Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Dougall, William, MD 1842 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com May 4, 2007, 6:24 pm Author: Portrait & Biographical Album, 1890 WILLIAM DOUGALL, M. D. On the opposite page appears a lithographic portrait of Dr. Dougall, whose long residence in Will County, together with his active participation in all worthy measures for the development of the resources of the community, has made him prominent both socially and in the ranks of the profession. His life has been such as to shed an added lustre on a good old name, and he inherits those substantial traits of character which have rendered the Scotch famous amid a galaxy of nations. It has been said that there are two kinds of education, one which is received at school, and the other, more important, which we give ourselves. Dr. Dougall was fortunate in gaining each kind of training, and as a result his character has been rounded out and developed, while he has acquired those habits of perseverance and energy, which are so essential to success in any profession. Our subject, who was the fifth son of John and Margaret (Houstoun) Dougall, was born at Underwood, Paisley, Scotland, March 1, 1842. His father, who was a leading cotton spinner in the west of Scotland, came with his family to this country in 1858, and purchased a farm near New Haven, Ind. On this homestead he died December 28, 1874, having reached the ripe age of seventy five years. His life was characterized by sincere piety, uncompromising rectitude, and by social qualities which secured for him the love and esteem of his neighbors. The mother of Dr. Dougall was born January 1, 1801, in the village and parish of Houstoun, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and was descended from a French-Huguenot family who left France at the time of the massacre of St. Bartholomew. She survived her husband several years, dying June 17, 1888. The family included twelve children, eight of whom survive. These are Mrs. David McGregor, of Manchester, England; Mrs. John Hadden, of Milwaukee, Wis.; James, of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Glasgow, Scotland; Allan H., of Ft. Wayne, Ind.; David, of Georgetown, British Guiana, South America; Mrs. Dr. M. F. Williamson, and our subject of Joliet, Ill.; and Mrs. J. F. Beuret, of Antwerp, Ohio. The family are truly cosmopolitan. Of the four who are deceased, one is buried in Scotland, one in England, one in America and one in China. The widow of the eldest son lives in London, England; some of the grandchildren live in Lisbon, Portugal; and in China are to be found a son-in-law, grand-daughter, and three great-grandchildren. These are the family of a beloved daughter, Isabelle F. Williamson, who after thirty years spent in the mission field of China, died, and was buried in August, 1886, in the field which she had selected for her life work. Her memory survives her, perpetuated as it is by numerous translations and a widely known and celebrated work entitled "Old Highways in China." Such is the family to which the subject of this sketch belongs and he is a worthy representative of a good old stock. William Dougall was educated at the High School at Glasgow, an institution founded in the twelfth century. Here he finished his preparations for the study of medicine, upon which he was about to enter, when the change of circumstance and location by reason of his father's emigration to America, compelled him to relinquish for a time his projected career. Upon the breaking out of the Civil War he quickly responded to the call for troops, and on June 1, 1861, enlisted in Company C, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry, at Ft. Wayne. He served with his command in every engagement, sustaining severe wounds at the battle of Stone River, Tenn. On October 1, 1863, having passed the "regular" examination he was commissioned Captain in the Thirteenth United States Colored Infantry, in which capacity he acted, often with an independent command, until the close of the war, when he resigned. His brother, Allan Houstoun Dougall, was also a Captain and Adjutant of the Eighty-eighth Indiana Infantry. On his return from the field William Dougall took up his medical studies, subsequently taking the regular medical course in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and remaining there during 1866-'67. On March 4, 1868, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Chicago Medical College, and on the first of the following month began the practice of his profession at Lemont, Cook County, Ill. He was married October 1, 1872, to Miss Cassie Walker, daughter of Edwin Walker, of Lemont, and then removed to Joliet, where he now resides. Here he has followed his profession with great success and has especially distinguished himself by his skill in surgical cases. He takes a laudable interest in the advancement of his profession, in which he has secured a leading position. Dr. Dougall is now President of the Board of Examining Surgeons for pensions at Joliet, and also President of the Will County Medical Society. In 1875, being an ardent Republican he was Chairman of the County Central Committee. As an organizer he possesses elements of success and is capable of ably assisting in the party work. In 1879 he was appointed Postmaster at Joliet, a position which he held until 1883. At present he is Commander of Bartleson Post, No. 6, G. A. R. He is a gentleman of scholarly tastes and ripe culture, and is active in the promotion of all efforts for the material and social advancement of the community in which he lives. Additional Comments: Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois, Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County; Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1890 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/will/bios/dougall1276nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 6.2 Kb