Hello,
There might have been some discussion about this blindness trait on these
lists before. Today as I was looking through some notes on my Carters, it
appears that at least some of of MALE grandchildren of my Samuel and
Susannah Carter of Nelson/Hardin counties, might have had a genetic disease
that caused blindness.
If the only children who were affected were MALES, it might be an X-linked
characteristic - not showing up in women unless they had the gene on both
of their X chromosomes. Men only having one X Chromosome, if it had the
gene, then the gene would be expressed. Of course, it could also be a
recessive trait or a dominant trait - not sex linked.
So I am calling for anyone who knows any Carter in their lines that were
blind. Seems like some of the Shadrack, Meshack or Abindigo descendants
might fall into that category. Perhaps we can use this knowledge to see if
these families are related. It is also possible that these blind men did
not marry and their gene defects mostly died out.
If I am reading my notes correctly, my Samuel and Susannah had a son named
Joseph, who had a daughter Nancy, who had 1 or 2 sons who were blind (she
married a Shadrick Carter - not sure if he was related or not?). Also,
Samuel had a son Jacob who had a son, Allen, who was Idiotic - and who
knows what that was for sure - except he did not seem to be able to care
for himself. Similar gene defect? or just a Down's baby? Not sure we
will ever know in this life.
Anyway, just another thought in determining who is who in the Carter lines.
Kathie
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M. Kathleen Felsted
<mkfelsted(a)gmail.com>KF7TDL
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