The Blind Couple

Yesterday on a TV show there was some talk about a couple who were both blind and how some of their children were as well. That brought back some memories I had from over 50 years ago about a couple that my parents knew who were also both blind. It also made me wonder how my parents knew them. Since my parents are no longer living, I decided to use my genealogical research skills to see if I could uncover the answer.

Initially I only recalled the name of the man in the couple, Ed Costello, so I started with him. I looked for him living in Waterbury, CT, in the 1940 census – the latest one that is available. I also found him in a couple of photos with his wife, Ann, and immediately remembered her as well.

Ed had partial sight, but as I recall saw things as fuzzy shadows. Ann was totally blind. We used to visit them occasionally on a Sunday afternoon. They lived in the Washington St neighborhood. For many years whenever I got off of I-84, I always thought as we came to the light at the end of the exit ramp that if I turned left instead of right that I would get to their house. At some point they moved to NY (I seem to recall Brooklyn, but I could be mistaken) and we visited them there only once – in an apartment building.

So I looked at the details in what I could find.

Edward was born in November of 1923, which made him only 7 months older than my mother. But his address in 1940, 155 Southmayd Ave, gave me the best lead on how my parents might have known him. He lived just one block from the Mill Plain Church (242 Southmayd Ave) which was the church that my mother’s family had attended and where my parents met when my father went to live with his grandparents in 1937 – just two blocks the other side of the church from Edward. But that was not the only connection. When Edward filled out his draft registration card in early 1942 at age 18, he listed as his employer Scovill Mfg, Eyelet Dept – the same department where my father was also working. Thus there was both a geographic proximity as well as he and my father would have walked to work on the same road and worked in the same department.

Edward and Ann both died in Cheshire, CT, in 1997 and 1988 respectively. I have not been able to find any references to them between 1940 and their death records several decades later. There are also no records of them having any children.

Those of us who are sighted have a difficult time contemplating what it must be like to go through life and not being able to see. These individuals usually have highly developed senses of hearing, touch, etc. And I’ve been amazed at this when I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside of these folks. Ed and Ann were the first ones that I encountered while growing up. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to know them.