Moses B. Ballard (1801-1878)

BALLARD, BEECHER

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 10/10/2009 at 17:37:20

The Nevada Representative, Nevada, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, January 16, 1878. Courtesy of Arlen Twedt.

Died in Howard township, Story county, Iowa, on the 7th day of January 1878, Moses B. Ballard, aged 77 years, 9 months and 20 days.

Moses B. Ballard was born Oct. 27th 1801, in the town of Gill, Franklin county, Mass., lived there until about 15 years old, then moved (with his father who was an old revolutionary soldier under Washington, and served during the entire time of that terrible war for liberty,) to Chenango county N. Y., where he was engaged in farming until 1831. Dec. 14th 1825, he married Eliza Beecher, (his surviving wife) whom he has lived with a little over 52yrs. In the autumn of 1833, he got his right leg terribly mashed in a woolen factory, making him unable to work at manual labor, which circumstance was the reason of his studying for an M. D. He studied with a regular physician, (old school) named Butterfield, of Monroe county, N. Y., and began his practice in Livingston county, of same State in 1838. Followed his profession until 1841, at which time he moved with his family to Trumbull county, Ohio, where he met a Doctor Tillottson, who was President of a botanical society of physicians on the western reserve. He then saw as he thought, the error of his practice and its theory, and at once commenced to read with Dr. Tillottson, and rode with him more or less while he remained in the State. About the time he left there, said society gave him a Diploma (he has it now,) to practice under the botanical system; which he has followed ever since. In Nov. 1845 he landed in Will county, Ills, about 14 miles east of Joliet, where he bought quite a large piece of land for his boys to work. His career as a physician, has been marked with remarkable success. In 1854, during the terrible time of Asiatic cholera in Chicago, and the country contagious, he lived at New Breman, Cook county, a railroad town on the G & R. R. R., about 23 miles from Chicago, where he had 33 cases (according to his own record) of actual cholera, and saved 28 out of the number. In 1857, he moved to Story county, Iowa, to locate his children on broader fields and cheaper land, and too, to get rid of the large practice be had, where he intended to spend his days on a farm in retirement. He has lived in Howard township of said county, since that time up to date of his death, January 7th, 1878.