Sarah Bond and Preston Murphy wedding day

Sarah Bond was the daughter of my 2nd great grand uncle, George W. Bond. You can read about her on my website:
http://www.joanneskelton.com/p1112.htm
Last week while researching on Genealogy Bank historical newspapers, I found the notice of Sarah's marriage to P. H. Murphy as published in the Oregon State Journal, Eugene, Oregon. It said:
MARRIED.  On June 21st 1874, at the residence of G. W. Bond near Eugene City, by N. Hull, J. P., Mr. P. H. Murphy of Monmouth, Polk Co, and Miss Sarah A. Bond of Lane Co., Oregon, both deaf mutes.
Near the end of April I wrote about Sarah's  brother Joseph who was also deaf and mentioned Sarah there.
I wonder how it made Sarah feel to have the newspaper list that fact in the account of her marriage.

John Elkins and Mary England Wedding Day

Mary England, my 1st cousin 3 times removed, was married on the 2nd of May 1888 in Marion County, Oregon, to John Elkins.  You can read a little about her and see her picture on my website:
http://www.joanneskelton.com/p463.htm
Today I did a little more research about Mary and John and discovered that both of them had been deaf. This was found in the special census for deaf marriages which was online at Ancestry.com. John stated that he was born deaf and attended the deaf school in Salem Oregon beginning in 1870 at age 19 and was there for 6 years. The 1880 census indicates that both John and his younger brother James were deaf. By 1880 John was living with his parents in Polk County, Oregon. Mary stated that she became deaf at age 9 months due to "brain fever." She also attended the deaf school in Salem, beginning in 1875 at age 9 and was there for 7 years. On the 1880 census she was shown as a student at the Deaf Mute School, outside Salem. It was just 3 days ago that I wrote about another cousin who was deaf and found the information about the Oregon school for the deaf.

Joseph A Bond's Birthday

Joseph A Bond was born on April 29, 1857 in Lane County, Oregon Territory, two  years before Oregon became a state.

To check my research done about Joseph, see his page on my website:

http://www.joanneskelton.com/p1116.htm

Relationship

You will see that he is listed as my 1^st cousin 3 times removed. In other words, he was the grandson of my 3^rd great-grandparents, John Bond and Sarah Chastain. His father George and my 2^nd great-grandfather Solomon were brothers. However, his parents were 1^st cousins so he is also my 2^nd cousin 3 times removed as my 3^rd great-grandfather John and Joseph's grandmother Selia were siblings. It does get rather confusing.

Deaf and Dumb

You can see that Joseph was listed as deaf and dumb on the 1860 and 1870 census. I thought it was interesting that the census taker in 1870 added the comment smart to Joseph's entry. According to the history of Oregon Deaf School,

http://www.salemhistory.net/education/oregon_school_deaf.htm

there were at least 30 deaf children in Oregon in 1870, so a state school was started. Did Joseph attend this school? Are there lists of students available? His sister Sarah who was also deaf and dumb did attend this school and met her future husband. By the 1880 census, Joseph's entry has a mark in the deaf and dumb column, but not in the cannot read or cannot write columns. In 1900 when Joseph was living with his brother James, the census taker wrote “yes” on Joseph's line on the columns can read and can write. So apparently someway Joseph did learn to read and write. However the census taker wrote “no” for the column can speak English. How could Joseph speak English when he was deaf and dumb? I really don't think that's what the designers of the census had in mind with that question.