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GEORGE SEABURY DEWITT, M.D. AND SARAH
ELIZA STANCLIFT
Dr.
DeWitt was born 6 Feb. 1818 in New York City, where his father
Thomas Witt and mother Elizabeth (Newhall) Witt resided. He
was named Seabury Treadwell Witt. At street level of the building
was the Thomas Witt Shoe Store. They had moved there from Lynn,
Mass., to which they returned in 1831 – an area in which the Witts
had lived since 1650.
Dr.
DeWitt and his brother John Franklin Witt were shoe and dress boot
makers; their father, a shoe merchant. George Seabury decided in
1844 that he did not want to be a “cobbler” all his life; and
already tutored in Greek and Latin, he was accepted by the Harvard
Medical School as Seabury Treadwell Witt. He made “fine dress boots
for fine gentlemen” to finance his education, supplemented with
janitor work in a Pharmacy, for which he received his sleeping room
and work space. Taunted by being called “Seabury Tread-on-no-Witt”,
he had his name legally changed to George Seabury DeWitt. He
received his medical school diploma from Harvard in 1844. He was an
assistant to Dr. Horatio Newhall, a cousin, at Galena, Illinois
until 1846, when he went up the river to St. Croix, Wisconsin as a
physician at a lumber camp. He left Wisconsin and with his savings
started down the river in 1848-49 to locate and start his practice
again. By the time he reached Dubuque, he no longer had any savings,
having met up with two River Boat professional gamblers. Out of
money, he started walking southwest, looking for a place needing a
physician. By June 1850 he was at Colesburg, Delaware Co., Iowa, and
soon after, bought a lot on which he erected his office.
In
1851, the John Stanclift Jr. family had migrated to Colesburg from
Concord-North Collins, Erie Co., New York. Dr. DeWitt fell in love
with Sarah Eliza, his patient (their daughter) and they were married
28 July 1852. She was born 20 June 1827 in New York and died 4 Oct.
1908 at Elliott. Her parents were the said John Stanclift, Jr. and
Rhoba Smith, daughter of Amasa; soldier, War of 1912; and Candace
Brown. Their six children were all born at Colesburg and came in a
covered wagon with their parents in 1868 to the farm now owned by
Jessie Smith. All are buried at Elliott Hillside Cemetery.
1.
Ella S.
1853-1932, married James H. Moore.
2.
Mary E.
1855-1923, married Jesse Thornton “Bud” Mercer.
3.
John Franklin
“J. F. or Frank” 1857-1944, married Louisa Dille.
4.
George B.
1860-1868.
5.
Charles E.
“Charlie” 1862-1930, married Rachel Woodling.
6.
William Lowe
“W. L. or Till” 1865-1932, married Minnie Tyler.
Dr.
DeWitt volunteered for duty in the Civil War and was commissioned as
a Captain- 2nd Asst. Surgeon, 5th Iowa
Cavalry, 19 Feb. 1863. He, while a patient in the Hospital at
Murfreesboro, Tenn., resigned his commission and was discharged 20
Feb. 1864. Shortly after entering the army he was attached to a
Penn. Cavalry Scouting Party and was some times the only Surgeon at
battle field Hospital Stations, and one day he performed 20
operations.
After the Civil War, Dr. DeWitt performed no more operations. In a
letter to Harvard, he said he found he was now “too nervous a man”
and that he made a living through the work of his sons on the farm
near Elliott.
When
he no longer practiced medicine, his chief activities were walking
to Elliott to get his Chicago newspaper, re-reading the classics,
and letter writing. His letters were voluminous over a 30 year
period, trying to get $40.00 from the government for his Army
overcoat “stolen” at a Field Hospital. He always said $40.00 with
interest underlined twice. Finally about 1900 he received an
Invalid’s pension. Dr. DeWitt died 6 July 1910.
Sarah Eliza, a Congregationalist all her life, helped organize the
Congregational Church at Elliott; loved all people and was helpful
to many in times of sadness or illness. She observed the Sabbath
from sunset Saturday to sunset Sunday, and in almost everything
else, deferred to the wishes of “Seabury”.
~
Dorothy Dewitt Wilkinson |
