6 Places to Stumble Upon Ancestor's "Blindness"

Family historians and researchers know some of the Federal censuses noted Blindness and Partial Blindness of our ancestors, but how can we learn more about their vision problems? This is a response to the #1 question generated from the 2 Jul 2025 Linkedin Article titled :

Our Ancestors: Eye Health & Vision  Loss

6 Places to Stumble Upon "Blindness"

1. Death Records, In addition to seeing your ancestor's death notice as "Place of death" an Asylum or listed as an inmate in an institution for the blind, or a poorhouse record that states they were blind you may find them in the early census records. 

2.  Chuch and Community Financial Records. One of the early records that noted a church caring for the blind was that for "Blind Birdle."  This record was in the Pennsylvania Quaker books of 1777. The church was guaranteeing her care. We also see these types of records in Community Outreach Societies and and City and County Financial Records.

3. Asylums for the Poor, Blind, Indigent Records. There were also those early asylum like this one seen in the 1872 Westchester, NY map.

This was expected, since NY suffered more than most states with tuberculosis epidemics.  Scrofula tuberculosis [aka consumption] was often the cause of blindness. It is a form of tuberculosis affecting lymph nodes, primarily in the neck.

4. Obituaries. We may also learn of an ancestor's blindness in an obituary. The cause of the blindness or the event that caused it may be stated as it was in the 1927 obituary for Blind Boone. 

5. Wills and Probates. We also see information about our blind ancestors in Wills and Probates, where the family provided for their care. I have to say, these are my favorites.

Botetourt County, Virginia, 1858

6. The Blind Censuses. If you aren't familiar with the early census, you may wish to listen in to Off The Wall: Making Sense of the U.S.Census:

Although the early census, as early as 1830 had questions about blindness, some provide us with additional information. These early censuses held separate accounts of the “colored people,” Check out 1830-1840 below.

 1830 Census

Figure 8 1830 Federal Census

1840 Census

 

Figure 9 Total for County, Rutherford, NC

 These censuses were used for citizenry analysis and tax appropriations but were not as useful for individual family analysis.

 1850 Census

 

Figure 10 1850 Census

 1880 Census

The 1880 Federal Census, Column 16 allowed the census taker to place a tick on Blind, as done below for Maier Martin prior to analyzing the associated Questionnaire Supplemental Schedule.

 

Figure 11 Maier Martin Blind, Column 16

 The object of the 1880 Supplemental Schedule was to furnish material not only for a complete enumeration of the blind, but for an account of their condition. It was important that every inquiry regarding each case be answered. “Enumerators will, therefore, after making the proper entries upon the Population Schedule (No. 1), transfer the name (with Schedule page and number) of every blind person found, from Schedule No. 1 to this Special Schedule, in order to ask the additional questions indicated below.”

 “In this enumeration will be included not only the totally blind, but also the semi-blind. No person will be carried on this Schedule, however, who can see sufficiently well to read. For the distinction between the totally blind and the semi-blind see Note E; it is of the greatest importance to note this distinction with care, by making the proper entry in columns 10 or 11.”

 

Figure 12 Instructions for 1880

The Maier’s 1880 Defective Dependent Schedule, above example, was not completed properly, which seems to be common for African Americans' enumerations, but here is an example of a correctly completed schedule with useful or requested information:

Figure 13 Example for 1880 results for blind

In some cases, eye infections caused various inflammatory conditions in both eyes. Whooping cough is an example:

 

 In the example below, multiple family members, like the Morris family below, may have been named due to an infectious disease like tuberculosis.

Figure 14 U.S., 1880 Brown County, KS, Supplemental Schedule for Blind

In 1880 Brown County Kansas, like across the country, scrofula tuberculosis [aka consumption] was often the cause of blindness. “Scrofula is a form of tuberculosis affecting lymph nodes, primarily in the neck.

 1910 Census

Instructions:

If noted as blind, then there was further instruction under Education: