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Northfield Nov 11th , 1842

Dr. S.G. Howe

Dear Sir,

There are six blind persons in this town, one of whom only, a Mifs Field, was born blind. She is now rather more than fifty years of age. I cannot learn that there have been any other instances of blindness among her connexions, near or remote, except that of an older sister who was also born blind, and died within the last year. The only other blind female in town is a Mrs. Lyman, a widow lady, whose age is sixty-three. She lost the sight of one eye in consequence of a severe inflammation, nine years since. Five years after she lost the sight of the other by inflammation, tho less severe. The nerve is supposed to be affected and there is no expectation of relief. She always enjoyed a sound constitution, and her eyes were never subject to more than a very slight and occasional weakness. She knows of none of her connexions who were blind, except an aunt who lived to an advanced period, losing her sight about four years previous to her death. We have also in this village a Mr. Parsons aged about sixty four or five, whose sight began to be obscured nine or ten years since, not by the forming of cataracts but by an infection of the nerve. His loss of sight was unattended with pain or inflammation. His eyes had always been previously good and strong, tho. his constitution was never very robust, yet such as to enable him to perform a good deal of labor in his employment, as shoe maker and tanner. I have never heard of any other instances of blindness among his relations.

Two brothers by the name of Alexander, aged men, are also blind. The oldest is eighty-nine and has been blind four years. The other is about eighty four or five, and began to lose his sight ten of eleven years since. Both constitutionally were hale robust men, blacksmiths by trade, but had not worked at that business for many years, being the owners of extensive farms. The oldest has been very deaf for twenty or thirty years, and the other has gradually becoming so for fifteen or twenty. They are the brothers of a Mr. Caleb Alexander whose English Grammer was much of use twenty or thirty years since. He published also a Latin and Greek Grammer and an edition of Virgil with the most literal translation ever given of the great poet, being so literal as to translate Me ipse, he hisself, and preserving also as much as possible the edition of his author, but I believe these last books were never extensively used. Perhaps you will smile at this digression, but as it occurred to me in connection with the aged men of whom I was speaking, I thought it might possess a slight degree of interest. I have been informed by a granddaughter of one of these men that their parents were either first or second cousins. It is not known that any other instances of blindness have existed in any branch of the family, or that there have been any instances of idiotic persons among the families or connexions of the five blind persons mentioned above, or that there has been any unusual comingling of kindred blood, as it respects their parents or remoter progenitors. Mrs Fields is an indigent circumstance and supported by the town; but the other four are living in the midst of their families in circumstances of independence. I have stated facts as far as I can learn them, and you can judge better than myself whether there was anything in either case which indicated a predisposition to blindness. As any blindness was occasioned by an accident of which you had probably heard me speak, I have thought it unnecessary to say anything concerning it.

I am with the sincerest respect,
Yours E. Webster