The Life and Trials of Frederick Painter, a Deaf Mute of Cardiff, ca 1812-1883

The story in the attached picture (click onto the image for a larger readable file), is taken from the September 1886 issue of Deaf and Dumb World: a Monthly Journal. This little magazine (it measures about 5″ x 8″) was edited by Ernest Abraham.

As such it was a forerunner of the Deaf and Dumb Times.

As to Frederick Painter, the 1861 census tells us he was a fishmonger, born in London, but by the 1871 census he was an “itinerant vendor of cockles, oysters etc”, aged 49 living at 17 Peel St with a Mary Ann Harris, also “Deaf and Dumb from birth”, birthplace unknown.  By the 1881 census he was clearly on a downward spiral as he has no job listed.  A sad story of someone who deserved to get a fair chance.

Unfortunately we have no Cardiff Mission records, but perhaps someone interested in this story could track down more records in Cardiff.