Fountain County IN Archives Biographies.....Hamilton, John 1800 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com August 25, 2006, 4:42 am

Author: H. W. Beckwith (1881)

   John Hamilton, M.D., Covington, was born in Saratoga county, New York,
January 7, 1800. His parents moved from there to Champlain county, where the
doctor spent his time on a farm until twenty-four years old, though he began the
study of medicine when he was twenty-two. He continued the study for about four
years, took three courses of lectures, arid graduated from the Burlington
Medical College, of Burlington, Vermont. He determined to locate in Canada, and
for this purpose made five different trips in search of a location, but found
everywhere the prejudice too strong, as at that date a physician of foreign
birth was required to spend five years in their colleges and take the oath of
allegiance. Not caring to comply with these requirements he decided to locate
somewhere in the west. Starting in 1826, he came west to La Fayette, where he
remained for about ten months. March 31, 1827, he removed to Covington and hung
out his shingle. He was then the only physician in Covington, and the third one
who had ever located in the place. He continued busily engaged in his practice
for twenty-four years, when he finally was obliged to give up on account of
chronic sickness. In 1828 the doctor was appointed county agent for Fountain
county, and held the office for twenty years, when it was abolished. In 1834 he
was elected state senator for three years by the whig party. The doctor, through
his enterprise and public spirit, has lost large sums of money. At one time he
owned a large and valuable property, but through his efforts in aiding the
building and bringing to Covington of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western
railway he lost about $7,000, and $9,000 more went in worthless canal scrip.
These, with other losses, told hard on his financial freedom, and has left him
but a shadow of his former prosperity. Though now eighty years old, the doctor
is remarkably active, and still possesses a strong and vigorous mind and a very
retentive memory.

Additional Comments:
Troy Township

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF FOUNTAIN COUNTY,

TOGETHER WITH
HISTORIC NOTES ON THE WABASH VALLEY,

GLEANED FROM EARLY AUTHORS, OLD MAPS AND MANUSCRIPTS
PRIVATE AND OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE, AND OTHER AUTHENTIC, THOUGH, FOR THE MOST
PART, OUT-OF-THE-WAY SOURCES.

BY H. W. BECKWITH,
OF THE DANVILLE BAR; CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES OF
WISCONSIN AND CHICAGO.

WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

CHICAGO: H. H. HILL AND N. IDDINGS, PUBLISHERS.
1881.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/fountain/bios/hamilton661nbs.txt

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