Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed by Sharon Elijah August 20, 2020

Prominent among the physicians of Carroll county stands Dr. Albert Shirk Gockley. For the past twenty-eight years he has been engaged in practice at Carroll and has attained an established reputation over a wide section in this part of the state as one of its honored citizens and a man of great usefulness in a calling that demands the closest application of the keenest minds.

Born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, September 2, 1855, he is the son of John and Susan (Shirk) Gockley, both of whom were born in the Keystone state. His paternal grandparents were Henry and Elizabeth (Dinger) Gockley, in whose family were five children, namely: Henry, Peter, John, Mattie and Sallie. After the death of the grandfather the grandmother married David Layser, by whom she had five sons, Jeremiah, David, Seth, Reuben and Joseph. Our subject’s maternal grandparents were Jacob and Nancy (Brubaker) Shirk, who had two children, Elizabeth and Susan. After the death of the grandmother Joseph Shirk married Elizabeth Heffley, by whom he also had two children, Harrison and Leah. The Doctor’s father learned the tanner’s trade but later engaged in farming as his life work. He died in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, in August, 1902, at the age of eighty-one years. The mother is still living at the age of seventy-nine years. She is a believer in the Christian religion and attends the German Reformed church, as did her husband. There were eight children born to John and Susan Gockley, namely: Henry S., of Myerstown, Pennsylvania; Albert Shirk, of this review; John W., of Erie, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Elizabeth Eckert, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania; Milton G., also of Lebanon; Martin H., of Avon, Pennsylvania; Margaret, wife of Robert Swonger of Lebanon; and one child who died at the age of three years.

Albert Shirk Gockley was reared on his father’s farm in Lebanon county ever since he was five years of age. He received his early education in the district schools and later attended the high school at Myerstown. Having shown a decided inclination for intellectual pursuits he became a student of Palatinate College of Myerstown, and after leaving this institution began reading medicine and graduated with the title of M.D. from the University Medical College of New York city in 1880. He received every desirable advantage of training under many of the greatest physicians and surgeons of America. After practicing for a short time at Myerstown, he came to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1882, and in January, 1884, located at Carroll, where he has since continued. Professionally, he is a valued member of the Carroll County Medical Society, Iowa State Medical Society, American Medical Association, and the Missouri Valley Medical Society. Twenty years ago he was appointed a member of the board of United States pension examiners.

On the 12th day of August, 1901, Dr. Gockley was united in marriage to Miss Nanna Rogers, daughter of Edward W. Rogers, and to this union one daughter, Irene, was born. Endowed with talents that would have enabled him to succeed in any vocation he might have chosen, Dr. Gockley years ago attained high rank in his profession and his patrons are among the best people of the community. As a public spirited citizen he is a promoter of education and good government, and socially he is well known. Fraternally, he is identified with the Knights of Pythias. His friends are many and he has met with deserved recognition as a conscientious and thoroughly capable practitioner.

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