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Question: Do you have any lunatics, imbeciles, idiots, blind, deaf and dumb mentioned on the census in your family tree!?
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Yes indeed in a early census, one of the children of my 4 times great grandparents was shown as a Imbecile and on another Census a relative was shown as having a bad Leg, Just adds to our picture of there lives!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I have found 2 going back to the 1800's,but they were probably people with learning difficulties as we term it today!.These entry's for people,deaf,blind or mentally disabled did not start to appear on the census forms until 1871 even though the column for it has always been on the form,on the UK ones anyway!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

They used terminology back then that would be considered uncharitable today!.

Years ago I was relating to some coworkers about being at Lamar University looking at census on microfilm!. I was looking through Travis County, Texas!. I told my coworkers that I searched the Travis County jail but when I got to the lunatic asylum I really didn't want to know!. Actually, I was just tired and wanted to go home!.
I was told by another coworker that a person can find a lot of that sort of thing in their family when going through old records!. Not to be concerned unless you show a pattern coming down from one common ancestor!.

Back then they didn't have the diagnostic tools they have today!. They knew very little about damage to a brain caused by loss of oxygen!. Infants have been damaged that way!.

When they confined someone to an institution it was because someone's behavior was such they couldn't deal with it especially in large families!. They didn't understand how traumas, physical as well as emotional could effect a person!. They didn'thave tranquilizers and other sedatives!. Well, there was alcohol!.

Now, they could put two and two together and understand if a person suffered a severe head trauma!. They didn't understand all the pathology of it!. They didn't have ambulances back in the country to rush them to a hospital and have Cat Scan or MRI done!. I had a great grandmother who had a roof to cave in on her and she wasn't the same mentally after that and also she went blind!. Before that that great grandmother had put out a little small newspaper!. In some instances, surgery could have corrected a problem or medication!.

My mother's oldest brother went to work at the State Hospital in Austin, Texas (they no longer call it the Lunatic Asylym) when he was a young man!. He was told not to talk to the inmates!. He was told they would ask him all sorts of quesitons but not to answer them!. They kept on and on, "What's your name!?" Where are your from!?" Finally he told them his name was Lee!. They all jumped on top of them and kept asking him questions and a guard had to beat them off with great big keys!. Can you imagine if you had some problem and you were confined where nobody would answer your quesitons and treated you like you didn't exit, you would probably go totally mad!. Those places back then were no doubt horror chambers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

lol, no but I would like to find at least one of the first three!.!.!.

*here's hoping*

EDIT - I DID find a three year old girl who was the "mother-in-law" of the head of the house, though I'm pretty sure that was the dumb transcriber on Ancestry!. It was amusing though

EDIT - I agree whole-heartedly with you on that one!Www@QuestionHome@Com

actually---- i have one deaf and one blind, and one lord and one suicide and one suspicious death and one baron and one architect and one who won the V!.C!., and even more! what family IS perfect they are all special at something! Www@QuestionHome@Com

I have found 2 idiots out of 6,230 relatives in my family tree and 3 deaf!. I've always thought it was so rude how they just wrote "idiot" on the far right side of the US Census records!. They should have said "he's just a little slow"!. lol Www@QuestionHome@Com

I have traced my family tree back to 1698, and nowhere on any records, mine or anyone else's do they mention the above!.
I think you have made it up
Ha Ha
Happy Now!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I feelI surelymust have because of all the syphllis case among the royalty of England and from the700s to the 900s I was related to themWww@QuestionHome@Com

I've traced mine back to 1718 and there is no mention of anyone with those characteristics, but then they all have the advantage of being WELSH!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes, one deaf!.
Maybe find more, or some of the others as I look further!.
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No :-(Www@QuestionHome@Com