|
THE FIRST DOCTOR TO LOCATE WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PRESENT COUNTY
OF RANDOLPH WAS DR. WM FORT, WHO SETTLED ON LANDS A FEW MILES WEST
OF HUNTSVILLE IN THE YEAR 1820.
AT THAT EARLY PERIOD THERE WAS NOT A TOWN NOR VILLAGE IN RANDOLPH
COUNTY HUNTSVILLE WAS LAID OUT AND MADE THE COUNTY SEAT OF RANDOLPH
COUNTY IN 1831. THE EARLY VILLAGES, IF THEY CAN HE CALLED SUCH, IN THE
BEGINNING WERE A STORE, A BLACKSMITH SHOP, PROBABLY A WAGON SHOP AND
A SHOEMAKER AND LITTLE ELSE. ABOUT A HALF A DOZEN FAMILIES IN ALL, THESE
VILLAGES SUCH AS ROANOKE, ON THE LINE BETWEEN HOWARD AND RANDOLPH,
MT. AIRRY, MIDDLE GROVE, JUST OVER THE LINE IN MONROE COUNTY AND MILTON
IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY WERE SUCH.
THE PIONEER DOCTOR AS A RULE SETTLED ON FARMING LANDS AND BECAME A
LAND OWNER AND COMBINED THE VOCATIONS OF FARMER AND DOCTOR. OTHER
PIONEER DOCTORS OF RANDOLPH COUNTY, AS NEAR AS WE CAN NOW ASCERTAIN,
WERE DR. WALLER HEAD, WHO SETTLED ON LANDS ADJOINING HUNTSVILLE, DR.
JOSEPH RUTHERFORD, WHO SETTLED IN THE SAME VICINITY AND PROBABLY A LITTLE
LATER DR, J. J. WATTS, WHO LOCATED IN HUNTSVILLE, ALSO DR. STEPHEN RICH-
MOND, WHO LOCATED IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY.
AMONG THE VERY EARLY DOCTORS WERE DR. C. F. BURCKHARTT, WHO LOCATED
IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY NEAR WHERE THE TOWN OF JACKSONVILLE
NOW STANDS, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF MILTON, THE FIRST WAS PROBABLY DR.
JAMES A. BURTON, WHO PURCHASED A FARM ALMOST ADJOINING THE VILLAGE OF
MILTON AND NEARLY THE SAME TIME DR. ROBERT R. HALL, WHO LIKEWISE BECAME
A LAND OWNER IN THE SAME VICINITY, WHERE HE DIED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO
AT AN ADVANCED AGE. DR. BURTON ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR
MOVED TO LAFAYETTE COUNTY AND THERE DIED.
IN PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY THE PIONEER
DOCTORS WERE DI. WM. B. MCLEAN, PROBABLY THE FIRST TO COME AND DR.
PRESLEY T. OLIVER.
AT ROANOKE ON THE COUNTY LINE, WE FIND NO RECORD OF THE PIONEER DOC-
TORS. DR. WILLIAM HARVEY AND DOCTOR BAGBY WERE PRACTICING PHYSICIANS,
HOWEVER, PAST MIDDLE LIFE WHEN THE CIVIL WAR CLOSED AND NO DOUBT HAD
BEEN PRACTICING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS PRIOR TO THAT TIME. DR. WILLIAM
WALKER WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE PIONEER DOCTORS OF THE SOUTHERN PART
OF THE COUNTY. HE SETTLED IN WHAT IS NOW MONITEAU TOWNSHIP AND AFTER-
WARD REMOVED TO HOWARD COUNTY WHERE HE DIED SOME YEARS AGO.
BETWEEN 1865 AND 1890 THE PHYSICIANS IN ACTIVE PRACTICE AT HUNTS-
VILLE AND THAT SECTION OF THE COUNTY WERE DR. JOHN C. OLIVER, DR. ALEX. L.
BIBB, DR, R. E. KIERNAN, DR. WM. H. TAYLOR, DR. WARREN M. DAMERON AND
DR, JOHN T. FORT. ALL OF THE ABOVE NAMED DOCTORS WERE SUPERIOR MEN,
SKILFUL PHYSICIANS AND EXCELLENT CITIZENS. ALL ARE NOW DEAD.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF DARKSVILLE IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY
WAS DR. ROBERT A. TERRILL, WHO WAS MARRIED TO A SISTER OF JUDGE WM. A.
HALL. DR, TERRILL IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES WAS WELL ADVANCED IN YEARS AND
HAD BEEN PRACTICING IN THAT VICINITY FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, HE WAS A
GOOD PHYSICIAN AND AN EXCELLENT MAN, WHO ATTENDED THE RICH AND POOR ALIKE.
IF DOCTOR TERRILL COULD HAVE COLLECTED ALL THE FEES EARNED BY HIM IN TREAT-
ING THE POOR HE WOULD HAVE DIED A RICHER MAN BY SEVERAL THOUSAND DOL-
LARS. AND WHAT WE SAY IN THIS RESPECT OF DR, TERRILL IS TRUE WITH REFER-
ENCE TO ALL THE PIONEER DOCTORS OF THE COUNTY.
WE ALSO FIND DR, W. W. VASSE LOCATED ON A FARM NEAR THOMAS HILL.
HE WAS LIKEWISE A MAN OF FINE CHARACTER AND A CAPABLE PHYSICIAN. DURING
THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME DR. PAUL YATES WAS LOCATED AT JACKSONVILLE AND
PRACTICED HIS PROFESSION SUCCESSFULLY IN THAT VICINITY UNTIL HE REMOVED TO
THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE SOME YEARS LATER.
IN OR NEAR HIGBEE DURING THIS SAME PERIOD DR. WM. P. DYSART RE-
SIDED ON A FARM ABOUT TWO MILES NORTHWEST OF HIGBEE. DR. LASCELLUS
DYSART AND DR, L. J. MILLER RESIDING IN HIGBEE, PRACTICED IN THAT VICINITY
DURING THESE SAME YEARS.
AT RENICK WE FIND DR, THOMAS HAMILTON AND DR. THOMAS CHRISTIAN,
AND SOMEWHAT LATER DR. S. M. FORREST WHO SERVED THIS PART OF THE COUNTY
AS MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF CLIFTON HILL, DR. J. J. WATTS FROM HUNTSVILLE
AND PROBABLY OTHER HUNTAVILLO PHYSICIANS MET THE NEEDS OF THAT COM
MUNITY UNTIL THE NORTH MISSOURI RAILROAD WAS EXTENDED WEST TO KANSAS
CITY AND CLIFTON HILL WAS ORGANIZED AS A VILLAGE. THEREAFTER DR. E. F.
WILSON AND DR, J. G. BAKER LOCATED AND PRACTICED MEDICINE IN AND AROUND
CLIFTON HILL.
IN THE VICINITY OF CAIRO, DOCTOR BOUCHER, DR. J. G. WILSON, AND DOC-
TOR RIDINGS WERE LOCATED AND THERE PRACTICED FROM AND AFTER THE CLOSE OF
THE CIVIL WAR. DR. BOUCHER PROBABLY BEFORE.
DURING THIS SAME PERIOD THE FOLLOWING NAMED DOCTORS LOCATED AND
PRACTICED THEIR PROFESSION IN THE CITY OF MOBERLY AND VICINITY: DR. J. C.
TEDFORD, DR. J. G. HICKERSON, DR. WM. A. ROTHWELL, DR. JOHN T. COX, DR.
J. R. L. CLARKSON, DR. G. W. WEEMS, DR. N. M. BASKETT AND DR. THOS.
IRWIN.
ALL OF THE ABOVE NAMED EXCEPT DR. BASKETT ARE DEAD. THEY WERE MEN
OF HIGH ATTAINMENT IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AT THAT TIME AND EXCELLENT
CITIZENS WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
THE ACTIVE PRACTICING PHYSICIANS OF RANDOLPH COUNTY AS SHOWN BY
THE RECORD OF THE ROSTER FURNISHED US BY THE SECRETARY OF THE MEDICAL
ASSOCIATION OF RANDOLPH COUNTY ARE AS FOLLOWS: MOBERLY.DR. C. B.
CLAPP, DR. C. K. DUTTON, DR. WILLIAM D. HALLIBURTON, DR, E. R. HICKERSON,
DR, S. T. KELLY, DR, FRANK L. MCCORMICK, DR. T. D. MANGUS, DR. W. K.
MEGEE, DR. 0. K. MEGEE, DR. WM H. SELBY, DR. E. W. SHRADER, DR. S. P.
TOWLES, DR. R. A. MITCHELL, DR. L. A. BAZAN, DR. CHAS. H. DIXON, DR. M.
R. NOLAND, DR. C. L. DODSON, DR. G. G. LEVICK, DR. LANGDON, DR, J. S.
PAEY. DR. THOS. A. COTTINGHAIN, DR. I F. HARLAN, DR. 0. 0. ASH, DR. G.
0. CUPPAIDGE, DR, S. T. RAGAN, DR. L. 0. NICHELS, LENSLEY.
CLARK: DR, R. A. WOODS, DR. N. K. POPE.
HIGBEE: DR. CHAS. F. BURKHALTER, DR, T. H. DINWIDDIE, DR, G. M.
NICHOLS, DR, J. W. WINN.
DARKAVILLE: DR. HATTON.
CAIRO: DR, J. P. ALLEN.
JACKSONVILLE: DR. DAVIS.
CLIFTON HILL: DR. W. C. ALEXANDER, DR, A. J. BRADSHER, DR. J. A.
LOWRY.
HUNTSVILLE: DR. D. A. BARNHART, DR, R. G. EPPERLY, DR. J. D. HAM-
METT, DR. J. W. TAYLOR, DR, W. P. TERRILL, DR. G. G. BRAGG.
|