OBITUARY: Dr. W. J. W. Kerr: Navarro County, Texas Copyright © 2005 by Bunny Freeman. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. ************************************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Confederate Veteran Magazine Vol. XXV No. 1 January 1917 Dr. W. J. W. Kerr Dr. W. J. W. Kerr was the eldest of three brothers who served in the Confederate service throughout the four years of war. He was born in Giles County, Tenn., December 1, 1834, and died November 12, 1916, after a long illness. Dr. Kerr was Surgeon of Camp Winkler, U. C. V., of Corsicana, Tex., and also Medical Director of the Texas Division, with the rank o f Colonel. He was a prisoner of war at Camp Douglas and Point Lookout for several months in the winter of 1862. In the summer of 1863 he had charge of the smallpox hospital at Chattanooga, Tenn., and was afterwards train surgeon. He was placed with Captain Wirz’s command at Andersonville Prison, where so many Federal soldiers were imprisoned, and was indicted by a military commission with Jefferson Davis, Captain Wirz, Cobb, White, Stevenson, and others. On page 87 of "A True History of Andersonville Prison" Captain Page, who was a prisoner at Andersonville, says: "Chief among the surgeons were Drs. White, Stevenson and Kerr and no medical men, North or South performed their duty more laboriously or conscientiously than the above named gentlemen." After the war Dr. Kerr practiced medicine at Kossuth and Corinth, Miss., until January, 1873, when he went to Texas and located at Corsicana, and there lived for forty0-three years and honored citizen, a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a Mason, and one of the Past Grand Patriarchs of I. O. O. F., and was prominent in establishing the Widows and Orphans’ Home of that order at Corsicana, which is the pride of all Odd Fellows of Texas. He was nearly eighty-two years of age, and the last service he rendered his country was to vote for Woodrow Wilson. He leaves a devoted wife, two children, a son and a daughter and two brothers, D.(Donald per 1880 census) H. M. Kerr, of Headrick, Okla., and J. C. R. Kerr, of Corsicana. Like a tired child he fell asleep. In beautiful Oakwood Cemetery he was laid away among a profusion of lovely flowers.. (From tribute by his brother, Reid.) 1880 Census Navarro Co., TX page 506A Cedar 332/341 KERR, William J. W. 45 white male physican & druggist TN TN TN KERR, Mollie C. 33 wife white female keep house SC SC SC KERR, Albert A. 25 white male son druggist TN TN SC KERR, Maggie N. 7 dau white female MS TN SC KERR, James W. 5 white male son TX TN SC KERR, William J. W. Jr. 9/12 infant TX TN SC BOSTICK, Jas 22 white male border Clerk druggist AL AL AL ADKINS, Henry 21 white male servant laborer TX TN AL