There are many likely diseases such as X-linked spastic paraplegia which is inherited through the mother's genes and primarily affects her sons. That particular disorder causes variable degrees of paralysis of the legs which can affect the child from birth or become apparent later. Girls in the same family might be affected very mildly or not at all, and would have a 50% chance of being carriers themselves. Marion On 4 December 2010 00:46, Charani <[email protected]> wrote: > There are three brothers on one of my lines who are all given as being > crippled.  They were born between 1838 and 1844, all illegitimate but > I think with the same father.  None of them married.  None of them had > skilled jobs.   They're given as labourers.  The middle brother was > noted as being crippled from birth. > > They died aged 68, 33 and 33.  I don't have any death certs as yet but > I'm wondering what kind of condition the three boys had, perhaps > hereditary. > > Anyone any ideas/thoughts? > > -- > Charani (UK) > OPC for Walton, Greinton and Clutton, SOM > Asst OPC for Ashcott and Shapwick, SOM > http://wsom-opc.org.uk > http://www.savethegurkhas.co.uk/ >

Marion wrote: > There are many likely diseases such as X-linked spastic paraplegia > which is inherited through the mother's genes and primarily affects > her sons. That particular disorder causes variable degrees of > paralysis of the legs which can affect the child from birth or become > apparent later. Girls in the same family might be affected very mildly > or not at all, and would have a 50% chance of being carriers > themselves. Thank you :)) I'll have to have a closer look at the mother's siblings (of which there were many but not all survived to adulthood). Unfortunately they were all born pre Civil Registration. The sister was unaffected and didn't pass on whatever condition it was, which is why I suspected the father rather than the mother. This is one instance where I really could do with knowing who the father/s of the children was/were. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Greinton and Clutton, SOM Asst OPC for Ashcott and Shapwick, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk http://www.savethegurkhas.co.uk/