History: Local: Chapter XXXVIII - Part II : The Medical Profession : Bean's 1884 History of Montgomery Co, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Susan Walters USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/montgomery/beantoc.htm URL of html Table of Contents and illustrations. 技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技 BEAN'S HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技技 CHAPTER XXXVIII. - PART II THE MEDICAL PROFESSION - PIONEER PRACTITIONERS - EMINENT PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS - MEDICAL SOCIETY. 658 (cont.) EDWARD READING M. D., was born in what is now Somerton, Philadelphia Co., Pa., January 3, 1829. His parents were, Thomas and Maria Reading, the former born in Paper-Mill village, near Hatboro', Montgomery Co., Pa., and the latter in Bucks County, this State. His paternal grandparents were William and Ruth Reading, both natives of New Jersey. His maternal grandparents were descendants of the old and well-known Vandyke family, formerly of Bucks County, Pa. Edward's early years were spent at home and at the old Bustleton Academy, then one of the popular institutions of learning of the old county of Philadelphia. At the age of eighteen he learned the trade of turning fancy articles in wood, at which business he remained until failing, health compelled him to relinquish his chosen occupation. He then decided upon one of the professions, and chose that of medicine, commencing the study of that science in 1850, and in March of 1853 was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., and in the early part of the year 1853 located at what is now the borough of, Hatboro' Montgomery Co. and commenced the practice of medicine, and by his skill and perseverance placed himself at once in the front ranks of his profession, gaining a large and lucrative practice, which for thirty-one years he has held, and still retains the esteem and confidence of the community is which he resides, and has at various times occupied the different official positions pertaining to the borough of Hatboro'. 659 In his religious views he is a Methodist, and has for many years been an office-bearer in the church of his choice. He was one of the charter members of W. K. Bray Lodge, No. 410, Ancient York Masons, located at Hatboro', and was its first Worshipful Master. He was married, February 14, 1856, to Miss Jennie B., daughter of Lewis R. Willard, of Moreland township, Montgomery Co., Pa. Their children are Estella, born March 19, 1857, married, November 5, 1879, to Thomas E. Paxson, of Hatboro' Lewis Willard, born January 5, 1859, and in September, 1881, married to Miss Sarah McCamant, of Lancaster County, Pa. Lewis studied medicine with his father, entered Hahnemann Medical College in 1877, and graduated in March, 1880. He is now a practicing physician at Hatboro', where he is highly esteemed for his medical skill and genial qualities. Thomas, the youngest child was born November 3, 1864, and was in 1885 preparing himself for the medical profession. PICTURE OF EDWARD READING, APPEARS HERE. MILTON NEWBERRY, M.D. Henry Newberry, the great-grandfather of Dr. Newberry who was of English decent, resided in Skippackville, Montgomery Co., prior to the Revolutionary war, and married Miss Ann Bull, to whom were born children Israel Henry Thomas Elizabeth Rebecca Jermima Ann Mary John The youngest of these sons, John Newberry, married Miss Sarah Gordon, whose three children were Eliza (Mrs. Samuel Martin) George Hannah (Mrs. George Shriver), but one of whom, Mrs. Shriver, survives. George Newberry was born in Cheltenham township, and early in life removed to Ohio, where he resided until his death. He married Catharine Shriver, of Springfield township, Montgomery Co., and had three children John (deceased) Milton Anna M. Milton, of this number, was born in Cheltenham township on the 4th of October, 1829, and when an infant, with his parents, to Ohio, where be remained until his ninth year, when Montgomery County again became his home. After the ordinary advantages of education at the public school near his home, he pursued his academic studies at a private school at Hartsville, Bucks Co., and later at the Treemount Seminary, in Norristown. Having chosen medicine as a profession, he entered the office of Dr. John A. Martin, of Whitemarsh, and graduated at the University of Pennsylvania (Medical Department) in 1855. Dr. Newberry at once became associated with his former preceptor at Whitemarsh, and continued this professional relation until the fall of 1858, when the latter retired from active practice. 660 The doctor at once entered upon it successful career as it practitioner, his field of operation having widened until the demands of all arduous profession leave little leisure for other pursuits. He was married, on the 29th of April, 1858, to Lucinda C., daughter of Frederick A. Martin, M.D., of Bethlehem, Pa. Their children are two sons Frederick M. George (deceased) In his political affiliations Dr. Newberry is a stanch Democrat, and while manifesting a personal interest in all public measures which affect the county and State, has declined, political preferment. He is a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society, which he represented as delegate at the meeting, of the State society in 1858 likewise serving, as delegate from the Pennsylvania State Medical society at the, meeting, of the American Medical Association, which was convened at Washington the same year. Dr. Newberry, though of Quaker descent, is a member of the Reformed congregation of the Union Church of Whitemarsh. JOHN TODD M.D., was the grandson or Andrew Todd, who resided in Freeland, Upper Providence township, Montgomery Co., where he was a considerable land-owner and a man of superior mechanical attainments. He was in his religious convictions a stanch Presbyterian and member of the Old Providence Presbyterian Church. He was one of the first Justices of the peace appointed by Governor McKean and held the office until his death. Mr. Todd married Miss Hannah Boyer and had children, John William T. Hannah Isabella. John Todd was born on the homestead in 1776 and devoted his life to the pursuits of a farmer. He filled several important county offices and held appointments under Governor Porter. By his marriage to a Miss Campbell were born children.- Robert Andrew Hannah Mary Eliza. By a second marriage, to Christianna Boughman, were children,- John William T. Samuel M. Charles W. B. Christianna Emily. PICTURE OF JOHN TODD, APPEARS HERE. John, of this number, was born April 25, 1830, on the homestead farm, and received his education at the Freeland Seminary, after which he entered upon the study of medicine with Drs. Keeler and Groff, of Harleysville, Montgomery Co., graduating in 1857 from the Pennsylvania Medical College. He at once made Boyertown, Pa., his residence, and there began the practice of his profession, his skill and attainments meeting at once with a prompt recognition. 661 In the spring of 1868, Dr. Todd sought a more extended field of labor in Pottstown. Here he has been especially successful, and while not pursuing any branch of the profession as a specialty, has established a large and increasing obstetrical practice. He was married, in 1857, to Amanda, daughter of J. K. Smith, of Philadelphia, whose only daughter, Amanda, is Mrs. George Kramer, of Philadelphia. He was again married, in 1861, to Sarah M., daughter of Daniel Heller, of Boyertown, and has children Blanche, (Mrs. Irvin G. Kulp, of Pottstown), Bertha C., Sallie H., Mary and John. Dr. Todd was formerly a member of the Berks County Medical Society, and is now a member of the Pottstown Medical Society, as also a trustee of the Brighurst Trust, established for the benefit of the poor of Pottstown. He is a Free and Accepted Mason, and identified with Stichter Lodge, No. 254, of Pottstown. In politics he is a Democrat, and has for nine years served as a member of the Borough Council, though the attractions of official life have not been sufficiently powerful to draw him from the work of his profession. He is a Lutheran in his religious faith and a member of the Church of the Transfiguration, of Pottstown. ARTHUR D MARKLEY, M.D., was born in Columbia, Lancaster Co., Pa., April 28, 1832. His father, Jacob F. Markley, was born in the borough of Strasburg, Lancaster Co., Pa., and in due time became a physician, he having in the meantime married a daughter of the late John Hamilton, Esq., of Leacock township, Lancaster Co. Arthur's early school-days were spent in the schools of Columbia, and subsequently in the Lancasterian School, in Harrisburg, and still later was a member of Captain Partridge's Military Academy, in the capital city of Pennsylvania, until the close of that institution. Having acquired a fair education in the above named schools, he was then engaged as a clerk in a wholesale drug-store in Philadelphia, Pa., where he remained three years. From this whole-sale house he went to Phoenixville, Pa., where for five years he had entire charge of a drug-store. At the expiration of his term of service at Phoenixville he commenced the study of medicine with the late Dr. Samuel Solliday, and subsequently with Dr. Joseph B. Dunlap, of Norristown. During this time he took a three years' course of study at the University of Pennsylvania, from which institution he graduated in the class of 1857. He then located at Montgomery Square, Pa., where, he commenced the practice of medicine, remaining there till the summer of 1861, when he volunteered in the United State navy in defense of his country. He remained in the service till the autumn of 1862, when he returned to his home and family. After his return from the navy he located at Worcester, Pa., where he again commenced the practice of medicine, and remained there until the autumn of 1864, when he was elected by the Democratic party a member of the House of Representatives of till State of Pennsylvania, and served in the sessions of 1865, 1866 and 1867, and while there was a member of the standing committee on education, and on railroads; also on the special committee of the historical painting of the battle of Gettysburg. He was also honored with the Democratic nomination for Speaker of the House. After the expiration of his term of service in the Legislature he became engaged in railroad enterprises, and was made the first president of the Perkiomen Railroad, which position he held until about a year after the consolidation of that road with the Philadelphia and Reading road. He was also one of the originators of and a director in the Stony Creek Railroad Company, which position he held until after the consolidation of that road with the Philadelphia and Reading road. From Worcester he removed to Norristown, Pa., where he was engaged in the manufacture of paper, in what was known as the Stony, Creek Paper-Mill, for about three years, when he leased the mill to other parties. It was subsequently destroyed by fire. While in Norristown he served his constituents in the Board of Councilmen of that borough. From Norristown he removed to New York, where he opened an office for the temporary practice of medicine, and for one year took advantage of and attended the Clinic Department of the Bellevue Hospital. From New York he moved to Lansdale, Pa., where be remained for two and a half years in the practice of his profession, and in 1876 located in the town of Hatboro', Pa., where he soon acquired a large and lucrative practice, which, through his skill in the science of medicine, he retained until 1884, when he transferred a large portion of his practice to his son, and now (1885) occupies his time in the conduct of his well-appointed pharmacy in Hatboro', and in consultation with other physicians in critical cases. PICTURE OF A. D. MARKLEY, APPEARS HERE. Dr. Markley is a member of William K. Bray Lodge, No. 410, A. Y. M., and one of its Past Masters, and was in 1885 its representative to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of Hutchinson Commandery, K. T., stationed at Norristown, Pa., and has also been advanced to the thirty-second degree A. A. S. R., Orient of Philadelphia. He is also a member of Quaker City Lodge, No. 116, A. 0. U. W,. of Philadelphia. He was also one of the charter members of Lieut. John H. Fisher Post, G. A. R., and afterwards its surgeon. Dr. Markley married, November 10, 1859, Miss Juliet, daughter of Abraham P. Eyre, Esq., of Philadelphia, the marriage ceremony being performed by Rev. Robert H. Pattison, father of the present Governor of Pennsylvania. She died October 9, 1880, and was buried in the Hatboro' Cemetery. His second wife was Miss Hannah Jarrett, eldest daughter of Abel Penrose, Esq., proprietor of Graeme Park Farm, Horsham township, Montgomery Co., Pa. This marriage occurred November 16, 1882, in presence of ex-Mayor King, of Philadelphia, and was performed by Friends' ceremony. 662 He had by his first wife two sons, -Paul H., who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1882, and located in Hatboro', where he has a large practice; Edwin, his youngest son, is in 1885 in the employ of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. The issue from the second marriage is one son and one daughter. PICTURE OF JACOB H. SCHEETZ, APPEARS HERE. JACOB H. SCHEETZ, is of German antecedents. His great-grandfather, Philip Scheetz, who resided in Berks, had among his children a son George, who first settled in Montgomery County, Pa., and at a later date made Chester County his home. He married Hannah Brooke, whose children were a son John and a daughter Martha, the wife of Solomon Engle. John, who was a native of Montgomery County, where he followed his trade of cooper, later became the landlord of the Red Lion Hotel and ultimately a farmer in New Hanover township. He married Anna Catherine, daughter of Samuel Sands, of Berks County, and had children,- Kate (Mrs. Robert Buchanan) George John Anne (Mrs. John M Edson), William B. James Samuel S. Jacob H. and three who died in infancy. Jacob H. was born on the 15th of August, 1836, in Pottstown, Montgomery Co., and early removed with his parents to a farm owned by his father in Berks County, from whence be returned again to his native county and settled in New Hanover township. He spent in his youth two terms at Freeland Seminary (now Ursinus College), at the Trappe, and at the age of nineteen began the study of medicine with Dr. William A. Van Buskirk, of Pottstown. He, in 1856, became a student of the Pennsylvania Medical College, in Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1858. The doctor established himself in practice at Emmaus, Lehigh Co., Pa., and remained two years, when his removal to Hereford Township, Berks Co., occurred. Here he remained Until his patriotic instincts moved him to enlist during the war of the Rebellion in the forty-seventh Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was attached to the Nineteenth Army Corps and participated in various engagements in connection with the Red River expedition. 663 He remained three and a half years in the service, fourteen months of which time were spent as post surgeon at Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas. On returning to his native State he chose Pottstown, an advantageous field, and has since that date been actively engaged in professional labor. His ability as a diagnostician found speedy recognition, and brought a practice which is both successful and profitable. Dr. Scheetz was, as a Democrat, formerly active in the political arena and served three years as a member of the Borough Council, one year of which he filled the office of chief burgess. He is a member of the Pottstown Medical Association and usually participates in its deliberations. The doctor was married, on the 1st of December, 1864, to Miss Sarah Jane Robinson, of Mercer County, Ky. Their children are Ella (Mrs. George Hartman) Alma Barclay B. Claude Melnotte. PICTURE OF B. K. JOHNSON, APPEARS HERE. BENJAMIN K. JOHNSON, M.D. -The ancestors of Dr. Johnson emigrated from Holland about 1625 and settled in Perkiomen township, Montgomery Co., where Joseph Johnson, his grandfather, resided. He married Magdalena Brochdtheiser, and had, among his five sons and four daughters Abraham, who remained upon the homestead until his death, at the age of thirty-one years. He was united in marriage to Elizabeth Kolb, of the same township, whose children were two sons, Benjamin K. and William K., the latter a resident of North Wales, where he is engaged in the business of a hardware merchant. Benjamin K. was born on the 19th of August, 1838, at the home of his paternal grandfather, in Perkiomen township, and in youth became a resident of Lower Salford township, where he received a common-school education, and, later, entered the Freeland Seminary (now Ursinus College), at Collegeville. He early discovered a predilection for the profession of medicine, and in 1869 entered the office of Drs. Keelor and Groff, of Harleysville, Montgomery Co., continuing his studies in the Medical Department of the Pennsylvania College, in Philadelphia, from which he worthily obtained a diploma March 2, 1861. His first location was at Applebachsville, Bucks Co., where he remained five years, and, though still a resident of the county, removed at the expiration of this period to Dublin, where his professional career embraced a period of two and a half years. Dr. Johnson, in 1868, made -North Wales his residence, and remained actively engaged in his profession until his removal, in 1884, to Norristown, his present field of labor. 664 He has from the beginning, been successful as a practitioner, and, while not making a specialty of any branch of medical science, has given much thought and study to diseases of children and the treatment of fevers. The doctor was married, on the 7th of November, 1861, to Miss Rosa Linda, daughter of the late Jonas C. Godshalk, of Lower Salford township, Montgomery Co. Their only son, Elmer E., now a student of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, will, on the completion of his classical studies, adopt his father's profession. Dr. Johnson is in politics a Republican, and a descendant of stanch Whig ancestors, though he has never participated in the active work of the party. He is a member of the North Wales Lodge, No. 16, Independent Order of Odd-Fellows, in which he has taken high rank. The family of Dr. Johnson early espoused the faith of the Mennonite Church, though his associations are with Trinity Lutheran Church, of Norristown, as are also those of his wife and son. JACOB 0. KNIPE, M.D. a grandson of David Knipe, was of German ancestry and resided in Gwynedd township, Montgomery Co., where he was known as a thrifty farmer. His children were three daughters,- Hannah Eliza Catharine and six sons,- John Conrad David Daniel Jacob William. Jacob was born in Gwynedd township, Montgomery Co., Pa., in 1804, and died in 1883. He studied medicine with Dr. Clarke, of Montgomery County, and later attended the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, after which he settled as a practitioner in New Hanover township. He was united in marriage to Rachel, daughter of David Evans, of Hatfield township, in the same county, and had children,- David Mary Francis M. Sarah (Mrs. H. K. Whitner) Jacob 0. Hannah E. Septimus A. and Rachel A. Francis M. and Septimus are both practicing physicians in Frederick and New Hanover townships, respectively, in the same county. Jacob 0. was born September 3, 1837, in New Hanover township, and received more than ordinary advantages of education, first in the neighborhood and later at the Freeland Seminary, after which he was a pupil of the Mount Pleasant Seminary, at Boyertown, and included his studies at the Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa. He pursued the study of medicine with his father and brother, and graduated from the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia in 1862. He at once established himself at Norristown, and early acquired a reputation for skill as a general practitioner. His success in this extended field of labor has precluded any subsequent change of location. Dr. Knipe was married, in 1865, to Clara, daughter of Jeremiah Poley, of Norristown. Their children are Irvin P. Reinoehl Jay C. Francis Warren, (deceased) George L. Norman L. PICTURE OF JACOB O. KNIPE, APPEARS HERE. Dr. Knipe is a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society, in which he has filled the respective offices of secretary, treasurer and president. He is also a member of both the State and national medical associations. He fills the appointment of member of the board of visitors for the county in connection with the public charities of the State. The doctor supports the principles of the Democracy in politics, though rarely a participant in the exciting scenes incident to a political campaign. He is in religion a supporter of the Lutheran Evangelical Church. 665 MAHLON PRESTON, M.D., a grandson of Mahlon Preston, who resided in West Grove township, Chester Co., where he was a farmer. By his marriage to Amy Coates were born children, -William, Isaac C., Coates, Seymour, Hannah (Mrs. William W. Thomas), and Beulah (Mrs. W. W. Thomas). The birth of Isaac C. occurred in West Grove, from whence he removed to Caln, in the same county, where he was both a farmer and a commission merchant. He married Mary, daughter of Issachar Price, of the same county, and had children, -Frederick L. and Mahlon. The latter was born in Caln in January, 1839, his boyhood being spent with his parents and at the home of his paternal grandfather. He was later placed under the guidance of Jonathan Gause, a celebrated instructor of the day and at the head of the Greenwood Dell Academy, in Chester County, after which he taught at the same school and also in Delaware County. In 1855 he began the study of medicine with Dr. J. B. Wood, of West Chester, and graduated in 1861 from the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia. Dr. Preston engaged in practice at Meadville, Pa., and later at Rome, N. Y. After a temporary residence in Chester be, in 1862, made Norristown his home, and soon acquired a lucrative and steadily increasing practice. He was married, in 1867, to Mary, daughter of Hon. David Krause, of Norristown, and has children, Frederick H. Catharine K. and Emily K. The doctor is a member of the State Homeopathic Medical Society, of the American Institute of Homeopathy and of the International Hahnemann Association. He has at various times read papers of interest before these societies. Dr. Preston wag educated in the religious faith of the Society of Friends. Dr. ELLWOOD H. CORSON. -The only surviving son of George and Martha Corson, was born June 15, 1842. Being endowed with great mental qualifications, and having received an excellent preliminary education, he entered the office of his uncle, Dr. Hiram Corson, but after the first year entered the military hospital at Broad and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia, as assistant, and, like his cousin Joseph K., and with him, attended lectures in the university and the sick in the hospital until he graduated, in the spring of 1863. They thus, in the language of Mr. Auge, "heard lectures during the day and attended sick soldiers at night, stealing hours from sleep for study and the practical duties devolving on them as assistants to the surgeons." After graduation he was at once commissioned assistant surgeon and attached to the Sixty-ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, from which time he was with the army until within a week or two of the date of the battle of Gettysburg. He was prostrated with typhoid fever and was sent from Antietam to Baltimore to be treated, where he was lying very ill when the battle referred to was in progress. After recovering from a most severe illness he was transferred to New York and from thence, sent on board a monitor to Charleston Harbor. Of the trials, privations and dangers which our soldiers passed through in these months of daily cannonading none can speak truly save those who endured them. There he remained until the rebels abandoned the city. After the war he continued in the navy and served for a time in the Marine Hospital in Philadelphia as assistant surgeon to his uncle, Surgeon George Maulsby, U.S.N. Life in the navy was distasteful to him; he therefore resigned and at once began practice in Norristown with his uncle, Dr. William Corson, and at the present writing has skill and reputation as surgeon and physician, which the most fortunate may well envy. He married Miss Margaret Wilkinson, daughter of Samuel Wilkinson, of New York City, and niece of Mrs. E. Cady Stanton, the eloquent champion of "Woman's Rights." They have three children. [NOTE: For history of the Corson family, see Plymouth township.] GORHAM PARSONS SARGENT, M.D., of Bryn Mawr, a physician of long and extensive practice in Montgomery and Delaware Counties, was born December 10, 1834, in Philadelphia, where his father, Winthrop Sargent, was for many years treasurer of the Presbyterian Board of Publication. His mother was Emily (Haskell) Sargent, of the old and highly respectable Haskell family, of Gloucester, Mass. At the age of eight years he removed with his parents from Philadelphia to Essex County, Mass. He received his preparatory education at Dummer Academy, in the township of Newbury, in that county, near the city of Newburyport, and at the close of his academic course entered Dartmouth College, at Hanover, N. H., where several of his brothers were graduated. In 1859 he was elected a member of the Massachusetts Legislature for the town of Newbury. In the term which he then served in the House of Representatives he was the youngest member of that body, of which 666 the Hon. Charles Hale was the Speaker. During the time of his service in the Legislature he was also a student of medicine. He afterwards attended lectures at the Harvard Medical School and at the Long Island College Hospital (Brooklyn, N. Y.), where he was graduated in 1863. PICTURE OF GEORGE P. SARGENT, APPEARS HERE. Prior to that time, at the opening of the war of the Rebellion, he entered the Union army as a medical cadet, and was assigned to hospital duty, in which he was chiefly employed during his continuance in the service, being stationed a large part of the time as acting assistant surgeon at the Satterlee Hospital, Philadelphia, and also, for a shorter period, at Camp Copeland, Braddock's Field, near Pittsburgh. From the close of the war until the present time he has been continuously engaged in the practice of his profession, first in Philadelphia and later in the counties of Delaware and Montgomery. He has been president of the Montgomery County Medical Society, several times a delegate from that society to the State Medical Society and to the American Medical Association. He is now an associate member of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia, and, in addition to his large private practice, is in charge of the Hospital of the Good Shepherd (for children), at Radnor, Delaware Co. He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church at Bryn Mawr. Dr. Sargent was married, in 1865, to Caroline, daughter of Frederick Montmollin, of Lexington, Ky. They had one child, a daughter, who died in infancy, in 1866. Fitzwilliam Sargent, M.D., brother of Dr. G. P. Sargent, was formerly demonstrator of anatomy in the University of Pennsylvania, and is now (as be has been for many years) living in Europe. Another brother, Winthrop Sargent, M.D., who was also for several years in practice in Montgomery County, and a member of its Medical Society, is now residing at Newton, Mass. DAVID R. BEAVER, M.D. -David Beaver, the grandfather of Dr. David R. Beaver, of Conshohocken, was the great-grandson of George Beaver, who came from Alsace, Germany, to Philadelphia, in the ship "Friendship," November 2, 1744. He resided in Chester County, Pa., where he was the owner of the Great Valley Flour-Mill and also of a productive farm. Mr. Beaver died while building a furnace at Danville, Pa. He was united in marriage to Miss Catharine Heister, and had children,- Heister Samuel David. Samuel succeeded his father in the milling and farming business, and later removed to Norristown, where he embarked in the milling and lumber business. He was married to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of John and Rachel Brown, of Chester County, their being David R. John B. Mary Ella (Mrs. William Craig) Rachel Anna (Mrs. Aaron Baker). 667 David R. Beaver was born on the 18th of April 1842, in Tredyffrin Township, Chester Co. and at the age of thirteen removed to Norristown with his parents. He pursued his studies under the direction of Rev. Samuel Aaron, Rev. Joseph Nesbitt and Professor John W. Loch, finally becoming a student of medicine in the office of Dr. William Corson, of Norristown. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in March, 1864, and at once entered the service of the United States government as assistant surgeon of the Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves. On the mustering out of this regiment Dr. Beaver was reappointed assistant surgeon of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, from which he was later detached and placed as surgeon in charge of the Fifth Corps Artillery. PICTURE OF DAVID BEAVER, APPEARS HERE. Early in the spring of 1865 he was relieved from this duty and appointed assistant medical purveyor of the Army of the Potomac, retaining the position until the close of the war. Returning again to civil life, he located in Reading for a brief period, from whence he removed to Norristown, but ultimately chose Conshohocken as a desirable field of labor, where he has since been actively engaged in his profession and enjoys a large and lucrative practice. The doctor is a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and also of the American Medical Society. He was married, on the 17th of November 1869, to Miss Mary E., daughter of George Patterson, of Norristown. Their children are John Douglas (deceased) Reid (deceased) Eugene Burd P. Mary and Margaret S. DAVID SCHRACK, M.D., is the grandson of John and Mary Elizabeth Norris Schrack and the son of Charles Norris Schrack. The latter was married, in 1841, to Harriet, youngest daughter of Rev. Sylvanus Haight, and became the father of children,- David John Charles, Jr. The eldest of these sons and the subject of this biographical sketch, after a thorough preliminary English course, determined to adopt medicine as a profession, and began his studies with his uncle, Dr. John Schrack. 668 He continued them at a later date at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and graduated with credit in the class of 1865. He at once began practice in his native township, continuing his residence at Norris Hall, but becoming associated with his uncle in his profession. The thorough training of Dr. Schrack, combined with more than ordinary natural gifts, enabled him to attain a leading position in the county as a successful practitioner. He possessed much skill as a diagnostician and a correct judgment, combined with great gentleness and delicacy, in the treatment of his patients. He was a conspicuous member of the County Medical Society, as also actively identified with the Montgomery County Historical Society. He manifested a true patriotism during the trying events of the, late civil war, and at one period attached himself to the camp on special duty. PICTURE OF DAVID SCHRACK, APPEARS HERE. Dr. Schrack was a member of the Centennial Presbyterian Church of Jeffersonville, in which he filled the office of trustee, and was in 1871 elected it ruling elder. In the prosperity of this church he felt a lively interest, and did much by his efforts to advance its material and spiritual growth. The death of Dr. David Schrack occurred on the 27th of March, 1883, at his father's home. His superior professional gifts, his genial nature and consistent Christian life, all combined to inspire attachment, and caused his death to be regarded as a great personal bereavement. [NOTE: His remains were interred in the family burial-place at "Norris Hall," on 31st of March, 1883.] GEORGE M. STILES, M.D. -The paternal ancestors of Dr. Stiles were from Kent County, England, and his grandfather, Levi Stiles, was a native of Princeton, N.J. Among his children was Joseph H., born in Burlington, N.J., who later removed to Philadelphia, where his death occurred in August, 1881. He was united in marriage to Elizabeth Hankins, whose ancestors was from Virginia, and had children,- William H. Elmira H. (wife of Benjamin H. Wiley) George M., besides four who are deceased. George M. was born in Burlington N. J., on the 14th of February, 1843, and educated at the Burlington public schools, the Pennington Seminary and Princeton College. He began the study of medicine in 1863 with Dr. J. Franklin Gauntt, of Burlington, N. J., and continued with Dr. D. Hayes Agnew, of Philadelphia, during this time serving in the Beverly Hospital and also in the Catharine Street Hospital, of the latter city. 669 He then became a student in the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1866. Dr. Stiles settled first at Flourtown; Pa., but finding the field somewhat circumscribed, at the expiration of the year removed to Conshohocken, where he has since resided. Here his ability met with speedy recognition, and secured for him a leading place among the physicians of the borough, with a correspondingly extensive practice. Dr. Stiles is a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society (of which he was president in 1872) and of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. He is a permanent member of the State Medical Society, as also of the American Medical Association. He is a member of the Philadelphia Pathological Society and of the London Shakespearian Society. A close student of natural history, he derives both instruction and pleasure from its study. In 1877 he was appointed physician to the Hospital of the Good Shepherd, at Radnor, Delaware Co., Pa., and served some years in that capacity. Dr. Stiles has contributed at various times valuable papers to the medical literature of the day, notably one in the "Philadelphia Medical Times" of April 4, 1874, on a case of "Extra-Uterine Pregnancy," and in the same journal of January 5, 1876, an article on a case of "Tuberculous Kidney." The doctor was married, in 1872, to Amanda, youngest daughter of Alexander Huston, one of the oldest families of Chestnut Hill, Pa. A daughter, Elsie, is their only surviving child. Dr. Stiles has been president of the board of school directors of the borough, but aside from this appointment has not been identified with either county or borough in an official capacity. He is descended from Quaker stock, and liberal toward all religious denominations. PICTURE OF GEORGE M. STILES, APPEARS HERE. HORACE MARTIN BELLOWS, M.D., son of Martin and Maria Keim Bellows, of Philadelphia, Pa., was born in that city June 30, 1839. His early education was obtained at the Hancock Grammar School and at the Philadelphia Central High School, with the idea of eventually becoming a physician, but fearing he would be too long dependent upon his father in carrying out that intention, he graduated from the latter institution among the distinguished, with an average of 91.9, on February 12, 1857, having had several distinguished and meritorious certificates awarded him during his attendance there. He then, with a view to mercantile pursuits, passed through a course of studies at Crittenden's Commercial College, Philadelphia, receiving his diploma from that college May 8, 1857. Having thus thoroughly fitted himself for an accountant, he entered his father's store in Philadelphia as book-keeper. 670 Mercantile pursuits and the counting room, were not suited to his tastes, however, and still having a desire to pursue the more congenial and useful occupation of a physician, he retired from the dull routine of accounts and balance-sheets, and during the summer of 1858 he again turned his attention to the medical profession as his future field of operation by entering with Professor Joseph Leidy as his preceptor and matriculating in the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, September 28, 1858, where he pursued his studies till March 14, 1861, when he graduated from that institution. Soon after his graduation his services as a physician were secured for the hospital at the Philadelphia Almshouse, to which institution he was appointed resident physician, and where he remained one year. PICTURE OF H. M. BELLOWS, APPEARS HERE. During this time the dark clouds of secession had burst forth in thunder tones, necessitating the calling forth of troops in the defense of the nation's life. Hospitals for the treatment of the sick and wounded soldiers were erected, and skillful surgeons appointed in charge of them. Among the large number of surgeons selected by the government was Dr. H. M. Bellows, who, on January 31, 1862, was placed in charge of one of the wards in the United States Army General Hospital, Broad and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia, and June 28, 1863, his skill as a physician and surgeon was recognized by the medical director of the department, Surgeon John Neill, who placed him in charge of the Broad and Cherry Streets United States Army General Hospital during his absence with the troops at Gettysburg. From that time till the close of the war his services were availed of by those in authority at places where they were considered to be most useful. On March 15, 1864, he was placed in charge of the United States Army Post Hospital, at the barracks for recruits, drafted men and substitutes, at Twenty-second and Wood Streets, Philadelphia, and which was soon afterwards transferred to Twenty-third and Filbert Streets, still under his charge. May 2, 1864, he was transferred, by order of the medical director, to the United States Army General Hospital, South Street, Philadelphia. May 14,1864, he was ordered to report to the surgeon general at Washington, D.C., and on May 16th he was assigned to Harewood United States Army General Hospital, on W. W. Corcoran's place, near Washington. July 12, 1864, he was detailed by the medical director of the Department of the Susquehanna to examine recruits for the "hundred days" Pennsylvania Volunteers at Camp Cadwalader, near Philadelphia. 671 August 16, 1864, he was detailed to examine recruits for the Sixth Union League Regiment at National Guards' Hall, Philadelphia, recruited by General H. G. Sickle for the Reserve Corps, and known as the One Hundred and Ninety-eighth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. March 21, 1865, he was ordered to perform the duties of the surgeon commanding at the Citizens' Volunteer Hospital, at Broad and Prime Streets, Philadelphia, daring the temporary absence of that officer. May 9, 1865, he was ordered by the medical director to the Citizens' Volunteer Hospital for duty. July 16, 1865, he was ordered to conduct a number of sick and wounded soldiers from Philadelphia to the United States Army General Hospital at Prairie du Chien, Wis. August 9, 1865, he was transferred to Mower United States Army General Hospital, and where he was assigned to the charge of Christian Street United States Army General Hospital, then considered a ward of Mower Hospital. October 8, 1865, his connection with the army ceased at his request, he then having charge still of Christian Street Ward of Mower United States Army General Hospital, the last of the army hospitals remaining in Philadelphia, and it was closed soon after that date. During the war Dr. Bellows filled many important and responsible positions in the, medical department, aside from those above enumerated, and with the large amount of medical stores distributed through or by means of his requisitions, none were unaccounted for, and upon his final settlement with the government his accounts were found correct in every particular. After the close of the war Dr. Bellows commenced the practice of medicine in Philadelphia, where he remained until March, 1870, when he removed to Huntingdon Valley, having purchased the place upon which he resides, and by many alterations and additions to the buildings, as comfort and taste required, made it one of the fine residences of the valley. Since his location here he has been employed with a large and increasing practice, which he still pursues, besides entering heartily into such undertaking as promised to advance the interests of his locality. He is a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, to which he was elected February 26, 1867, and whilst he lived in the city was a member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society. He was married, May 21, 1863, to Catherine, daughter of George and Susan C. Schober, of Philadelphia. They have one child, a daughter, Susan S. JOSEPH KERR WEAVER, A.M., M.D., was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., October 31, 1838, being one of a family of ten children. His grandparents were among the early settlers of the county, and his father, John Weaver, one of six brothers, two of whom served in the war of 1812. When a young man, John Weaver located near Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Pa., and became a large land-owner, an extensive dealer in stock and also a merchant, his place of business, known then and now as Weaver's Stand, being a prominent point on the principal road between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In 1842 the doctor's parents moved to Indiana County, Pa., where he received common-school and academic education. In 1858 he entered the sophomore class in the university at Lewisburg, Union Co., Pa., from which institution he graduated in June 1861, receiving the degree of A.B. In 1863 the degree of A.M. was conferred upon him. He entered at once upon the study of medicine in the office of S. T. Reddick, M.D., of Saltsburg, Indiana Co., Pa. In August 1862, a call for troops being made, he entered the army as first lieutenant Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, a nine months' regiment, his four brothers being already in the service. The regiment was ordered to Washington, D. C., for provost and guard duty, and he was detailed for official duty at the old Capital Prison, where he served for six months. The regiment was then ordered to the front, and became a part of the First Corps, Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Reynolds. After taking part in the Chancellorsville campaign, under General Hooker, he was mustered out of service, the time of the regiment having expired. PICTURE OF JOSEPH K. WEAVER, APPEARS HERE. Dr. Weaver again resumed his medical studies, but in a few months re-entered the service as captain of a company called out for State defense. In July, 1864, he commanded a company in First Battalion (one hundred days') Infantry, and upon the expiration of that time accepted the command of a company of mounted infantry re-enlisted from the above named battalion, and remained in the service until the close of the war. Soon after, he resumed his studies at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which institution he graduated in the spring of 1867, performing during his last year in college the duties of resident physician in the Charity Hospital. After taking a special course of study in diseases of the throat, lungs, eye and ear, he settled in Norristown, Montgomery Co., Pa., April 30, 1867, and rapidly established himself in the confidence of the people. He is now one of the leading physicians of the county, with a correspondingly large practice. For several years he was lecturer upon the subject of physiology and hygiene in the Norristown High School. While engaged in general practice, he gives special attention to the treatment of diseases of the eye and ear. On November 27, 1872, Dr. Weaver was married to Amelia R., eldest daughter of Henry Lehman, Esq., one of Norristown's most prominent and respected citizens. The doctor is a member of the County, State and American Medical Associations and a Fellow of the American Academy of Medicine, the latter being composed of those only who hold the degree of A. M. and having for its object the promotion of higher medial education. 672 He is now, and has been since its organization, surgeon of the Sixth Regiment National Guards of Pennsylvania, and is a member and also surgeon of Zook Post, No. 11, and Grand Army of the Republic. Politically he is a Republican. He is a member of the Norristown Baptist Church, in which he holds the office of trustee, and is also superintendent of the Sabbath-school of the same church. PICTURE OF GEORGE K. MESCHTER, APPEARS HERE. GEORGE K. MESCHTER, M.D. -Dr. Meschter, of Worcester Township, residing near Centre Point, one of the most successful medical practitioners of the county, was a son of Rev. George Meschter, of Towamencin Township, and was born May 2, 1840. His ancestors were among the brave followers of Caspar Schwenkfeld, who, unwilling to abandon the faith for which they were persecuted in Silesia, their native land, immigrated to America. About forty families settled in the southeastern counties of Pennsylvania, of whom three individuals bore the name of Meschter. It is known that the great-grandfather of the subject of this biography arrived in this country September 22, 1734. His name was Melchoir. He had a son, Christopher, and the latter a son by the same name, who was the father of George and the grandfather of George K. The man of whose life we are to give a brief outline worked as boy and youth upon his father's farm, and had very limited schooling, but what he did learn was supplemented by study at Kulpsville Academy for several quarters after he had grown up. Then he taught school for two years in his native township, and thus prepared the way for two years' attendance at the Treemount Seminary, in Norristown, then, as now, under the principalship of Professor John W. Loch. He studied there Latin, Greek, philosophy, and chemistry, and secured a good preparation for the study of medicine, which he began in 1864 at Worcester, under the preceptorship of Dr. Joel H. Krause. In 1865 he entered the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in the spring of 1867. He continued the study for another year and gained practical knowledge of his chosen profession in Blockley Hospital and the Pennsylvania Hospital and University, and then began practice, March 1, 1868, at his present location, Centre Point, succeeding Dr. J. H. Krause. He soon became a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society, and has ever since continued to be identified with it, at one time being its president. He was also a delegate to the State Medical Society in 1876. Two years ago he took in partnership Josiah K. Gerhard, M.D., who had been his student, and, like himself, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. 673 Dr. Meschter married, in the fall of 1867, Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Charles Y. Krieble, of Franklinville. They have bad six children, of whom three, -Cyrus K., Charles K. and Nora -are living. PICTURE OF BENJAMIN F. DISMANT, APPEARS HERE. BENJAMIN F. DISMANT, M.D. -The Dismant family is traced through a long line of ancestors, the first representative, named Daniel, having emigrated from Ireland in 1698. Benjamin F. Dismant was the son of John and Deborah Dismant, and was born on the 27th of February, 1810, in Upper Providence township, Montgomery Co., where his boyhood was spent upon a farm owned by his father. He early displayed a predilection for study, and enjoyed more than the ordinary advantages of education, attending first public and private schools near his home, and later the Washington Hall Collegiate Institute, at the Trappe, and a similar school in Philadelphia, under the direction of L. Fairchild, Esq. For a brief period he engaged in teaching, and then began the study of medicine with Dr. John A. Jacks, of Berks County, and later with Dr. Hugh Lennox Hodge, of Philadelphia. On the completion of his course of lectures he, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (medical Department) in March 1867. Removing at once to Limerick Centre, he began the practice of his profession, and has never since changed his field of labor. Dr. Dismant soon entered upon a successful career as a practitioner, his thorough knowledge of the science of medicine having afforded the groundwork of this success. From the nature of his field of operation, however, his practice is necessarily general rather than special. The doctor was married, on the 10th of February, 1875, to Mary M., daughter of Henry Walt, of Limerick Township, and has children Lizzie Nellie Georgie John. Dr. Dismant is a member of the Pottstown Medical Society, frequently participating in the discussions and reading interesting papers before that body. In politics he is a Democrat, but while earnest in his zeal for the advancement of the party interests, he has no ambition for office. MARY HENDERSON STINSON was born November 14, 1819, in Norriton township, Montgomery Co, Po, eldest daughter and fourth child of Robert and Elizabeth Porter Stinson, of the fourth generation of the progenitors in this country, of whom both paternal and maternal emigrated from Scotland or the north of Ireland before or about the first third of the eighteenth century, whose graves are well marked in the burial-grounds attached to the Presbyterian Churches of Neshaminy, Bucks Co., and of Norriton and Lower Providence, Montgomery Co. Their identity is well established by title-deeds recorded in Philadelphia County and by the restoration of wills in these three counties. 674 Robert Stinson was the second son of Elijah and Mary Henderson Stinson, of Warwick Township, Bucks Co. Elijah was the only son of John Stevenson, from Ireland, and _____ Henderson, of Upper Merion, Montgomery Co. Mary Henderson, wife of Elijah Stinson, was one of the eight daughters of Robert and Margaret Archabald Henderson, of Bucks County, whose parents came from Scotland. Elizabeth Porter, wife of Robert Stinson, was the oldest daughter of Stephen and Margaret McFarland Porter, of Norriton township, Montgomery Co. Stephen Porter was the youngest of the nine sons of Robert and Lilleous Christy Porter, of Worcester township, Montgomery Co. Robert Porter's birth, November 25, 1705, is recorded in the parish of Burt, on an island near Londonderry. His direct ancestor earliest known was a Scotch chief of the clan McGregor, who emigrated from Scotland to Ireland about 1630. Margaret, wife of Stephen Porter, was the oldest daughter of Arthur and Elizabeth Parker, nee Todd McFarland, of Norriton township, Montgomery Co. Elizabeth, wife of Arthur McFarland, was a daughter of Robert and Isabella Todd, who came, with five children, from Ireland about 1737, and settled in Upper Providence township, Montgomery Co., Pa. PICTURE OF MARY H. STINSON, APPEARS HERE. The school education of Mary H. Stinson began in the township school-house in Jeffersonville; continued in Mr. Ashton's private school in Philadelphia, and closed at the Female Seminary in Charlestown, Mass., then a suburb, now a part of the city of Boston. Having been an invalid many years, she studied medicine as a hygienic measure, and graduated in the class of 1869 of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Merrick Bemis, superintendent of the State Lunatic hospital in Worecester, Mass., having comprehended the difficulties insuperable by men physicians in the care and treatment of insane women patients, with a portion of the board of trustees of that institution, concluded to seek a woman graduate in medicine as a candidate for election as assistant physician in the department for women, scarcely believing she could he elected. The members of the faculty of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania recommended Dr. Mary H. Stinson for the candidacy. At the regular monthly meeting of the board of trustees, in July 1869, by a unanimous vote, she was elected assistant physician for the department for women. This was the first appointment on record of a woman to such a position. At the meeting of the board of trustees in September 1869, she presented herself and went on duty. She remained through Dr. Bemis' administration as superintendent, for more than three years with his successor, Dr. H. D. Eastman, having in the mean time sent in two resignations, which she was induced to withdraw. After a third resignation, she left Worcester in January, 1875. On February 4, 1875, she commenced a tour of the United States via the Atlantic States and their principal cities to Florida, across the Gulf States to New Orleans, up the Mississippi to St. Louis, and via Union Pacific Railroad reached San Francisco, Cal., May 25th. Visited intermediate Territories and States returning, and arrived home in Norristown about the close of December 1875. The summer of 1876 was given to the Centennial Exposition, the social interests it created, and to Reading some of the sections of the World's Medical Conference, then in session in Philadelphia. On September 23, 1876, she left Philadelphia on the steamship "Vaderland," with the threefold purpose of travel or sight-seeing, visiting and studying of hospitals for the insane and the sick, and for study in the medical department, of the universities of Europe. She landed at Antwerp, on the Scheldt, Belgium, where she commenced by visiting the famous colony of insane persons of both sexes at Gheel. The winter of 1876-77 was spent in Vienna, Austria, attending clinics and lectures in the hospitals and Medical Department of the University. The winter of 1877-78 was spent in Paris in similar pursuits. The spring following, the absorbing interest was the World's Exposition in Paris. The summer was given to London and the British Isles. Having embarked for the return voyage at Glasgow Scotland, she arrived in New York August 27, 1878. Upon the organization of the hospital for the insane for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, located at Norristown, Dr. Stinson was tendered the position of resident physician of the women's department, but declined the honorable preferment. Dr. Stinson was elected a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society November 10, 1880. She was sent by this society as delegate to the State Medical Society's meeting in Lancaster, Pa., in 1881, and in 1882, as delegate from that same society, she attended the session of the American Medical Association held at St. Paul, Minn. Dr. Stinson has been one of the pioneers of her sex in determining a standard of practical usefulness for educated and trained women, and her recognition by the medical society of the county, by the management of one of the largest corporate institutions in New England, and by one in her native State furnishes the gratifying evidence of her successful career. She is now living in useful retirement at her home in Norristown. 675 HIRAM R. LOUX, M. D. of Souderton, although a young physician, has obtained considerable popularity and prominence as a practitioner. He was born in Rockhill township, Bucks Co., Pa., July 16, 1839, and is a son of Jacob and Hannah (Rittenhouse) Loux, the former of whom, now residing near Lansdale, is a Mennonite minister. The latter was of the family which the name of David Rittenhouse has made famous, and of which much information is given elsewhere in this volume. PICTURE OF HIRAM R. LOUX, M.D., APPEARS HERE. The early youth of our subject was spent upon his father's farm, but at the age of fourteen he entered the excellent school at the Trappe, known as Washington Hall, and there took a three years' course of instruction, which formed the basis of his literary education. The intervals in his occupation of teaching during the following three years were also occupied in study. During the latter year of his teaching (which he followed in Hatfield township) his attention was directed to medicine, upon the thorough study of which he had resolved, and he had as preceptor Dr. William H. Hartzell, then of Harleysville, now of Allentown. Making the best of his opportunities, and having by his own industry prepared the way, he entered the Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, in the fall of 1879. In the spring of 1882 he graduated therefrom with honors, receiving favorable mention as a contestant for the Henry C. Lea's Sons' prize for the best thesis founded upon original experiments and upon clinical observation and superior excellence in scholarship. On April 1, 1882, he located in Souderton, where he has since remained. Meeting with excellent success in practice at the very start, he has constantly advanced in his profession until, at the present, he enjoys a very enviable position. He has, in addition to a fair reputation gained in the common practice of medicine, quite a reputation as a surgeon, and is frequently called to consult with other physicians in the region about his home. EDWIN B. ROSSITER, M.D., comes from a family of Welsh extraction. Thomas Rossiter, the grandfather of the doctor, was an early settler in Chester County, where he followed the blacksmith's trade and also cultivated a farm. By his marriage to Rachel Van Derslice, of Chester County, were born children,- Lewis Thomas Morris Joseph Ellis Edwin Sarah V. and Juliann. Thomas, of this number, was born on the 22d of October, 1822, at the homestead near Perkiomen Junction, Chester Co., and early acquired the trade of blacksmith, which he followed for years successfully. 676 He married Catharine, daughter of Jonathan and Catharine Bowen, whose children are Edwin B. and Rachel E. (Mrs. George W. Reifsnyder). Mr. Rossiter still resides in Chester County, though not actively employed at his trade. His son, Edwin B., was born in Schuylkill township, Chester Co., on the 23d of February, 1851, in the immediate vicinity of which his youth was passed. After instruction at the common schools near his home, he entered a printing-office at Phoenixville, and thoroughly acquired the printer's art in all its departments. He removed to West Chester and was engaged as a journeyman, finding later, employment in the same capacity in the State Printing-Office, at Harrisburg, where he remained for several years. Having an early fondness for the science of medicine, he determined to make it his life-work, and with that end in view, he entered the office of Dr. A. Williams, of Phoenixville, continuing his studies at the Hahneman Homeopathic Medical College, in Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1875. The doctor began practice it Spring City, Chester Co., where he remained three years, and at the expiration of this time removed to Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa. A larger field of operation, however, awaited him in Pottstown, to which borough he removed in 1878, and has since been actively engaged in a practice, extended and successful, his attainments enabling him to take a leading place as a representative of his school of medicine. He is a member of the Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Medical Society. Dr. Rossiter was, on the 9th of March, 1877, married to Miss Mary W., daughter of William Ellis, of Pottstown, who is a graduate of the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical Society, of Cleveland, Ohio. Their children are Lizzie P., Anna C. and Edna M. The doctor gives his support and vote to the Republican cause in politics, though not active in the political field. He was reared in the faith of the Baptist Church, of which Mrs. Rossiter is a member. WILLIAM H. RANDLE, M.D. -Henry Randle, the father of Dr. William H. Randle, was a native of Mississippi, and in extensive planter at Artesia, Lowndes Co., in that State. He married Eliza Lawrence, also of Mississippi, to whom were born nine children, the survivors of this number being Dr. Charles C. Randle, of Mississippi; Mary F., wife of Dr. 0. C. Brothers, of the latter State; Arthur E. Randle of Virginia; and the subject of this sketch. Dr. William H. Randle was born on the 30th of November, 1850, in Artesia, Miss., and educated at private schools until he became a student of Spring Hall College, Mississippi, where his classical course was completed. Two years later he entered the office of his brother, Dr. John S. Randle, as a student of medicine, and graduated from the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in the class of 1878. He received the appointment and served one year as assistant resident physician in the Jewish Hospital of the latter city, and in 1878 was made a member of the board of experts authorized by Congress to investigate the yellow fever epidemic, fifty thousand dollars having been appropriated to liquidate the expenses of the board, which convened at Memphis, Tenn. On the assignment of the field of operation, Dr. Randle was appointed to the city of Memphis and surrounding country and the State of Mississippi. After a thorough and laborious investigation, involving a period of two months, the board convened in Washington, and held a session of three weeks preparatory to rendering an exhaustive report to Congress, embracing a review of the field of operation and replete with valuable statistical information. Dr. Randle, on his return in 1879, chose Jenkintown, Montgomery Co., as a favorable point for the practice of his profession, where he has since resided. Here his thorough medical training at once secured for him a leading place among the physicians of the county. Dr. Randle, on the 3d of January, 1882, married Miss Mellie L., daughter of Hon. A. C. Harmer, member of Congress from Germantown, Pa. Their only child is a daughter, Lizzie H. 677 MEDICAL SOCIETY. -About the year 1847 preparations were wade to organize a medical society in Montgomery County and according to a previous understandings between Drs. George W. Thomas, Hiram Corson, William Corson and W. G. Nugent a notice was inserted in the Norristown papers inviting the physicians of the county to meet in Norristown for that purpose. The meeting was composed of Drs. George W. Thomas Hiram Corson William Corson Washington G. Nugent and John L. Foulke. Dr. George Thomas was appointed president Dr. Hiram Corson secretary Drs. W. Corson, John L. Foulke and Washington Nugent constituted the committee appointed to prepare a constitution and by-laws. The objects of the society are "to cultivate and extend the science of medicine, to sustain and elevate the character of the profession, to protect the interests of and promote harmony amongst the members." The officers consist of a president, two vice-presidents, one corresponding and one recording secretary, treasurer, three censors and a board of examiners who are elected annually and serve one year or until a successor is elected. Any physician of respectable standing profession, of good moral character who is a graduate of some respectable medical school, or who holds a license to practice from some medical board recognized by the State Society, or who has been in practice fifteen years and has a good moral and professional character, and is a regular practitioner, is considered eligible and may be elected a member of the society by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, provided his name has been proposed at a previous regular meeting of the society; and provided, also, that such applicant is in no way interested or connected with the manufacture, sale or proceeds of any secret or patent remedy or instrument, or in giving a certificate in favor of any patent remedy or instrument, or in giving support to a system of practice calculated to destroy public confidence in the science of medicine, or by advertisement or any other undue and improper means or claims to superior qualifications in the treatment of any disease. The society at present consists of fifty-four members, holds its meetings bi-monthly at Norristown and sends delegates to the annual sessions of the State Medical Society and to the American Medical Association. MEMBERS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY. Joseph Anderson. R. H. Andrews. Herbert Arnold. Charles Bradley. D. R. Beaver. Hiram Corson. William Corson. Ellwood M. Corson. H. H. Drake. I.(J.?) W. Evans. P. Y. Eisenburg. J. O. Knipe. E. C. Leedom. Oscar Leedom. C. H. Mann. J. Morey. C. K. Meschter. L. W. Read. J. K. Reid. John Schrack. G. P. Sargent. S. C. Seiple. George M. Stiles. Samuel Smith. William Savory. J. K. Weaver. Samuel Wolfe. S. N. Wiley. J. R. Umstead. H. Y. Neiman. H. H. Whitcomb. John Davis. Mary H. Stinson. William Hall. J. K. Gerhard. Alice Bennett. R. H. Chase. George H. Highley. F. V. Vanartsdalen. Charles Z. Weber. S. B. Swaveley. V. Z. Kerler. J. C. Spear. John Paxson. Robert Coltman. Hiram R. Loux. Mary Hallowell. J. B. Carrell. W. H. Doughty. Robert Coltman, Jr. R. L. Cooper. C. B. Hough. F. S. Wilson. M. Y. Weber. The following list of names includes all the physicians of all schools known to be practicing within the county at the present date: Jos. W. Anderson, Lower Merion. Milton F. Acker, Tylersport. Reuben High Andrews, Lansdale. Wm. J. Ashenfelter, Pottstown. Herbert A. Arnold, Merinville. Harry M. Bunting, Norristown. Henricum Bobb, East Greenville. Horace M. Bellows, Huntington Valley. Cornelius Bartholomew, New Hanover township. Geo. A. Blanch, Green Lane. Abraham R. Benner, Norristown. Ephraim K. Blanck, Hatfield. Jos. Y. Bechtel, Schenksville. Mary Alice Bennett, Norristown. Jesse E. Banman, Telford. David R. Beaver, Conshohocken. David K. Bechtel, Kulpsville. Charles Bradley, Norristown. John K. Blank, Upper Hanover. David H. Bergey, Perkiomen. F. G. Bigony, Line Lexington. Robert Coltman, Sr., Jenkintown. Elwood Corson, Plymouth. Hiram Corson, Norristown. William Corson, Norristown. R. Cooper, Shoemakertown. R. H. Chase, Norristown, State Hospital. John B. Carrell, Hatboro'. Amos G. Coleman, Limerick. Edward M. Clifford, Valley Forge. William A. Cross, Jenkintown. H. H. Drake, Norristown. John Davis, Pottstown. Helena Davis, Pottstown. Thomas Davis, Lower Providence. Benjamin F. Dismant, Upper Providence. James Dotterer, Pennsburg. Phillip Y. Eisenburg, Norristown. William H. Eck, Pottstown. I. N. Evans, Hatboro'. Jonathan N. Faust, Frederick. 0liver H. Fisher, Grater's Ford. Milton B. Fretz, Souderton. Oliver H. Fretz, Salfordville. Edward M. Fury, Norristown. Mauricio Gillmer, North Wales. William A. Gerhart, Lansdale. Charles W. Gumbes, Oak Station. Henry G. Groff, Lower Salford. George S. Gerhard, Ardmore. Thomas Walter Gardiner, Pottstown. Isaiah K. Gerhard, Worcester. Eman F. Gerhard, Norristown. James H. Hamer, Collegeville. William B. Hill, Abington. George N. Highley, Conshohocken. John G. Hillegass, Pennsburg. John Y. Hoffman, Gilbertsville. Charles B. Hough, Three Tuns. Joseph S. Hill, Ardmore. William M. Hall, Conshohocken. Mary P. Hallowell, Horsham. Russell S. Hill, Weldon. Benj K. Johnson, North Wales. Henry S. Jacoby, Sumneytown. Edwin Jordon, Norristown, State Hospital. Francis M. Knipe, Frederick. Franklin B. Keller, Pottstown. Reinhard K. Keelor, Lower Salford. V. Z. Keelor, Harleysville. J. O. Knipe, Norristown. Septimus A. Knipe, New Hanover. Moses R.(H.?) Knapp, Gwynedd. George Stewart Kirby, Pottstown. Armette Kera(u?)tz, Lansdale. N. H. Longabaugh, Norristown. Edwin C. Leedom, Plymouth. Oscar Leedom, Plymouth. Matthew A. Long, Pottstown. Hiram R. Loux, Souderton. John W. Lodge, Lower Merion. A. D. Markley, Hatboro'. G. K. Meschter, Centre Point. Samuel C. Moyer, Lansdale. James G. Mensch, Pennsburg. Charles H. Mann, Bridgeport. John S. Morey, Upper Providence. A. H. Mellersh, Lower Merion. P. H. Markley, Hatboro'. A. L. Miller, Tylersport. William McKenzie, West Conshohocken. Milton Newberry, Fort Washington. Benjamin H. Nice, Norristown. Joannea(?) Paxson, Jenkintown. Henry De Witt Pawling, King of Prussia. William C. Powell Jr., Bryn Mawr. Mahlon Preston, Norristown. John E. Peters, Jenkintown. W. C. Roney, Pottstown. Margaret Richardson, Norristown. William H. Randle, Jenkintown. Lewis W. Reed, Norristown. Edward B. Rossiter, Pottstown. J. K. Reed, Conshohocken. Orlando C. Robinson, Huntingdon Valley. Samuel M. Rambo, Oaks Station. J. Warren Royer, Trappe. Henry D. Rosenberger, Hatfield. Edward Reading, Hatboro'. Willard L. Reading, Hatboro'. Joseph E. Ritter, Pottstown. George Roney, Pottstown. Charles M. Robinson, Ambler. N. G. Reiff, Pottstown. Horace Still, Norristown. J. S. Schrawder, Upper Dublin. Henry T. Slemmer, Norristown. S. C. Seiple, Centre Square. Jacob H. Scheetz, Pottstown. Henry F. Slifer, North Wales. George M. Stiles, Conshohocken. G. P. Sargent, Bryn Mawr. B. H. Shelley, Palm. John Schrack, Jeffersonville. William Savory, Bryn Mawr. Albanus Styer, Ambler. S. B. Swavely, Pottstown. Richard W. Saylor, Pottsgrove. D. W. Shelly, Ambler. William L. Shoemaker, Fitzwatertown. A. R. Tyson, Norristown. James L. Tyson, Gwynedd. John Todd, Pottstown. John A. Tenny, Collegeville. Henry U. Umstead, Upper Providence. J. R. Umstead, Lower Providence. G. B. R. Umstead, Upper Providence. C. Van Artsdalen, Chelton Hills. H. H. Whitcomb, Norristown. M. Agustus Withers, Pottstown. Joseph K. Weaver, Norristown. Joseph W. Winter, Lower Merion. S. N. Wiley, Norristown. F. S. Wilson, Jarrettown. P. 0. Wickert, Salfordville. Charles T. Waage, Pennsburg. Samuel Wolf Jr., Skippackville. M. Y. Weber, Evansburg. Charles Z. Weber, Norristown. End Part II.