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We keep finding the most interesting things in the estate papers of former county Historian, Roy Lillard which were given us to by his niece, Jeannine Lillard Scott. He had a copy of the account ledger of Dr. Robert Fleming dated from about March 1854 to September 1856.
Dr. Fleming was not only a M.D. but the Register of Deeds and is said to have kept the best books in the Polk County Courthouse. He had a large library, and translated the book of Ruth from Hebrew to Greek. He had a great-grandson and a couple of great-great-grandsons practicing medicine in the neighboring town of Cleveland, TN for many years. They are Drs. Claud Taylor and son, Veterinarian, Robert Fleming Taylor, and Dr. Robert Cofer.
While we would love to transcribe the ledger in its entirety, the fact is we simply can't read it - and there's another problem. Do we really want everyone to know what ailed our ancestors? For example, many of the entries say, 'For wife's decouchment and delivering of fetus." Now, this may simply mean that Dr. Fleming delivered a baby, but just on the outside chance that it referred some other medical procedure, we think it best not to print anything but the patient's names. However, if you would like to obtain a photocopy of the complete ledger page on which your ancestor's doctor visits are recorded, we will be happy to do that for a small fee of $1 to cover cost of copying and mailing, (payment in postage stamps sent with your request will be fine.)
Another interesting and useful bit of information gleaned from the accounts is the distance Dr. Fleming had to travel to the home of some of his patients. This helps us place our ancestors in an approximate location from the town of Benton, where the good Doctor resided. For example, when he records that the trip to the Reuben Kanester home was three miles, or that he left some pills for the Lawsons at the Williams' home we are pretty sure they were neighbors.
Method of payment is also interesting and sometimes humorous. The Doctor's bill for delivering a new baby was often paid for by a few loads of firewood or hay, crafting a new hoe handle, or a shock of fodder.
| Alexander Jas. H. Anderson, R,. Barnett, Michael. Bernard, Thaddeus. Bibles, James. Biggs, Alan. Biggs, James. Biggs, Wm. M. Boyd, Alston Boyd, Spencer B. Brock James Brown, Daniel Brown, Joseph Calhoun, Harvey Calhoun, James Calhoun, Jordan Campbell, Evan Carpenter, John Cawood, Wm. B. Cawood, John D. Clemmer, Jacob Cooper, Phillip Cowden, Wm. Davis, George Davis, John Dennis, Joel Denton, William A. Dobson, John H. Donaldson, Mrs. Martha Dunn, James H. East. Edwards, J. C. M. Evans, Al Evans, John Ferguson, M. C. Fitzsimmons, Dr. J. A. Grady, Wm. Green, A. |
Green Elisha
Griffin, Sanders Griswold, Guffy, Guinn, Hancock, M. H. Hannah, Robert Hannah, Wm . Harbison, G. W . Harbison, Valentine Harrison, Josiah Harrison, Robert Haskins, D. C. Hays, J. L. Hickey, James Hicks, Theodore Higgins, Wiliam Hilderbrand, J. W. Hodge, John S. Hood, Alexander I. Hood, Jackson Hood, John C. Hood, Jackson Horton, Jas. Horton, Melton Hoyle, Levi A. Huckaby, Robert Huff Family Jackson, Elihu Johnson, John H. Johnston, Richard Kanester, Reuben Kile, Henry Kimbrough, John Kindrick, Thomas Kinser, Jacob Large, John Lauderdale,Thos. |
Lawson, Jas
Lawson, Nelson Lawson, Russell Lewis, J. Q. A. Lillard,Abr., Jr. Lillard, Jasper Lillard, Luther Lillard, Newton Lilly, Mrs. R. W. Locke, Wm. C. Lowe, Abr. Lowry, Tho. Lyle, Isham Lyle, Mrs. Mankins, Maples, Preston Matlock, Absalom Matlock, James Matlock, Moses Mayfield, Isaac Mayfield, Wm. McClary, Pryor L. McClary, Rufus McKamy, James Montgomery, H. M. Montgomery, John Montgomery, Samuel Morrow, Jas. M. O'Neal,J. S. O'Neal, Wm. H. Paris, John Paris, Moses Parks, James Patton, Conner Pearce, William Pelton, Henry Pollard, William Presswood, Austin Quinn,Morris |
Reid, J. L.
Reid, Jas. N. Reid, Samuel M. Reynolds, Charles Reynolds, Emily Reynolds, I. W. Rickett, John Rose, John Runions, Isaac Senters, Preston Smith, John Smith, Peter Stone, W. W. Strain, Struttons, Jack Stuart, James S. Taylor, Calvin B. Taylor, Mrs. Mongt. Ware, James Webb, Mrs. Wetmore, William H. Whitehead, W. G Williams,Jarvis Williams, John Williams, Robert Young, John |
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Page updated 5/08/2004