William Henry Huckaby, M. D.; Bienville, then Richland Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Mike Miller ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ************************************************ William Henry Huckabay, M. D., is a physician and surgeon engaged in practice at Delhi in Richland Parish. He has been practicing medicine more than twenty years, beginning as an undergraduate, he married and had a family of five children. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Dallas, Texas, in April, 1907. Prior to that he had attended the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville during 1903-04 and 1904-05. During 1904 he took special work in diseases of children under Dr. W. A. Jenkins at Louisville. In 1917 he pursued a post graduate course in surgery at Tulane University. Constant reading and study closely supplemented his unusually broad practical experience. While he was at Louisville he had his home with Dr. J. B. Enright, a noted specialist in anatomy. Doctor Huckabay was born on a farm near Old Sparta in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, April 9, 1877, son of James Philip and Emma (Stewart) Huckabay. His mother was of Scotch ancestry and her people came from either Georgia or Alabama. His grandfather, Green Huckabav. was one of the pioneers of Bienville Parish and the slave and land owner there. James P. Huckabay, who was of Irish stock, and who died in 1914 at the age of seventy-two, was a Southern soldier in the war between the states, being at the siege of Vicksburg and after leaving the army came by boat to Alexandria, Louisiana, and then worked his way back home. He was a planter and a member of the Trinity Baptist Church. His wife died in 1917, aged seventy-seven. Their three children were : James M., a merchant at Bossier City, Dr. William Henry, and Mollie, who died in 1916, wife of William Dees. William Henry Huckabay grew up on a farm, attended local Schools and while a farm boy, determined to follow his ambition for a career as a physician. He secured medical books and began the study of medicine at home and as noted above, began practice before graduating so that he made his professional work pay for his advanced education. He first practiced a year at Koran in Bossier Parish, was for two years located at Grappes Bluff in Natchitoches Parish and spent eleven years at Campti where in addition to a general private practice, he had the mill practice for the Frost-Johnson Lumber Company. In July, 1918, he located at Delhi, where he has a very choice, general practice. While in Natchitoches, he served on the Parish council Board six years, was vice president of the Citizens Bank at Campti ;and took an active part in politics in Natchitoches Parish. In former years a considerable share of his professional work was surgery. He is a member of the Delhi Town Council. Doctor Huckabay married a Miss Pearl Poland, daughter of Nicholas Poland of Bienville Parish. They are the parents of five children. The daughter, Iris, is the wife of Percy Blum of Crowley, Louisiana. Wayne, the oldest son, is a graduate of the Campti Public Schools, and left his studies in the Louisiana Stare University to volunteer at the time of the World war, spending ten months in France on the battle lines and six months with the army of occupation in Germany. After going to Germany he was given a commission as second lieutenant. He had been a member of the Louisiana National Guard before the war and his training for the World war was received at Camp Beauregard and Camp Nichols. Wayne Huckabay now has charge of his father's interests in the road contracting business with Haskin Brothers in Natchitoches Parish. The next son, Loys, is a graduate of the Campti High School, was with the Students Army Training Corps at the University and since graduating from the Atlanta Dental College has practiced dentistry at Mer Rouge, Louisiana. Myra is the wife of Dr. A. R. Morgan of Crowley, Louisiana. Pearl, a son named for his mother, is associated with his brother in Natchitoches Parish. All the sons while in school were on the football, baseball and basketball teams and are ardent followers of those branches of college sport. Doctor Huckabay is a Baptist, a member of the Masonic Lodge at Campti, and has taken the Scottish Rite work and the work of the El Karubah Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Shreveport. He is a member of the Elks at Alexandria and belongs to the various medical societies. Doctor Huckabay had a struggle on his own part to acquire a liberal education and has exerted himself to the utmost to give his children every advantage in the way of proper training for careers of usefulness and honor. NOTE: The referenced source contains a black and white photograph of the subject with his/her autograph. A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 201-202, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.