#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 23 Health: Dr. John Shaw Billings

 My distant cousin, Dr. John Shaw Billings, not only saved lives with his medical skills, but probably saved even more with his skills as a librarian and an advisor to Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School. 

John Shaw Billings, the son of James John Billings and Abigail Smith Shaw, was born 12 April 1838 in Cotton Township, Switzerland IN. A voracious reader, he entered Miami University of Ohio at the age of 14 and spent most of his time reading in the library. After graduating in 1857, he was admitted to the Medical College of Ohio in Cincinatti receiving his medical degree in 1860. 

He joined the Union Army in 1861 and served as a surgeon at several hospitals before being assigned to the 11th Infantry Regiment in 1863, where he served during the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

After the War, Dr. Billings took on the direction of the Army Surgeon General's Library (now the National Library of Medicine) and for the next thirty years, he expanded the collection to over 124,000 volumes making it the largest medical library in the Americas.  He also redesigned the cataloging system and created a periodical index now known as the Index Medicus. 

He also designed a punch-card system for collecting vital statistics, which was a forerunner of modern computer systems. 

After leaving the Army, he helped to create the New York Public Library system and inspired Andrew Carnegie to build more than 65 branch libraries in the city and thousands elsewhere in the country.

In the 1870's, Dr. Billings' experience with inspecting Marine Hospitals led to him becoming involved with Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School in Baltimore. He is credited with the design of the original hospital buildings and with recruiting the initial faculty.  His construction design included electricity for the buildings, which was not common at the time. Hopkins trademark domed building is named for Dr. Billings. 

Billings Building at Johns Hopkins

Dr. Billings also played a role in the design of the curriculum for the medical school. He tightened admission requirements so potential doctors had to have a bachelor's degree before attending medical school and proposed a four-year curriculum in small classes based on medical specialties.  Department heads of these specialties also worked in the hospital so both organizations benefited from their expertise. Billings also pressed for clinical laboratories at the school to support medical research. 

Dr. John Sedgwick Billings

In 1862, Billings married Kate Stevens and had five children with her, including a son, Dr. John Sedgwick Billings, who graduated from the Johns Hopkins Medical School and carried on the medical tradition of his father. He married a Hammond cousin of mine, Katherine Fitzsimmons Hammond, and helped to save the Hammond farm in Aiken County SC. 

John Shaw Billings died in New York City in 1913 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His vast contributions as a surgeon, researcher, librarian, curriculum designer and architect mark him as one of the great pioneers of medicine, modernizing hospital care and improving public health. 

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 32 Free Space: Dr. Luke Barber, Immigrant Ancestor

My 9x-great grandfather, Dr. Luke Barber, the immigrant ancestor of the Barber family in Maryland, made a name for himself not only as a physician but also as a public servant in the early Maryland colony. 

 The son of John Barber and Ann Edwards, Luke Barber was born 28 February 1615 at Wickham Hall in Yorkshire England. In 1641, the 26-year-old Luke married Elizabeth Young. They had six children together: Elizabeth (1642), Mary (1645), Luke (1648) Edward (1650), Thomas (1661), Ann (1664). The older four children were born in Yorkshire, the younger two in St. Mary's County. 

Oliver Cromwell 

Dr. Barber served in the household of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England after the execution of King Charles I in 1649.  He probably served as a physician or surgeon in Cromwell's army. 

Dr. Barber and his family came to Maryland in 1654 aboard the ship Golden Fortune. Possibly because of his connection with Cromwell and his support for the proprietary government, Lord Baltimore granted him 1000 acres of land near the Wicomico River in St. Mary's County, which Dr. Barber called Chaptico Manor, Chaptico being an Algonquin word meaning big-broad-river-it-is. His home he called Micham (or Wickham) Hall. 

The town of Chaptico was later designated as one of four ports of entry for the Maryland colony and
continued as a shipping point until the Wicomico River silted up in the 18th century. The map on the right shows the location of Dr. Barber's manor. It is quite likely that Dr. Barber knew and worked with another of my 9X-great grandfathers, Thomas Gerrard, who lived near him at St. Clements Manor and was also a surgeon and a member of the Provincial Council, although he was in Maryland earlier than Dr. Barber. I have written about him and his role in Fendall's Rebellion here: Dr. Thomas Gerrard. 

By 1655, Dr. Barber was commissioned by Maryland's Governor to act as a peacemaker in the battle between the Puritans and the Royalists at Providence (now Annapolis).  So, his diplomatic skills must have been very well known. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in 1656 and later appointed to the Upper House of the Assembly, a Justice of the Court, and as Deputy Governor in 1657, appointed by Governor Josias Fendall, who had travelled to Maryland aboard the Golden Fortune along with Dr. Barber. 

In 1660, Governor Fendall, with support from Thomas Gerrard, attempted to overthrow Lord Baltimore's proprietary government of Maryland, and there was a bloodless rebellion against Lord Baltimore in England, instigated by Oliver Cromwell. It was called Fendall's Rebellion.  Given Dr. Barber's connections to both Fendall and Cromwell, it is possible that Dr. Barber also supported the rebellion, although he was no longer serving in the Assembly at the time. The attempted revolution failed, probably thanks to the fall of the Cromwell government at about the same time. While Barber's position on the Rebellion is not entirely clear, he was not reappointed to the Council after that, suggesting he was out of favor with the government. 

Jonathan Yates Barber

Dr. Barber made his will in 1664, leaving property to five of his six children; his daughter Ann was probably born after he made this will. In it, he left his son Edward (my 8x-great grandfather) part of Chaptico Manor called Lukeland, later Luckland, which stayed in the Barber family for a number of generations. My 3x-great grandfather, Jonathan Yates Barber, was born there in 1807. 

At the time of his death in 1674 at age 59, Dr. Barber owned about 2000 acres of land in St. Mary's and Charles counties.  His inventory showed a large library of books in English, French and Latin. His estate was administered by his son-in-law Joshua Guibert, married to his daughter, Elizabeth. 

His wife Elizabeth married after Dr. Barber's death to John Bloomfield. She died in St. Mary's County. 

Edward Barber, my 8x-great grandfather, married Cibbil Groome about 1670 and had three childen with her, including my 7X great grandfather, Luke Barber. 

Dr. Barber's son Luke carried on the medical profession as did a number of other of his descendants. 

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 22 Creativity: Jack-o-Lanterns

 One of the traditions I have enjoyed with my grandchildren is the carving of Jack-0-Lanterns at Halloween.  It has offered unexpected scope for creativity as we study many possibilities for decorating those pumpkins.

2015

Of course, I did have some prior experience with Jack-0-Lanterns, having raised two boys.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of those.  I wasn't planning ahead for my future career as family historian.  

We first started making Jack-0-Lanterns together when Henry was about four and Harper about two, so of course they couldn't actually handle any of the carving tools, but they did have opinions about what the finished product should look like. Our first effort was a pretty standard carving option--a scary face.

2016

Our next effort in 2016, was similar, but perhaps a little more scary.

2017

By the next year, in 2017, we graduated to doing three pumpkins and became a little more daring in our designs.  One for Grammie (the cat), One for Henry (the bat or possibly an owl), and one for Harper (the three eyes). By this year, the kids could help cut the design with Grammie and Daddy's help, drawing the design on the pumpkin first.  We had a selection of patterns that we found on the internet to help us make choices. 

2018 Wonder Woman

In 2018, we again did three pumpkins, one for each carver, again branching out in our styles. 

Harper went with a Wonder Woman theme, since that was her costume that year.  

Wonder Woman Harper

2018

Grammie tried a more elaborate bat theme, while Henry went with a rather surprised and somewhat disappointed looking jack, an interesting emotional combination. 

2018

2019

By 2019, Henry was carving his own pumpkin.  Not sure what that design was, but I’m sure Henry was trying out a new and creative technique. Harper seemed very pleased with her evilly smiling Jack, which seemed even more evil in the dark!

2019

2020

In 2020, we did three pumpkins again.  Grammie went with a mandala style, which is one of her favorite art forms.  Henry went with a pac-man theme and Harper did a big claw. They all looked great out in front of the house. 

2021

In 2021, Henry went with a more gory look. 

Grammie and Harper explored an Angry Bird theme. 

2022

2022

We weren't able to carve pumpkins last year because of Grammie's unavailability, but I look forward to continuing our quest for the ultimate jack-0-lantern this year. 

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 26 Family Gathering: The Three Uncles

 This photo of my three brothers with their first nephews (my sons Matt and James) is one of my favorite family gatherings. 

When my sons were born in 1973, they were the first of a long line of grandchildren for my parents.  And of course, the first in a long line of nieces and nephews for my younger brothers. And since they were twins, there was an extra special attraction.  Everybody wanted to hold the babies. So we captured this treasured photo with Uncle Phil (in the back), Uncle Rob (on the right), and Uncle Dave (on the left), looking quite pleased with themselves in their new roles as uncles.  

Now, Rob and Dave went on to have 20 children between them, so I like to think that their training as uncles went a long way toward preparing them for exemplary fatherhood. Phil parlayed his excellent uncle  skills into being a great dog dad. 

Many years later, we were able to stage a re-enactment of this classic picture, also a treasured family memory. 

Same room, same sofa (different slipcover), same characters. I think Dave is even trying to recreate his expression. And the boys are trying to recreate their positions as best they can, given the changes in their size. 

Even though my siblings eventually had a total of 30 nieces and nephews and more than 40 great-nieces and nephews (and counting) among them, you know you never forget your first!

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 30 Boats: Captain John Peterson

 Maryland, with its vast network of navigable water, and ports at Baltimore and Annapolis, has long been home to shipbuilding and sailing traditions. My 4X-great grandfather, Captain John Peterson, born in Denmark about 1776, was among the many who followed those trades.  

By 1802, John Peterson was living in Maryland, where he became a naturalized citizen in December of that year. The City Directory shows him as a mariner living at 39 Ann Street in a boarding house along with a shipwright and a rigger. In December of the following year, he married Elizabeth German (Jerman) at the Basilica in Baltimore.  Captain Peterson and Elizabeth had five children: Elizabeth (1808), Barbara (1809), Margaret (1810) my 3x-great grandmother, John (1813) and George (1815). 

Captain Peterson was the owner of at least three ships: the Republican, the Marriott, and the Friendship, built in Dorchester County. I don't have images of any of his ships, but they probably resembled the Pride of Baltimore, shown at the left, a reproduction of an early 19th-century Baltimore clipper. This kind of topsail schooner was made famous by its success as a privateer and small warship during the War of 1812. It is possible that Captain Peterson's ships played these roles during that war. 

In 1820, John Peterson is found on the census of Baltimore, age 26 to 44, with a woman the same age.  Also in the household are two males under 10 (sons John and George) and two females, one under 10 and one age 10 to 15. 

By 1830, Elizabeth German Peterson had died, and the family had moved to Calvert County, where Captain Peterson purchased Long Point Farm and Spout Farm in the area now known as Peterson's Point, where St. Leonard's Creek meets the Patuxent River. The property is part of the present-day Jefferson-Patterson Park. 

Captain Peterson is supposed to have purchased Spout Farm in 1828 as a wedding gift for his daughter Elizabeth, who married Nathaniel Sollers in 1826.  Captain Peterson lived at Long Point Farm. 

The 1840 Census shows Captain Peterson, aged 60 to 69, living in Calvert County with a young man, aged 20 to 29 and a young woman of the same age. The young people were probably Captain Peterson's son George and his first wife, Susan Ireland Dorsey. The census also shows ten male slaves and three female slaves. 

Captain John Peterson died 23 February 1849 at Long Point Farm. He was buried at his daughter's home at Spout Farm and later removed to Middleham Chapel. His estate was administered by his son George and son-in-law, John Turner. 

Barbara Agnes Peterson married William Hammond Iglehart in 1825.  She married secondly George Ellicott in 1841.  She died in January 1866 in Ellicott City MD.

Elizabeth Peterson married Nathaniel Dare Sollers in 1826. She died in Calvert County MD 1 March 1873.

Margaret Peterson (my 3X-great grandmother) married Dr. John Turner in 1835. They had five daughters and three sons, including my 2X-great grandfather, John T. Turner (1850-1917.  The Peterson name continued in the family with my great-grandmother, Mary Peterson Turner (Dent). Margaret Peterson Turner died in Calvert County MD in 1872.  Dr. Turner died in Calvert County MD in 1896.

John Peterson died in Calvert County MD sometime before 1830.

George Peterson married first Susan Ireland Dorsey about 1840.  He married secondly Elizabeth Caroline Mills Ireland in 1863. He died in April 1870 in Calvert County MD.