The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-MindednessGoddard, Henry Herbert
Science
The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness
Goddard, Henry Herbert
Heredity, Human; Mental retardation; People with mental disabilities
On another hill, less than two miles distant, lives a granddaughter of the
same Amos and Elizabeth. Her father had been, in his day, one of the
wealthiest and most prominent citizens of the community. In an old desk,
part of his inheritance from his mother, was found a number of valuable
papers belonging to the Kallikak family. One of these is the famous deed
of the original purchase made in 17-- by Casper Kallikak, signed by the
governor of the colony. These papers the daughter guards with great pride.
She is a woman of ability and manages her large farm with admirable skill.
The splendid old homestead, which has been remodeled and fitted up with
all modern conveniences, was built by her mother’s ancestor. Although she
is deeply interested in all family matters, she has been too much
engrossed in business affairs to have given this subject much attention.
A daughter of hers, however, who has inherited the taste, has been able to
make up for her mother’s lack in this respect. The young woman is now
married, and her oldest son bears the united name of his two ancestors,
the colonial governor and Martin Kallikak.
Miriam, the oldest daughter of Martin Sr., married a man who was a
carpenter and a farmer. Although of good family, yet, for some unknown
reason, he was not personally acceptable to Martin or his wife. Miriam
died when only thirty-six years old, and her husband married again. In his
will, Martin makes no mention of his grandchildren by this daughter. They
have been respectable farming people, but have never held the same social
position as the other members of the family.
Martin’s third daughter, Susan, married a man descended from a family
conspicuous in the colonial history of New Jersey and which counts among
its members one of the founders of Princeton University, while a
collateral branch furnished a signer to the Declaration of Independence.
One of Susan’s sons is still living, having attained the advanced age of
ninety-eight. He is a resident of the town that bears his family name and
has always been conspicuous as a loyal and upright citizen. To-day, the
old man has quite lost his mental power but retains his courteous manner
and placid gentlemanly countenance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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