USA > New York > Steuben County > Bath > The official records of the centennial celebration, Bath, Steuben County, New York, June 4, 6, and 7, 1893 > Part 20
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THE CENTENNIAL OF BATH.
Among the earliest preachers was Father Fish, of Campbelltown. On a beautiful Sunday morning in the spring of the year, he announced that he should hasten through the sermon in order to get home to take care of the sap, which he feared would go to waste if he were not there to attend to it. He usually brought his gun with him for it frequently occurred that a deer would cross his path and he must needs have some other weapon than "the sword of the Gospel" to procure food for his family in those days.
The following report, made by Hon. Edwin L. Church, Superintend- ent of Common Schools, in the town of Bath, in August, 1847, gives a very good history of the schools at that date, and is as follows :
"Number of entire school districts in the town is sixteen, and the number of parts of districts is eleven. That the number of joint districts, the school houses of which are situated wholly or partly in said town, is five. And one school for colored children. That the whole amount of money received by the Superintendent for that year was $1,020.69. That the school books mostly in use in said town are as follows: Sanders' First, Second, Third and Fourth Readers, American Manual, Smith's, Olney's and Mitch- ell's Geographies; Davies', Adams', Daboll's and Smith's Arithmetics; Brown's and Kirkham's Grammars ; Davies' and Day's Algebra ; Comstock's Phil- osophy ; Sanders' Spelling Book. Number of children taught, 1382. Num- ber of children over five and under sixteen, 1526."
July 8, 1846, a Union School was formed by the consolidation of Dis- tricts Nos. 2 and 5 in this village and forms the present School District No. 5. G. A. Rogers, Washington Barnes and Richard Brower were elected Trustees.
Adam Haverling donated to this Union District the site on which the present Haverling Union Free School stands, which was accepted by a meeting of the taxable inhabitants of the District in the following resolu- tion, passed March 6, 1847:
Resolved, That we accept with feelings of respect and gratitude Mr. Haverling's generous offer of a lot adjoining St. Patrick's Square for the site of the Union School house, and tender to him for ourselves and child- ren, for his providence and care for their comfort and happiness, our grateful sense of his kindness and our wishes for his prosperity and hap- piness.
Resolved, That the moderator and clerk sign and transmit to Mr. Haverling a copy of the preceding resolution.
April 13, 1847, a contract was made by W. S. Hubbell, Constant Cook and John D. Higgins, as Trustees of District No. 5, with Sylvanus Stephens, to build a school house on the lot, which was to be three stories, including basement, the outside walls to be of stone and brick, for the sum of
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$2,180.66. And this building was first used for school purposes May 15, 1848.
This building burned down Jan. 29, 1866, and the present beautiful and substantial school house was built in its place, at a cost of about $25,000, including $900 paid for a lot in front of it on Liberty street. Sam- uel S. May was the builder and David Rumsey, Robert L. Underhill, L. P. Hard were the Trustees.
In 1887, Hon. Ira Davenport gave to the District a lease of an acre of land lying north of the old school grounds. So we have now very large and commodious grounds for the school children.
The Principals of the Union School from 1848 to 1868 were as follows: Hathaway, Emerson J. Hamilton, Charles W. Gulick, James Buell, James A. Broadhead, William S. Hall, C. C. Wheeler, J. H. Strong, J. C. Higby, Henry A. Smith, Z. L. Parker, and J. Horace Crum and Edward Wilson, (joint Principals).
At a meeting of the legal voters of this District held August 6, 1868, the present Union Free School was formed, and G. H. McMaster, L. P. Hard, L. D. Hodgman, R. Hardenbrook, Abram Beekman and S. Ensign were duly elected members of the Board of Education. And it is a remarkable fact that L. D. Hodgman and Abram Beekman have been duly re-elected members of the Board of Education ever since, and they are the only persons now living who were elected in 1868, making a continu- ous service of a quarter of a century.
September 7, 1868, Haverling Union Free School with its Academic department was opened to the public. And it at once took rank with the leading union free schools of the State. Prof. Z. L. Parker, our poet of this day, was the first Principal and continued to the end of the spring term of 1869, when he was succeeded by Prof. L. M. Johnson, who taught one year, and was succeeded. by Rev. E. H. Lattimer, who taught to the close of the spring term of 1873. He was succeeded by Dr. L. D. Miller, the pres- ent Principal, who has had the charge of the school from September 1873, to the present time, a period of twenty years, and by his earnest and effi- cient efforts has brought our school up to its present high and noble standing.
The following are the names of the teachers in Haverling Union School: L. D. Miller, Ph. D., LL. B., A. M., Principal ; Miss Rebecca L. Leeke, A. M., Preceptress ; Charlotte Sedgwick, Anna Freeman, Lillian Ostrander, assistants in the Academic department. Miss Freeman has charge of the drawing, and Miss May Cowley of the music; Miss E. Faucett, No. 8; Margaret Smith, No. 7; Harriet Bushnell, No. 6, Mary Wilkes, assistant ; Margaret DeLano, No. 5, Anna D. Kysor, assistant ; Hattie Hawe, No. 4; Cornelia Hardenbrook, No. 3; Mary McMaster, No. 2; Mary McNam- ara, No. 1, Frederica Henica, assistant.
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Board of Education :- L. D. Hodgman, Chairman; C. F. Kingsley, Sec- retary ; Abram Beekman, William S. Burns, Wm. P. Sedgwick and Clarence Willis.
The total expense of the school for 1892 was $10,174.33, of which $4,500 was raised by tax upon the District which had an assessed valuation of $1,853,317.03. The number of children over five and under twenty-one years of age living in the District, 874.
The following are the numbers of the Districts with names of the Trustees: No. 1, Board of Education, Savona, organized in 1891, A. F. Burt, President ; J. E. Bedell, W. E. Joint, C. J. Tomer and D. M. Coll- ier. No. 2, Harrisburgh Hollow, Charles Morse; No. 3, Irish Hill, Samuel J. Faucett ; No. 4, Unionville, Ed. Moore ; No. 5, Bath, Board of Education, before given ; No. 6, East Union, Isaac Dudley; No. 7, Chamberlain's, Robert Robinson, Jr. ; No. 8, Kanona, Matthew McCormick, Henry Wheel- er, Daniel Shoemaker, Jr. ; No 9, Mt. Washington, Wykoff Wixson; No. 10, Wolf Run, Frank Moss ; No. 11, Babcock Hollow, Philip M. Little : No. 12, Eagle Valley, Duel F. Ward ; No. 13, Spaulding's Bridge, Frank Car- penter ; No. 14, Sonora, Atwood Labar; No. 15, Freeman Hollow, James Stinson ; No. 16, Veley District, Amos Blunt ; No. 17, A. O. Sutton ; No. 18, Oak Hill, James B. Gilmer ; No. 19, Cossville, George K. Bowlby : No. 20, Campbell Creek, John H. Walker; No. 21, West Union, William Carrigan ; No. 22, Knight's Settlement, Melvin Snell ; No. 23, Buck's Set- tlement, John McAndrew; No. 24, Moore Settlement, J. K. Peters; No. 25, Bowlby District, John L. Smith.
The amount of public money appropriated for last year was $5,803,35. The number of scholars in this town over five and under 21 is 1877. Resident pupils attending school, 1474. Foreign pupils attending school, 153. Number of schools twenty-five, and the number of teachers, forty- three, employed for a period of thirty-two weeks at least.
Text books in general use: Robinson's Arithmetic, Robinson's Algebra, Wentworth's Geometry, Brown's Grammar, Swinton's Readers, Warren's Spellers, Monteith & McNally's Geography, Steele's Philosophy, Barnes' History, Barnes' Penmanship, Steele's Physiology.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
BY IRA POND SMITH, M. D.
On the battle-fields of our country are many small tablets, with this pathetic inscription, "Unknown." These men fell where they fought, and died where they fell. Are they less worthy than he over whose last resting place rises the storied urn or the sculptured marble? They gave for their imperilled country all they had to give-their lives. So, also, it might be written over the last resting place of many of those who fall on the greater battle-fields of civil life, and especially is this true of physicians- men who in their day were men of ability, education and influence. Their names are unknown to the younger generation, and are but vague mem- ories to the older. Verily :
" Little of all we value here, Wakes on the morn of its hundredth year."
This reflection came to the writer after a well-nigh vain attempt to secure some facts in relation to the physicians of the town of Bath during the first century of its history, they having been very meagrely treated by the chronicler and the historian.
First, a word as to the nature of the diseases and injuries which the early physicians had to treat. It is believed that the pioneer was in greater danger from the forest itself than from its denizens. While the animals of settlers were in danger from the thieving bears and hungry wolves, he was safe. In fact, the first case of injury from these animals has yet to be reported. While their voices from the dark and gloomy forest fright- ened the timid, they were not dangerous. The settlers were on good terms with the Indians. The most dangerous foe with which the early settlers had to contend was the concealed reptile, of which both history and tra- dition agree that Bath was well stocked. But in the falling trees, and roll- ing and floating logs, and the illy-constructed mills, there was real danger, and they caused much surgery for the early practitioners of this section, which, with the malignant fevers common to all new countries, made the life of the early physicians one of great labor and responsibility.
I can do but little more than give a list of the prominent physicians of the town for the century.
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THE CENTENNIAL OF BATH.
There came to what is now Bath, with Captain Williamson, two phy- sicians, Dr. Benjamin B. Stockton, from New Jersey, and Dr. Daniel Schultz, from Germany. Dr. Stockton became the owner of a large tract of land in the vicinity of Morgan's bridge. He gave the name to what is known as Stockton Run, sometimes erroneously called Stocking Run. He returned to New Jersey after a residence here of a number of years.
Nothing is positively known of the history of Dr. Schultz. There was a Dr. William H. Pretre here in 1794-95 ; also a Dr. B. F. Young, of whom no dates can be given. This is about all that is known of the phy- sicians of Bath for the first quarter of the century.
Seventy-five years ago, in 1818, the Steuben County Medical Society was organized, being one of the oldest organizations in this section. The first name on the roll of this society, from Bath, is that of Dr. John D. Higgins. To write correctly of men with whom we are well acquainted is attended with difficulty ; to write of those belonging to a former genera- tion, the difficulty is much greater. The date of the coming of Dr. Hig- gins to Bath, I am unable to fix. He was a nephew of the noted " Parson " of the same name, and, like him, was a marked character. He was some- thing of a politician, always carrying a copy of the Constitution in his hat. He was a prominent member of the Medical Society, being its Presi- dent in 1828 and 1849. He was also a member of the first temperance society organized in the town, in 1828. He lived and died on the lot on which the residence of General Averell now stands, the date of his death being May, 1854. He was a good physician and a good man.
Dr. James Faulkner, the second name on the roll of the Society, and a "Charter" member, lived at Mud Creek, now Savona. He stood high as a physician, and was renowned as a surgeon throughout this section. He was an uncle of the late Dr. Faulkner, of Dansville, the banker.
Measured by what a man stands for in the community there is in the list of physicians of Bath no name superior to that of Gustavus A. Rogers. He was born at Unadilla. Otsego county, N. Y., in 1798. He was a student of Dr. Knapp, of Guilford, Chenango county, and attended lectures at Yale, by which institution he was licensed to practice. The degree of Doctor of Medicine was also conferred by the Buffalo Medical College, of which institution he was a Curator. He came to Bath as early as 1823, having joined the County Medical Society that year, and was its President in 1826, '33 and '37. He married a daughter of Robert Campbell, one of the pio- neers of Bath. He had a family of nine children, of which Sherman S. Rogers, of Buffalo, a man of National reputation and of influence in the affairs of the State, is one. Harry W. Rogers of Chicago. a man of worth and standing, is also a son. Dr. Rogers removed to Buffalo in 1856, and
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died in Chicago in 1872. He was a tall, fine-looking and cultured man. He was universally admitted to be a good physician and surgeon, and above all, he was a high-toned, Christian man.
In the list of physicans of Bath is one name that has been prominent in the history of the State for many generations-that of Gansevoort. Ten- Eyck Gansevoort was born in Montgomery county, in 1803, a son of Conrad Gansevoort, of Albany, and a relative of Col. Peter Gansevoort, of Revo- lutionary fame. He was educated at Union College, graduated in medicine at Philadelphia in 1825, and came to Bath the same year. He married Helen R. Lyon, a sister of Moses Lyon, in 1828-a woman of culture and refinement, one of Bath's worthies. They had four children-Conrad G., of this village, and Mrs. B. F. Angel, of Geneseo, being the only ones liv- ing. The Doctor was in affluent circumstances, kind to the poor, univer- sally esteemed as a citizen, and was one of the leading surgeons of his day. He and Dr. Rogers were the surgeons in the celebrated Morgan case. He died in Bath in 1842, in the prime of life, being but thirty-nine years of age.
Simpson Ellas was born in New England in 1784, and came to Bath in 1814. He was regarded as a skilled physician, but having many other inter- ests consumed much of his time. The late Colonel George Ellas and Addison F. Ellas were his sons, and Mrs, A. J. McCall is his daughter. Charles A. Ellas, the druggist, is his grandson. He died in Bath in 1867. One writes of him as a tall, erect, well-dressed and most exemplary man.
David Henry .- The date of this physician's coming to Bath I am unable to state. He bought the Seely lot (his residence for many years), in 1815. He had both legs amputated as the result of freezing. He was popular as a physician. He died in 1839, aged fifty years.
James Warden, a prominent physician of the olden time, was a mem- ber of the Medical Society in 1820. I am unable to say when he came to Bath, or when he removed. He was a man of wealth for his day. He had a kind and benevolent face. He died at Mead's Creek.
Thomas Shannon was a native of Ireland, and was born in 1819. He came to Bath when eight years of age, where he was educated. He taught school for some time. He was a student of Dr. Terry, of Savona, a gradu- ate of the Geneva Medical College, and a member of the County Medical Society. He was esteemed as a physician, and with good reason, as he devoted a long and laborious life to the public service, a large part of which was spent at Savona. He died at Campbell in 1881, and his remains rest in Grove cemetery. He was a good and faithful physician, and a genial companion.
Andrew Baker came to Bath from Howard. He became a member of the Medical Society in 1843. He removed to Norwich, Chenango county,
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where he died. He made a good record while here, as all the older people agree.
Daniel H. Shipman, another name in the list, practiced here for a time, joining the Medical Society in 1835. He died at Syracuse. He was a pro- fessor in the Geneva Medical College for a time. He is also very favorably mentioned.
Addison Niles came to Bath from Prattsburgh in 1842. He was a son of Dr. Noah Niles. He was a thorough student, but a theorist. He was the President of the Medical Society in 1848. He lived many years on the place where the Advocate building now stands. He removed to Quincy, Ill.
John C. Morse, another prominent name in Bath's medical annals, came to Bath in 1843. He married a daughter of Robert Church. He had a son and daughter. He went West in 1857. He was regarded by all as a good physician. Though sedate and reserved, he was social in his nature, and, as one said, always a gentleman.
Henry C. May, a native of Bath, was born in 1830. He belonged to the old Red School House era, an era that produced many good men. He attended the Franklin Academy, was a student of Dr. Niles in 1853, and was graduated at the University of Michigan in 1856. He began business in partnership with Dr. Dolson the same year. In 1857, he removed to Corning, where he remained (save about four years, when he was a Sur- geon in the war), until 1890, when he was appointed to a position in the Pension Office, at Washington, D. C. Dr. May has been prominent in the profession of town and county, and in the church. He was President of the County Medical Society in 1875, and was prominent in the organization.
Ebenezer B. Pulling came to Bath from Hammondsport in 1824. He died as the result of a post-mortem wound, in 1844, the particulars of which it is unnecessary to state, save to say that he was in no way respon- sible for it. He was regarded as a man of honor, and a good physician, by his contemporaries. His untimely death was universally mourned.
John H. Read was born in Bath in 1820. He was a student of Dr. Church, of Hammondsport. He practiced here several years. His widow and two daughters, Mrs. James H. Scott, of Bath, and Mrs. Keeler, of Hammondsport, survive him. He died in Bath in 1864.
Among the physicians of Bath in ante bellum days was Ira L. Bab- cock. He was an active member of the Methodist church, having been sent as a missionary by that church to Oregon in early life. He lived here for a number of years, on the Hagadorn lot. He removed to Norwalk, Ohio, in 1859, where he died.
Samuel Ensign, a conscientious, pains-taking, cautious physician, and a worthy Christian man, succeeded Dr. Babcock. He removed to Tipton. Ia.
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Stephen Hagadorn came to Bath from Cohorton, prior to the war. At the first battle of Bull Run, having a son in the ranks, whom he was visit- ing, he was taken prisoner. After spending some time in Libby prison, he returned to Bath, broken in health, and he never recovered. He was prized as a physician and esteemed as a man. His residence was at what is known as the Hagadorn place. He died in 1863 or 1864 at Bath.
A prominent name in the medical history of Bath is that of Joseph S. Dolson. He was born at Campbell. in 1825, the son of a Methodist clergy- man. He was left an orphan at five years of age. He was educated at Elmira and the Cazenovia Seminary. He was a student of medicine with Dr. Terry, of Savona. He attended lectures at Geneva, New York City and Albany, from which institution he was graduated in 1848. The major part of a long and active life has been spent in Bath. Dr. Dol- son has held many positions, both professional and political, among them, President of the County Medical Society, Coroner (a position he now holds), an Assistant Surgeon of the 161st Regiment, New York Volun- teers, Surgeon of the Soldiers' Home, a member of the Bath Pension Ex- amining Board. He was also Superintendent of Common Schools, Post- master at Bath, etc. Ha contributed liberally to public enterprises-the Soldiers' Home, the church, the soldiers' monument, &c. He has often said to the writer that it gave him pleasure to make money, for the satis- faction of spending it for a worthy cause. The struggling young man had a friend in Dr. Dolson. He is now, all regret, an invalid, residing at Hor- nellsville, where he has two sons, Charles A. and Edwin L., in the prac- tise of law .*
Mrs. Amelia A. Dolson, the wife of Dr. J. S. Dolson, a reserved, sedate and dignified woman, was licensed to practice by the Steuben County Medical Society, which she has done, in company with her husband. She did a large business in her specialty. She is now devoted to 'her invalid husband.
The last thirty-seven years of the century, a tall, erect man, latterly with a snow-white beard, has been a marked figure on the streets of Bath. Dr. Alexis H. Cruttenden was born at Morris, Otsego county, in 1822. He was educated at the common schools and at Albany, and was graduated in medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York. He came to Bath in 1856, where he has remained to this time -- being the long- est continuous practice in our history. He was Coroner for a term. He was a Pension Examiner for a quarter of a century, and a member of the Bath Pension Board from its organization to a recent date. He married Miss Julia M. Stephenson. He had four children, two of whom are living.
* Dr. Dolson died at his home in Hornellsville, July 10, 1893.
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THE CENTENNIAL OF BATH.
He has held a prominent place in the medical, and especially in the surgical, history of the town, and is entitled to a prominent place in its annals. His recreation has been in his garden among his flowers, he being an expert in their culture.
Among the prominent post bellum physicians is the name of Farrand Wylie. He was born in Covington, Wyoming County, in 1819. He was graduated in medecine in 1847, at Geneva. He entered the army as an Assistant Surgeon, in 1861, in the 86 N. Y. Vols. He was promoted to Surgeon of the 155 N. Y. Vols; served three years and three months. He came to Bath at the close of the war, in 1865, where he remained to his death, which occurred in February, 1893. Dr. Wylie was a fine-looking man, strong in body and in mind. He held a number of public and civil offices; having been Coroner and Surgeon of the Soldiers' Home, and a member of the Bath Pension Board.
Agnes Seely Wolf was born in Orange County, N. Y. She was educated at the Elmira Female College. She was graduated in medicine at the Woman's Medical College, New York City, in 1876, when she came to Bath, where she practiced until failing health caused her to retire. She died in 1892. She was Vice-President of the Medical Society. She was a bright, educated woman.
The writer of this article, Ira P. Smith, was born at Dansville in 1835. He attended school at the Rogersville Union Seminary, and the University of Michigan; was a student of medicine of Dr. Chas. S. Ackley, at Rogers- ville; graduated in medicine at Albany in 1859; practiced at Avoca until August, 1862, when he entered the service as an Acting Assistant Surgeon in the regular army, where he remained two years. He came to Bath; in 1866, was married to Harriet A. Smith a daughter of John J. and Jane Rutherford Smith, and a grand-daughter of Andrew Smith, who came from Scotland with Capt. Williamson. He has three children. He has held a number of offices both professional and civil, that of Presi- dent of the County Medical Society, Coroner, Member of the Board of Pension Examiners, President of the Bible Society, etc.
James W. Black was born 1829, was educated in Bath, graduated at the Geneva Medical College and was a Surgeon of the 144 N. Y. Vols. He practiced many years at Almond, when he came to Bath, where he died, in 1874. He was a genial man and a popular physician.
Dr. William B. Brown was born at Bath in 1858. He was educated at Haverling and the Buffalo Medical College. He went abroad in 1881. He was an able, bright and generous man. He died in 1889, in early man- hood, universally mourned.
J. Stratton Harlow, the son of a clergyman, came to Bath in 1864, from the army, and went into business with Dr. Dolson. Dr. Dolson retiring, he remained at the old office. After a term of a few years, he
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went into practice in New York City, when his health failing, he returned to Bath, where he died in 1875. He married Sarah Dudley who, with one son, Augustus, survives him. Dr. Harlow and Dr. Brown, had in a remark- able degree, that undefinable something that, for want of a better term, we call magnetism.
The following physicians were in practice here during the latter part of the century. They had good reputations but I have not sufficient data to make other mention than their names: David Ward, John B. Flen- ming, Dr. Sibley Daniel Seber, Lewis Haws, Andrew Black, and John W. Dorr.
Drs. A. De Wolf and Dr. B. F. Grant have been prominent homoeopathic physicians during the latter part of the century. Dr. De Wolf came from Dundee and was in business many years. Dr. B. F. Grant was born in Bath in 1827. He was educated here, and was graduated at the Cleve- land Homoeopathic College in 1866. He is now a member of the Bath Pension Examining Board. He has been President of the Homoeopathic Medical Society for the Southern Tier. He has been popular as a physician and is a genial man.
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