Bio of Townsend, L. Wabasha Co., MN
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Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Barbara Timm and Carol Judge
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This bio comes from "HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY" 1884.
Check out Barbara's site for more great information on this book:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnwabbio/wab1.htm
There are also some pictures and information from descendents for some 
of the bios on her pages.

Townsend, L., dental surgeon; office corner Main and Alleghaney streets,
upstairs. Business established in this city in 1865, in an office across
the street, and removed to the present location in 1882. Dr. Townsend is a
native of Plattsburg, New York; studied for his profession in the office
of Bigsby & Howard, in his native place, and concluding his preparatory
studies, established himself in practice there in 1859, removing to this
city in 1865, and establishing a practice here which has been increasingly
successful for a period of eighteen years. The doctor was married in 1848,
to Miss May Reynolds. They have one child, E. L. Townsend, who studied for
his profession in his father's office; at nineteen years of age commenced
practice in Lake City; continued there for five years, then went to
Philadelphia, taking a partial course in medicine in Jefferson Medical
College and a full course in dental surgery at Pennsylvania College,
graduate B.D.S. in 1877, and returned to Lake City; resumed practice until
the fall of 1880, when, his health failing him, he discontinued office
work for two years. Returning to Wabasha in 1882, he spent the following
winter in the home office, and in the summer of 1883 took a trip into
California to test the effect of that climate upon his health. Dr. L.
Townsend, during the eighteen years of his practice in this city, has
fitted five young men for the dental profession, besides a number of
others who have taken only a partial course. P. H. Robinson, who is now
the doctor's assistant, has just completed his studies in the office here,
and taken a working interest in its business. It is his intention to take
a full course in dental surgery by way of completing his preparation. Dr.
Townsend, in March 1882, purchased a tract of forty acres of land within
the corporate limits of the city, on the south, which he was converting
into a fruit farm, when, July 19, 1883, one of the most terrific storms of
wind and rain, accompanied by lightning, that ever visited this region
broke over the city. A bolt of lightning came crashing through the roof of
the doctor's house, at the southwest corner, passing clean through to the
basement , and firing the house all along its passage. The shock partially
stunned the doctor and his wife, and they were only fully aroused by the
light from their burning dwelling in time to effect their escape with the
loss of home and contents.