Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th, Part 57

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1086

USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th > Part 57

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in the General Assembly. Horace W. Stafford and John B. McGrew each have served two terms as prosecuting attorney. M. T. Burnham and D. Z. Gardner have each ably served one term as city solicitor. Albert H. Kunkle creditably filled the position for four successive terms. He was followed by V. Y. Smith for one term and he by Stewart L. Taytum two terms and he by Roger V. Smith, present in- cumbent. John L. Plummer very ably served one term as State Senator from this Senatorial District.

FRANK W. GEIGER is now referee in bankruptcy. J. F. McGrew served two terms in the Legislature. He was a promi- nent member and came very near being elected Speaker. He is a good public speaker and now president of the Commer- cial Club.

JAMES JOHNSON, JR., a good lawyer and good fellow, creditably served one term as mayor. Lawrence Laybourne is the pres- ent prosecuting attorney. Oscar T. Martin and George Arthur, both eminent members of our bar, have never held pub- lie positions. Mr. Arthur has not, for the reason that he belongs to the party in the minority, and, further, that he thinks more of his profession than he does of political positions. Mr. Martin has not occupied public positions solely for the reason that he wishes to devote all his time and energy to the practice of his profession, and by doing so he has built up an enviable prac- tice and bids fair in the not far distant future to be the leading member of our bar.

It is no fault of John L. Zimmerman's that he has not occupied public positions. He expects to be governor some day, and all join in wishing him success.

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There are other members of our bar who, by their merit, are entitled to distinct inention in this paper, and some of whom no doubt have occupied positions of trust and honor. But these matters are com- mon to the knowledge of all, and the limits of my paper will not permit them to be individualized.

BAR ASSOCIATION.

On several occasions in the past the bar has organized for the purpose of advanc- ing the interests of its members and main- taining the dignity of the profession. But for various reasons about all that would be accomplished, would be a meeting, some strong speeches about maintaining the dignity of the profession, possibly an as- sessment for dues, an election, and then- a quiet, unobtrusive death. However, probably by reason of the interest that the bar has in maintaining an excellent law library, the present Bar Association has had a longer existence than any of its predecessors and bids fair to remain with us for some time to come. The pres- ent Clark County Bar Association was organized July 6, 1888, with Hon. J. K. Mower as president; A. N. Summers, vice- president; W. M. Rockel, secretary, and George S. Dial, treasurer. In March, 1892, for the purpose of raising money to buy books for the library, it became in- corporated. An enjoyable feature of the meetings of this Bar Association is the custom that has come into vogue, of the new president, on his induction into office, annually, giving a spread to which all members of the bar are invited.

The Bar Association formerly met monthly, and should do so now in com- pliance with its by-laws, but usually the meetings are only held annually, or at the call of the president. There is an annual fee of five dollars attached to the membership, which is applied to the fund for the purchase of books to keep up the library. The present officers of the as- sociation are: Chase Stewart, president; Clem V. Collins, vice-president; Arthur J. Todd, secretary, and Frank M. Krapp, treasurer.

LIBRARY.

This sketch of our bench and bar would be incomplete did it not contain a word in reference to our present excellent li- brary. From the beginning of a few volumes, it has grown until it now num- bers nearly three thousand volumes at a total cost of about $10,000. For a consid- erable time the matter of a library had been a subject of speculation and discus- sion among the members of our bar, and when the new Court House was completed, a room was provided for that purpose. But, unlike many other things, it needed something to make the start in that direc- tion. In 1886 or 1887, in a casual conver- sation, Judge Charles R. White remarked that he had a fund in his hands as treas- urer of a defunct Bar Association, and that he would like to be relieved of his responsibility, but there was no knowl- edge of the persons who had contributed the fund, or to whom it should be re- turned. The writer suggested to him to invest it in books, for the nucleus of a library in the Court House. He respond- ed that if the consent of certain members

"There St. John mingles with the friendly bowl, The flow of reason and feast of soul."

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of the bar, whom he presumed had con- tributed the fund, would be secured, he would gladly turn it over for that pur- pose. The consent of such members of the bar having been obtained, and the fund turned over to the writer, it was by him invested in the West System of Re- porters. The bound volumes were placed in the library and the advanced sheets were kept at the writer's office until a librarian was appointed. The fund amounted to $306. Afterward, upon the or- ganization of a Bar Association, a Board of Trustees was appointed for the library. This first board was composed of Judge C. R. White, Oscar T. Martin and W. M. Rockel. Afterward A. S. Rogers, Albert H. Kunkle, F. M. Hagan, with Rockel and White, constituted the board. By this time it was ascertained that the library of George Spence could be purchased for a very reasonable sum. A contribution was taken up among the members of the bar, and the library purchased. This was the first substantial addition to the pre- vious purchase of the West Reporters. Judge Mower has been an active member of the Board of Trustees for the library for the past ten years. The Legislature having in the meantime passed a law per- mitting the court to appoint a librarian, Mr. Oliver H. Miller, a member of the bar, accepted the position for a number of years and turned the salary over to be applied in the purchase of books. Funds were also received from certain Police Court fines. In order to increase the use- fulness of the library and secure the pur- chase of more books, in 1892 the Clark County Bar Association was incorporated and shares of stock of fifty dollars each were issued. In these various ways, and

from time to time, funds were secured, with which the excellent library now in the Court House was procured. A com- plete set of the reports of all the import- ant states of the Union are now on its shelves, together with modern digests and encyclopedias. A subscription has just been made for the English Reports. W. F. Bevitt and Charlotte Cross have been the accommodating librarian and assist- ant librarian for some time. The present trustees are : Judge A. H. Kunkle, Judge A. N. Summers, Judge F. M. Hagan, Oscar T. Martin, J. E. Bowman, J. F. Mc- Grew and W. W. Keifer.

MEMBERS IN 1908.

The following is given by our Court Docket as a list of the present practicing members of our bar :

J. Fred Anderson, Edwin L. Arthur, George Arthur, Charles E. Ballard, George A. Beard, Carey Boggess, Border Bowman, E. O. Bowman, J. E. Bowman, Harry A. Brenner, M. T. Burnham, Albert F. Busch, Wm. G. Campbell, Clement V. Collins, John M. Cole, George S. Dial, Walter N. Elder, Frank W. Geiger, Jas. P. Goodwin, Clifton P. Grant, Harry G. R. Gram, William H. Griffith, Ed- ward O. Hagan, Francis M. Hagan, Francis M. Hagan Jr., Jacob M. Harner, Patrick J. Higgins, William R. Horner, Edwin S. Houck, James Johnson Jr., Sully Jaymes, Floyd A. Johnston, Hor- ace C. Keifer, J. Warren Keifer, William W. Keifer, J. Forest Kitchen, Frank M. Krapp, Albert H. Kunkle, A. C. Link, Law- rence Laybourne, Julius F. W. Lorenz, Edward J. Lynch, Thomas J. McCormick, J. F. McGrew, John B. McGrew, Howard McGregor, Elza F. McKee, William Y.

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Mahar, James B. Malone, Oscar T. Mar-

and "Oily Gammons" at our bar. It can tin, Paul C. Martin, J. J. Miller, Oliver H. be truthfully said that there is no class Miller, Seba H. Miller, Percy Norton, C. S. Olinger, John L. Plummer, George C. Rawlins, Walter E. Robinson, William M. Rockel, Robert C. Rodgers, Stewart L. Tatum, George W.Tehan, Arthur J. Todd, H. A. Toulmin, O. B. Trout, Roger V. Smith, Horace W. Stafford, Paul A. Staley, Chase Stewart, Earle Stewart, James G. Stewart, Harry F. Summers, Walter L. Weaver, J. Jerome Welty, W. W. Witmeyer, L. F. Young, John L. Zim- merman, Albert I. Zimmerman.

There have been few "Uriah Heeps"

of persons in the community that stand higher than the members of the bar. In the last one hundred years but one mem- ber was disbarred from practice. Gen- erally, in all matters that pertain to the welfare of our city and county, they are found ever contending for that which will bring prosperity and honor to our city and its people. If the next hundred years can show as bright a history as the past one hundred, the bar of the City of Spring- field can indeed well be proud of its rec- ord.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION OF CLARK COUNTY.

(BY DR. W. B. PATTON.)

Sources of Information -- Medical Districts-Richard Hunt-William A. Needham Isaac Hendershott-Job Haines-Organization of Medical Society-Re-Or- ganized 1850-Second Re-Organization-Robert Rodgers-Dr. Berkley Gil- lette-Dr. Andrew Bruce-Benjamin Winwood-Alexander Dunlap-Isaac Kay-John H. Rodgers-H. H. Seys-Buckinghams-Andrew Mclaughlin --- Present Society-Hospital.

Sources of Information-Medical Dis- tricts-Richard Hunt-William A. Need- ham-Isaac Hendershott-Job Haines --- Organization of Medical Society-Re-Or- ganized 1850-Second Re-Organization- Robert Rodgers-Dr. Berkely Gillette- Dr. Andrew Bruce-Benjamin Winwood -Alexander Dunlap-Isaac Kay-John H. Rodgers-H. H. Seys-Buckinghams -- Andrew Mclaughlin-Present Society -Hospital.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION.

The history of the earliest practitioners of the healing art in Clark County is very meager. What is known of them has come from two sources; that which has been handed down from one generation to the next in the memories of men, and that which has been preserved in the more or

less incomplete records of the Clark County Medical Society. Some physi- cians, of course, were not members of the Society, and so nothing is known of them from that source. In the early days there was no elaborate system of registration, such as we have today, by means of which some record is kept of every legalized practitioner and will be preserved for fu- ture generations.

Two physicians are still living whose lives span the greater part of the history of the county. For more than a half cen- tury they have been useful and honored members of the profession and of the County Society. These men are Dr. Isaac Kay and Dr. John H. Rodgers, both of whom read interesting and valuable pa- pers on medical history upon the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of membership in the society of Dr. Isaac Kay and the

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late Dr. H. H. Seys. These papers have ham, Richard Hunt, Elijah Lawrence, Am- been incorporated in the minutes of the brose Blount, Job Haines, Thos. S. Towler and Robt. Houston of South Charleston. society.

The Clark County Medical Society has an ancient and an honorable history. The records of the society have been pre- served from its earliest infancy. They were well written and are of great inter- est, especially to physicians, as they show in a definite manner the progress of med- ical thought. One thing that is inclined to cause a feeling of sadness as they are read, is the fact that they contain the names of so many men who were evi- dently prominent members of the society and probably influential citizens of the community, who are practically unknown today only a few decades after they have gone to their rewards, so fleeting is hu- man memory, and so few men there are who succeed in making a secure place even in a local history.

MEDICAL DISTRICT.

In 1815 the Legislature divided the state into medical districts, the Seventh, which was composed of the following coun- ties: Montgomery, Champaign, Greene, Preble, Miami and Darke. The medical society organized in this district, licensed to practice medicine, among others, Dr. Isaac Hendershott and Dr. W. A. Need- ham, who located in this county and who were probably among the very earliest pioneers of the profession in the county.

In 1824 the Legislature again divided the state into districts, this time twenty in number, of which the Seventh was com- posed of Montgomery and Clark Counties. The Clark County physicians who were members of the society organized in this district were as follows: Drs. W.A. Need-

DR. RICHARD HUNT was probably the first physician to locate in Springfield. He was born in Greenwich, Cumberland County, New Jersey, in 1780. He came to Cincinnati in 1807, and learning that there was no physician in Springfield, came here at once and began to practice, boarding at Griffith Foos' tavern. He is said to have been present at the Indian conference when Tecumseh refused to disarm his fol- lowers and it was he who offered the clay pipe which Tecumseh tossed away in dis- gust. In 1818 he wrote to a friend that Springfield "had four public houses, eleven stores, three physicians, three at- torneys, and mechanics of every descrip- tion." He married Miss Frances Reeder, then living on the Yellow Springs Road about three miles from town. His daugh- ter, Miss Sophia Hunt, is living here. He died in 1848.

DR. WILLIAM A. NEEDHAM was born in Shoreham, Vt., in 1776, and came to Springfield in 1813. He first located near Lagonda, which for that reason was called "Pillville." He afterwards lived in a log cabin on the southwest corner of Columbia and Factory Streets until 1817, when he moved to his own frame house on the cor- ner of Main street and the first alley east of Limestone, where he died in 1834. An interesting fact in his history is that his last visit was made upon the occasion of the birth of William Needham Whitely, "The Reaper King," the middle name of whom is thus accounted for. He, sick as he was, returning from this call, died in four days of some malignant epidemic fever. He was buried in the old Colum-

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bia Street graveyard. Dr. Henry Bald- win, the city health officer, is a great- grandson of Dr. Needham.

DR. ISAAC HENDERSHOTT is another of the pioneers of special interest to present- day physicians, as he was the first Presi- dent of the Clark County Medical Society and one of the few physicians who have held an elective office in Clark County, ex- cepting that of coroner. Nothing is known of the date or place of his birth or of his coming to Springfield. He was a cripple, walking with one cane, as the re- sult of hip-joint disease, and had a very beautiful daughter who became afflicted with and died as a result of the same dis- ease. He was at one time postmaster and twice was elected county recorder, from 1835, and from 1856 to the time of his death, in 1862.

DR. JOB HAINES was born in New Jer- sey in 1791 and graduated from the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania in 1815. He practiced medicine in partnership with Dr. Hunt until 1817, when he removed to Dayton, where he practiced until he died in 1860.

The above meager facts are about all that can be learned of the first generation of physicians, the real pioneers of the profession. There are no doubt persons living, who, if they were known, could give something of interest of others, espe- cially of those who practiced outside of the City of Springfield. If there be any such, the writer would be more than pleased to have them communicate with him in regard to the matter.

COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.

The Clark County Medical Society was organized on April 4th, 1838, at the Buck-

eye Hotel. A preliminary meeting to ar- range for the organization had been held March 1st, 1838, in the office of Dr. Robert Rodgers. The following officers were elected: President, Isaac Hendershott, vice-president, -- Smith, secretary, Robert Rodgers; treasurer, William Murdock; Board of Censors, Berkley Gillette, E. W. Steele, and Robt. Rodgers. The constitution was signed by the follow- ing: Isaac Hendershott, Benj. Winwood, Berkley Gillette, Elias Garst, Robt. Rod- gers, Wm. Murdock, Robt. Houston, John C. Stone, 'Michael Garst and James Rob- bins. In addition to these there appear in the minutes the names of Happersette and Towler. Two meetings were held each year; the annual meeting in April and semi-annual in November, somewhat in contrast to the present society, which meets twice each month. The first paper was read April 30th, 1838, by Dr. Win- wood on "Progressive Improvement of Medicine in America," and another at the same meeting by Dr. Garst on "The Mucous Membrane of the Alimentary Tract." The infant could not survive the second summer, and passed away after the election of officers, April 14, 1840.

REORGANIZATION.

A meeting was held to reorganize in the office of Dr. Robt. Rodgers May 31, 1850, and elected the following officers: Presi- dent, Robt. Rodgers; vice-presidents, Berkley Gillette and Isaac Hendershott; secretary, E. M. Buckingham; treasurer, G. H. Bunyan; Board of Censors, B. Gil- lette, Jesse Cook, J. N. Stockstill, G. H. Bunyan and Robt. Rodgers.

While all of those who were present at the meeting to reorganize the society have

RESIDENCE OF MRS. A. S. BUSHNELL, SPRINGFIELD

RESIDENCE OF J. S. CROWELL, SPRINGFIELD

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long since gone to their rewards, it is dur- ing this period that names begin to ap- pear that connect it with the present. At the May meeting, 1853, the late Dr. H. H. Seys was admitted to membership, and one year later the same honor was be- stowed upon Dr. Isaac Kay, who is the senior member of the present society. Dr. John H. Rodgers, the second member of the present society, in the point of age, and one of the first in interest, was admitted in 1856.

SECOND REORGANIZATION.

After five years of activity the society was again allowed to discontinue, this time for nine years, or until April 12th, 1864, when it was reorganized and again the meeting was held in the office of Dr. Rod- gers. Of the eight men at the meeting in May, 1850, Dr. Rodgers was the only one present at this one, the others having all died or moved away. The following were the officers elected at this meeting: Presi- dent, Robt. Rodgers; vice-presidents, A. C. Mclaughlin, and Edward Owen; secre- tary, Isaac Kay; treasurer, A. Dunlap; censors, A. Dunlap, E. M. Buckingham, Geo. F. Kennedy, H. H. Young and Isaac Kay. Of the officers elected at this time, Dr. Kay alone survives.

During the periods of the history of the medical society just passed over there appear the names of the truly great men of the profession, men whose lives and deeds were such that they deserve to be handed down to future generations as Clark County's examples of "The doctors of the old school," men who . . braved the perils of flood and storm, of pestilence and fever, just as real as those

faced by that great creation of the novel- ist's imagination, Weelum MacClure of Drumtockty. All of them are worthy of mention, but space and available material will permit of only the briefest mention of some of them.

DR. ROBERT RODGERS was born in Cum- berland County, Pa., September 11, 1807. After graduating at the University of Pennsylvania in 1828, he practiced in his home county for three years, moving to Portsmouth, Ohio, and two years later to Springfield, where he died in 1880. No name has been more intimately associated with medical history and but few with the history and progress of our city than that of Rodgers. Three times the society met in his office to organize and reorganize, twice he served as its president. He had a very extensive general practice, and had the reputation of being a skillful surgeon. He read a paper before the society giv- ing an account of an operation which he performed, being the only Caesarian Sec- tion ever performed in the county. Dr. Kay said of him in a memorial address, "Being sedulously devoted to the healing art, of indomitable perseverance and courteous in his manners, he attained to a high degree of influence among his pro- fessional brethren towards whom he con- ducted himself in accordance with the best requirements of ethical and Christian principles."

DR. BERKLEY GILLETTE began to practice here about 1836. He had one of the larg- est surgical practices in this vicinity, and stood high as a member of the county and state society. Of him Dr. Kay said, "He was a man of firmness and practical skill in his profession, and despised quackery and sham of every kind. He was plain

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and blunt in his manner and language, He is known throughout the world as one and scarcely ever dealt in flattery or blarney," all of which goes to prove that he was one of the truly great.

DR. ANDREW BRUCE came here in 1849, having practiced previous to that time in Western Pennsylvania. He had a large general practice and died October 17, 1873. He was at one time in partnership with Dr. Geo. P. Hackenberg, who at- tained some fame as a surgeon, in New York State, where he located after leav- ing here. He was a surgeon in the Civil War and afterwards in the regular army, finally locating in Austin, Tex. He wrote largely for medical journals, and was the author of a pretentious work entitled the "Medical Consultation Book."

DR. BENJAMIN WINWOOD was born in 1804, in Soho Square, London. His fam- ily came to Baltimore, Md., early in his life, where he received his medical educa- tion, having been a student of Prof. Davis Davvidge. He first located in Dayton, coming here in 1842, and practiced here until he was appointed to the Union Mil- itary Hospital at Nashville, Tenn., where he died in 1864.

ALEXANDER DUNLAP, A. M., M. D., was the most renowned physician who ever practiced in this county, and but few in the state or nation have been any more widely known. He was born in Brown County, O., in 1815, graduated from Miami University in 1836, and from the Cincinnati Medical College in 1839. He practiced with his brother at Greenfield, Ohio, until 1846, when he moved to Spring- field where he practiced until the date of his death.

He was pre-eminently a surgeon, and in this line of work achieved his great fame.

of the first surgeons to operate for ovarian tumors. The first operation of this sort was performed by Ephraim Mc- Dowell of Kentucky in 1809. It was met with such opposition that it was aban- doned. Clary of England again tried it in 1842 and Atlee of Philadelphia in 1843. Two months after Atlee's operation, and knowing nothing of it, Dr. Dunlap per- formed his. The woman had urged him repeatedly to do it, and finally told him she would cut it out with a butcher knife if he continued to refuse. In the presence of a few country physicians, without an anesthetic, he successfully removed a 45- lb. tumor. The woman died a few weeks later of other trouble. Dr. Dunlap was denounced by the medical profession, the journals refusing to publish reports of his case, because it was an unsafe and un- justifiable operation. Time, however, demonstrated that he was right, and then the honors came thick and fast. He was elected president of the Ohio Medical So- ciety in 1868, and twice a member of the Judicial Council of the American Medical Association, which position he resigned, to become vice-president of the same in 1877. He was a Fellow of the American Gynecological Association, with a mem- bership limited to sixty. In 1875 he was elected to the chair of surgical diseases of women in Starling Medical College. He was married in 1839 to Miss Maria E. Bell, of Highland County, and two children were born to them, a son and a daughter. The son, Dr. C. A. Dunlap, spent his professional career in this city within the memory of most of the physi- . cians of today.

DR. ISAAC KAY, the senior member of

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the Clark County Medical Society and of Maryland in 1853, locating here the one of the most devoted members of the society and profession, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and moved to Preble County, Ohio, in 1836. When eighteen years of age he be- gan to read medicine in the office of Dr. William Gray of Lewisburg, Ohio, and graduated from Starling Medical College in 1849. After practicing a few years in Lewisburg he came to Springfield in 1853. He was secretary of the medical society for twenty-six years and his minutes of the society meeting during those years are interesting and valuable documents. He has written a number of articles, both for lay and medical publications, all of which are interesting, couched as they are in beautiful diction.

JOHN H. RODGERS-Another of the pio- neer physicians, whom the present also claims, is Dr. John H. Rodgers, who was born here August 19, 1834, the son of Dr. Robert Rodgers, whose name is so inti- mately associated with medical history in this county. He received his literary de- gree from Miami University and his med- ical from the University of Pennsylvania in 1856. He answered his country's call, enlisting in 1861 as assistant surgeon to the Forty-fourth Regiment, O. V. I., and after eighteen months' service, was pro- moted to the position he held until 1865, since which time he has followed his chosen calling in this city, although of recent years he has been living a retired life, so far as active practice is concerned.

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Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th, Part 57

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co. Number of Pages: 1086

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1086