Jessie V. (Stauffer) Smith, MD (1916)
DANFORTH, GUTHRIE, SMITH, STAUFFER
Posted By: Mary Welty Hart
Date: 3/20/2007 at 18:05:58
The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, November 15, 1916DR. JESSIE V. SMITH, Twenty Four Years a Physician, Dies After Long Illness
The busy, useful life of Dr. Jessie V. Smith closed on Sunday evening, November 12th, 1916, her death occurring at the Dewitt Bass home in Douglas township.
Last December, Dr. Smith was suddenly stricken with some disease, which brought with it great suffering. She consulted the Mayo Brothers at Rochester, who were unable to decide on her malady. Growing worse rapidly in June, she went east to the Baltimore hospital for treatment by eminent specialists. Progress toward recovery was very slow and a severe spell of homesickness caused her to return here for a two weeks stay in August. Again returning to Baltimore, she remained there until eight weeks ago.
The greatest pain accompanied her affliction, the nature of which was puzzling to all the specialists who examined her. The seat of disease appeared to be in the spine, finally leading to a complication that baffled the expert knowledge and skill of physicians.
Dr. Smith was the fifth child in a family of ten, born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Stauffer of Patterson. Her father came to Iowa in 1857, two years after his first visit here. Her mother is Catherine Guthrie, a native of Ireland, who came to this country at the age of fifteen.
Dr. Smith was born in Union township in 1866, attended the district schools until she was thirteen; then came to Winterset to enter the city schools. At sixteen, she began teaching. After twenty one terms as a teacher, she decided to make a life profession of medical work, which she had been studying at odd times. She entered Keokuk Medical College in 1889, being graduated from that institution in 1892. After practicing a year in Des Moines, she came to Winterset, which has been her home ever since.
Her marriage to Matthias J. Smith occurred in October, 1889. They have one daughter, Mrs. Jay Danforth.
Dr. Smith held active membership in the Madison County Medical Society, Iowa State Medical Association and the American Medical Association. She was also one of the organizers of the Woman's Medical Society, formed in 1897 and the first of its kind in this country. She delighted in attending the sessions of the various medical conventions, often appearing upon the programs in matters relating to her special work with women and children.
Her sex regarded her as a confidante, children loved her, the poor and unfortunate found in her a warm and generous sympathizer: always cheery, full of enthusiasm and above all, possessing a personality that radiated the wonderful energy that seemed to fairly blaze from her small body.
Added to this was a pluck and capacity that made her close companions marvel.
A beautiful testimony to her good qualities is the fact that in entering upon here married life, she won a lasting place in the affections of the children in that home who had lost their mother and to the end, those children admired and respected "The Doctor."
To the community at large, a woman has been lost, who acquaintance and friendship was sought and valued. The medical profession brings rare making of human character and Dr. Smith was a true physician in every sense.
Her burial services were conducted by Rev. J. C. White at St. Joseph's church Tuesday morning, with interment in the Stringtown cemetery.
_______________________The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, November 15, 1916
Page 8, Column 2Dr. Jessie V. Smith
Dr. Jessie V. Stauffer Smith, successfully practicing, the value of her work being attested to by many, was born on the 20th of May, 1866, in Union township, Madison county.
Dr. Smith, who is the fifth in order of birth, attended the district schools until thirteen years of age and then entered the public schools of Winterset, passing through consecutive grades to the high school. When sixteen years of age she began teaching, entering upon that work before she could obtain a certificate, which was not granted until the applicant was eighteen years of age.
In 1888 she was graduated from the Madison County Teacher’s Normal at Winterset and she taught in the district schools of this county for twenty-one terms. During a portion of that time she devoted her leisure hours to the study of medicine and in 1889 she entered the Keokuk Medical college, from which she was graduated with the class of 1892. She then practiced for one year in Des Moines, after which she returned to Winterset, where she has since followed her profession.
On the 10th of October, 1889, Miss Jessie V. Stauffer became the wife of Mathias J. Smith, their wedding being celebrated while she was attending medical college. Mr. Smith is a native of Denmark and came to the United States when eighteen years of age. To this union was born one daughter, Katheryn, the wife of J. B. Danforth.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith hold membership in the Catholic church.
Dr. Smith belonged to the Madison County Medical society and the American Medical association. She was one of the organizers of the Iowa State Womans Medical society in 1897, the first organization of the kind in the country.
She has ever been deeply interested in her profession and through wide reading and research as well as through membership in different medical organizations kept in touch with scientific methods of eminent physicians and surgeons throughout the country. Her work has been highly satisfactory to her many patients and she is widely known in this connection.
Mrs. Smith died Sunday evening at seven o’clock at the DeWitt Bass home west of the city. The funeral services were conducted at the Catholic church Tuesday morning and interment in the Stringtown cemetery.
Gravesite
Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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