included skilled assistants who delved into Wolverton's family background, tracing her lineage back 130 years. They uncovered two branches of the Wolverton family: one respectable and the other associated with feeblemindedness and criminal behavior.
In 1912, Goddard published "The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness," presenting Wolverton's life under the pseudonym "Deborah Kallikak." The name derived from the Greek words for "good" and "bad." The narrative suggested that Martin Kallikak (actually John Wolverton), a Revolutionary War veteran, had fathered a feebleminded line after an encounter with a barmaid, further illustrating his hereditary theories.
Goddard's book gained immense popularity, becoming a cornerstone of early 20th-century eugenics.
Chapter 2: The Kallikak Family Legacy
At the age of 25, Wolverton was transferred to the New Jersey State Institution for Feeble-Minded Women. The staff, aware of her identity as Deborah Kallikak due to her portrayal in Goddard's book, recognized her capabilities. She worked as a child carer, seamstress, and even a nurse during a 1920 outbreak. However, the institution’s strict policies prevented her from mingling with men to curb potential procreation.
Despite her confinement, Wolverton utilized her woodworking talents to escape on occasion, reportedly engaging in romantic escapades. Ultimately, she resigned herself to a life of labor, caring for children, sewing, and organizing plays for the institution's young residents.
In the 1980s, investigators revisited Goddard's work and uncovered significant inaccuracies in the genealogy of the Kallikak family. They clarified that there were two distinct John Wolvertons who were second cousins, and not all of Wolverton's relatives shared the same negative traits. Some led fulfilling lives, including her mother, Malinda, who enjoyed a long marriage with her second husband.
Wolverton passed away in 1978 at the age of 89 within the institution. By that time, she had come to accept her life as a necessary confinement. Her true family history remained obscured until long after her death. Despite her circumstances, she fondly remembered Goddard, naming a cat after him as a tribute to her connection with the man whose work inadvertently made her famous.
Discover the challenges and triumphs faced during the Cape York charity walk, showcasing resilience and community spirit.
Meet local heroes and learn about their inspiring contributions to the Cairns region, shedding light on community efforts and personal stories.