EARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN PHYSICIANS IN
A.J.
Wright, M.L.S.
Clinical Librarian
Department of Anesthesiology
School of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
619 19th Street South, JT965
Birmingham AL 35249-6810
205--975-0158 [voice]
205-975-5963 [fax]
[last update 25 April 2008]
Chronology
of Achievements of African-Americans in Medicine
from
"Opening
Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons."
from the
NOTES:
SCOPE: In general, I am trying to
document physicians who began practice in
Some of this material formed the basis of
a presentation, "Hidden Legacy: Black Physicians in Alabama before World
War I," at the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and
Science Second Annual Meeting, Birmingham, Alabama, February 18-19, 2000
Some of this material formed the basis of
a presentation, "Female Physicians in
Some of this material formed the basis of
a presentation, "Hidden Legacy: Early Female and African-American Doctors
in
Some of this material formed the basis of
a presentation, "Early Female Physicians in
Some of this material formed the basis of
a presentation, "Early Black and Early Female Physicians in
Some of this material formed the basis of
a presentation to a group of University of
Some of this material formed the basis of
"Early African-American Physicians in Alabama's Black Belt" presented
April 22, 2005, at the Black Belt Symposium held at the University of West
Alabama in Livingston.
Some
of this material formed the basis of “Early
African-American Physicians in the Alabama Black Belt” presented at the Black
Belt African-American Genealogical and Historical Society monthly meeting,
Selma, Alabama, October 20, 2007
Some of this material formed the basis
of “Black Physicians of the
Alabama Black Belt” presented at the Black Belt African-American Genealogical
and Historical Society 2nd Annual Genealogy Conference and Family
History Fair, Selma, Alabama, February 16, 2008
See also:
*Hasbrouck, Stephanie. "Wright
uncovers state's overlooked physIcians. UAB Reporter 2002 August 19-25;
26(43):1, 4
*Monitor, Leigh Anne. Pioneering
physicians: Black women were some of
*Wright AJ. Dr. Arthur McKinnon Brown.
In:
*Wright AJ. Early female physicians in
*“A.J. Wright to speak on early African
American physicians in the Black Belt.”
*Wright AJ. Early African-American
physicians in the
Slide presentation is available here.
SEE ALSO:
Early African-American Physicians
in the Alabama Black Belt [A slide presentation is available here. ]
Early Black and Female Physicians
in Jefferson County
Female Physicians in
Alabama Before World War I
UAH professor uses
oral history collection to chronicle life stories of black physicians
[Describes the work of Dr. Jack Ellis]
American Medical Directory physician listings for Alabama:
1912, 1916 , 1918 , 1921 , 1923 and 1931 [PDF files]
[Alphabetical listing of medical colleges
and key table: 1912 ed./PDF file]
Transactions
of the Medical Association of the State of
These volumes are available
as PDF files: 1889 1900 1906 1913 1918
Standard
Medical Directory of North America, 1903-4 physician listings for
[Medical school abbreviations, by state, for this directory are here.]
Source:
W. Montague Cobb, “Cornelius Nathaniel Dorsette, M.D., 1852-1897” Journal of the National
Medical Association 52(6): 456-459, November 1960
[Abstract of
presentation in
In the late nineteenth century a number
of black physicians began to receive certification to practice medicine in
The presence of black physicians in
the state in this period can be seen in the pages of the annual Transactions
of the Medical Association of the State of
Two black female physicians worked
for relatively brief periods at Tuskegee Institute. Halle
Tanner Dillon, born in Pittsburgh in 1864, came to Tuskegee in 1891, the year
she graduated from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, and received
Another black physician practicing
in Alabama was Cornelius Nathaniel Dorsette, who
graduated from the University of Buffalo School of Medicine in 1882 and who may
have become the state's first certified black physician a year or two later. He
practiced in
Since at least 1940 some scholarly
attention has been directed toward black physicians in the
1. Holley HL. The History of
Medicine in
2. Transactions of the Medical
Association of the State of
3. Hine
DC. Co-laborers in the work of the Lord: nineteenth-century black women
physicians. In: Abram RJ, ed. Send Us a Lady Physician: Women Doctors in
4. Savitt
TL. Dorsette, Cornelius Nathaniel. In: Kaufman M, Galishoff S, Savitt TL, eds. Dictionary
of American Medical Biography 2 vols. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 1984,
1:211
5. Beardsley EH. Making separate,
equal: black physicians and the problems of medical segregation in the
pre-World War II South. Bull Hist Med 57: 382-396,
1983
6. Bousfield
MO. An account of physicians of color in the
7. Farmer HE. An account of the
earliest colored gentlemen in medical science in the
8. Savitt
TL. Entering a white profession: black physicians in the New South, 1880-1920.
Bull Hist Med 61:507-540, 1987
9. Summerville J. Formation of a
black medical profession in Tennessee, 1880-1920. J
10. Johnson LW Jr. History of the
education of Negro physicians. J Med Ed 42:439-446, 1967
[format: name; birth and death dates; medical school,
year; certification, year; practice location, dates; miscellaneous;
(reference)]
NOTE:
Some physicians are included more than once under variant spellings; they are
listed this way in different volumes of the Transactions of the Medical
Association of the State of
Note: I have extracted these names from
the 1910 Transactions and will soon be adding them to the master list
below. Some of these physicians are already listed; many are not. SEE ALSO the
note at the end of this table.
|
*Aldridge, Jonas W. Meharry
1902. cb Etowah 1903. *Allen, Alexander George William. Meharry, 1899.
cb Russell 1899. *Baldwin, *Booth, C.O. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 641] *Brewer, *Brothers, W.H. state board 1909. *Brown, Arthur McKinnen. univ
*Brown, William F. Leonard 1905. state board 1905. *Brummett, W.H. Meharry,
1904. cb Talladege 1904. *Burwell, *Caffee, F.C. Montgomery Co. [Trans p. 666] *Cashin, Newel. Howard univ,
1908. state board 1908. *Coffey, G.W. Howard, 1903. cb Lauderdale 1906. *Coleman, William Henry. Meharry 1900. cb Limestone 1901. *Council, W.L. Meharry, ?. cb
*Council, W.L. Meharry, 1906. cb *Cruikshank, herbert. *Dennis, Samuel Bufford. Meharry,
1905. cb *Derrick, W.W. Meharry, 1906. *Dungee, Alfred Coleman. Howard, 1889. state
board 189?. *Flagg, *Freeman, M.H. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 642] *Goin, Logwood Ulysses. Meharry,
1890. cb *Grimes, R.L. Leonard, 1905. cb Barbour 1906. * *Harris, H.F. Meharry 1905. cb
Elmore. *Harris, Thomas Nathaniel. Meharry, 1899. state
board 1895. *Hawkins, *Howard, Wayne Cox. State Board, 1905. Demopolis. Marengo *Hundley, J.T. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 642] *Jones, Archie. Meharry, 1897. cb *Jones, E. state board 1909. *Kenney, John. Leonard, 1901. cb 1902. *Mason, Ulysses. G. Meharry, 1895. cb *McBroom, F.G. Meharry 1905. cb
*McCoo, Thomas Vivian. Leonard, 1906. cb Barbour 1907. *McDonald, F.V. mc ?, 1908. sb 1908. Brewton. Escambia Co. [Trans p. 621] *Mitchell, Bruce Blance. Meharry,
1903. cb Lamar 1903. Demopolis. Marengo *Moorer, John Wesley. Meharry,
1899. cb Clarke 1899. *Norcross, ?. *Plaine, Charles L. Meharry,
1900. sb 1900. *Porter, D.W. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 643] *Reynolds, *Robertson, A.G. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 643] *Rodgers, G.A. Meharry 1908. sb
1907. *Scott, David H.C. Nashville, 1895. cb *Scruggs, Burgess S. univ *Shaw, E.C. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 643] *Shaw, *Simington, Alfred Dennis. Meharry,
1900. cb Perry 1901. *Simpson, Frank S. Leonard, 1902. cb Russell 1902. Ensley. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 643] *Smith, E.M. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. [Trans p. 643] *Steers, Willis Wood. univ *Suggs, James Thomas. Howard, 1903. cb *Thomas, A.E. Birmingham. [Trans, p. 644] *Thomas, *Thomas, J.T. Birmingham. [Trans, p. 644] *Thompson, C.E. Ensley, *Turner, Noah Franklin. Meharry, 1905. cb 1905. *Washington, S.S.H. Montgomery. [Trans p. 666] *Weaver, George Augustus. Howard, 1897. cb 1898.
*Wellborn, *Wilkerson, George Hiram. Meharry, 1897. cb *Williams, *Williams, Henry Roger. Meharry, 1900. cb Morgan 1900. *Williams, *Wilson, Cato H. Meharry, 1899. cb *Woods, *Wylie, James W. ******************* Note: Ms. Geraldine Beckford has kindly provided me with additional information on some of the physicians listed above. All of this information will be added to the master listings soon—I hope!! BOOTHE,
It’s
Been A Long Time, p. 111 DUNGEE,
ALFRED COLEMAN, Jr., 1862-1965 Howard University, Howard
University Medical Department, p. 163 FREEMAN,
Meharry Bulletin (1929), p. 54 HOWARD,
Meharry Bulletin (1929), p. 54 (1905) Who’s
Who of the Colored Race, p.144 (1906) JONES,
ELISHA HENRY, February 20, 1883 University of It’s
Been A Long Time, p. 121 Who’s
Who of the Colored Race, 160 McDONALD, FLOYD VIRGEL, 1888-1917 University
of Black
Medical Graduates of the NORTHCROSS,
DAISY HILL, December 9, 1881-1956 Northcross family papers (Burton Historical
Collection, Detroit Public Library) Who’s
Who of the Colored Race, p. 206 NORTHCROSS,
DAVID CANEEN, February 23, 1876-1933 Dictionary
of American Medical Biography, p. 556 Northcross family papers (Burton Historical
Collection, Detroit Public Library) Who’s
Who of the Colored Race, p. 206 SCOTT,
DAVID HENRY CLAY, 1871-1919 Meharry Medical
College, 1895 Dictionary
of Black Culture, p. 395 Meharry Bulletin (1929), p. 26 STERRS,
WILLIS EDWARD, October 18, 1868-1921 Black
Medical Graduates of the Who’s
Who of the Colored Race, p. 252-253 WASHINGTON,
SAMUEL S. H., December 3, 1858 - 1913 Howard
University Medical Department, p. 226-227 WELBORN,
Meharry Bulletin (1929), p. 50 BIBLIOGRAPHY Bates,
Charles James. It’s Been a Long Time. Directory
of Howard
University Medical Department. Meharry Bulletin (1929) Meharry
Library Archives. Who’s
Who of the Colored Race. Edited by Frank Lincoln Mather,
1915. Reprint, |
*Adair, Roman Thomson. b. 15 November
1880. Residing in
*Aldridge, Jonas W: Meharry,
1902; Etowah Co Bd, 1899?; Bessemer, 1904, 1905,
1910 (Trans 1904, p535) (Trans 1905, p541) (Trans 1910, p641)
*Allen, Alexander George William: Meharry, 1899; Russell Co Bd,
1899; Union Springs, Bullock Co, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1910 (Trans
1901, p156) (Trans 1903, p474)(Trans 1904, p499) (Trans 1905, p504) (Trans
1910, p598) Examined by Board of Medical Examiners of Russell
County 20-24 March 1899 in Seale. Application for examination note he was born
in Smith Station,
*Archer, Hiram Ethan.
*Attaway,
William Alexander: Meharry, 1902; Etowah Co Bd, 1903; Bessemer, 1904;
*Baldwin,
*Booth, C.O. Birmingham. Jefferson Co.
1910 [Trans 1910, p. 641]
*Brandon, Thomas H.: Denver Med Coll, 1898; Madison Co Bd, 1899
(Trans 1905, p541 says 1900) ; cert held until 1901; Madison Co 1901, 1902; ; Bham, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905 (Trans 1901, p202) (Trans
1902, p455) (Trans 1903, p510) (Trans 1904, p535) (Trans 1905, p541)
*Brewer,
*Brothers, W.H. state board 1909.
*Brown, Arthur McKinnon: b. Nov 9,
1867 Raleigh NC d. Dec 4, 1939 Birmngham, Alabama;
Michigan, 1891; Jeff Co Bd, 1891; Bessemer 1891-1893;
Birmingham, 1894-1902; 1904-1910. President, National Medical Assoc, 1914;
surgeon, 10th U.S. Cavalry as lieutenant, Spanish-American War, 1898-99; first
black officer commissioned in regular army, July 1898, but denied pension;
highest score in history of Alabama Medical Examining Board; co-author, Tenth Cavalry Under Fire. (Johnson,
13-14) Brown's residence at 319 4th Terrace in the
Arthur McKinnon Brown, M.D.
1867-1939
*Brown, William F. Leonard 1905. state
board 1905.
*Brummett,
William: Meharry, 1904;
*Brummett, W.H.
Meharry, 1904. cb
*Buggs, John
Wesley: Meharry, 1898; Jeff Co Bd
cert refused 1902 or 1903 (Trans 1903, p87)
*Burwell [Burrell??],
[ http://www.crmvet.org/vet/arkansas.htm
accessed 25 July 2002] Burwell Infirmary opened in 1907. “He established his
practice here, opened a drugstore on
[From Kenney, The Negro in Medicine, 1912]
[From Kenney, The Negro in Medicine, 1912]
Selma University ca. 1895
[from Boothe, Cyclopedia of the
Colored Baptists of Alabama 1895]
*Caffee, F.C.
Montgomery Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p. 666] [Same as Coffey, Frank C., below?]
*Cashin, Newel.
Howard Univ, 1908. state board 1908. Decatur. Morgan
Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p. 668]
*Coffey, Frank C. Montgomery. “(col.)
(b’70).
*Coffey, G.W. Howard, 1903. cb Lauderdale 1906. Gadsden. Etowah Co. 1910 [Trans
1910, p. 623]
*Coleman, William Henry: Meharry, 1900; Etowah Co Board cert refused 1900-01 because
he applied to Etowah less than 12 months after refusal by Hale Co Board 1900-01
(Trans 1901, p118, 178, 183). Limestone County Board, 1901; residence
Birmingham (Trans 1902, pp 89 and 452) (Trans 1904, p536) Meharry
1900. cb Limestone 1901. Bessemer. Jefferson Co. 1910
[Trans 1910, p. 641]
*Council, W.L. Meharry,
?. cb Jefferson 1899. Birmingham. Jefferson Co. 1910
[Trans 1910, p. 641]
*Council, W.L. Meharry,
1906. cb Jefferson 1899. Huntsville. Madison Co. 1910
[Trans 1910, p. 654]
*Councill,
W.L.: Meharry, ?; Jeff Co Board, 1899; Birmingham,
1904, 1905 (Trans 1904, p536) (Trans 1905, p542)
*Cruikshank,
Herbert. Harvard Medical School, 1895. state board 1898. Mobile. 1910 [Trans
1910, p. 660]
*Cruikshank,
Robert: Howard, 1894; State Board, 1897; Birmingham, 1902-03, 1904-05 (Trans
1903, p511) (Trans 1905, p542)
*Crum, John Daniel. Howard, 1887. State
Board cert refused (Trans 1892, p129)
*Crunkshank,
Herbert: Harvard MC, 1895; State Board, 1898; Mobile, 1904, 1905 (Trans 1904,
p536) (Trans 1905, p559)
*Dale, Ellis Andrews: Cleveland
Homeopathic Med Coll, 1900; State cert refused,
1900-01 (Trans 1901, p112)
*Darden, John Wesley. Graduated Leonard
Medical School, 1901. Internship in New York. Moved to Opelika, 1903. Built
home at 1323 Auburn Street, 1904. Married Maude Jean Logan, pianist at his
church, 1905. Died, 1949. Darden High School opens, 1951; merges with Opelika
High School, 1971. Darden Foundation formed to restore house, 2001. [Nix,
Jason. AU students and a retired black educator work to preserve a piece of
Opelika's history. Opelika-Auburn News 23 February 2003] J.W. Darden foundation
is at http://www.jwdarden.org/ ;
according to that site, Dr. Darden grew up in Wilson, North Carolina.
Darden House in September, 2002
*Davis, Arthur Willis. b. 1875, Marion. Meharry, 1903. Set up practice in Tuscumbia. Within 14
years had a home, drug store, two farms and rental property in Sheffield.
Married Hattie Lee Jackson of Nashville 26 December 1905. (Richardson, p. 37)
*Dennis, Samuel Bufford.
Meharry, 1905. cb Madison
1905. Troy. Pike Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p. 672]
*Derrick, W.W. Meharry,
1906. Huntsville. Madison Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p. 654]
*Dillon, Halle
Tanner: b. 1864, Pittsburgh, d. April 26, 1901, Tennessee. Women's Med Coll Penn, 1891; State Bd, 1891:
"The case of H.T. Dillon is remarkable as that of the first colored woman
examined in the state." (Trans 1892). Dillon "served as resident
physician at Tuskegee Institute from 1891 to 1894. During her tenure she was
responsible for the medical care of 450 students as well as for 30 officers and
teachers and their families. Johnson was expected to make her own medicines,
while teaching one or two classes each term. For her efforts she was paid six
hundred dollars per year plus room and board; she was allowed one one-month
vacation per year." Dillon "was also a member of an outstanding family.
She was the daughter of Bishop B.T. Tanner of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Philadelphia." (Hine, 111, 114)
Tuskegee, 1895 (Trans 1895, p199)
Halle Dillon was born on October 17, 1864, in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Benjamin Tucker Tanner, an AME
minister and editor of church publications. [The following biography is based
on Smith, Carney Jessie. Johnson, Halle Tanner. In:
Darlene Clark Hine, ed. Facts on File Encyclopedia o
Black Women in America: Science, Health and Medicine. New York: Facts on File,
1997] Halle was the eldest daughter among nine
children; two died in infancy. Older brother Henry Ossawa
(1859-1937) became a well-known painter of landscape and religious subjects. Halle married Charles E. Dillon of Trenton, New Jersey, in June
1886. Daughter Sadie was born the following year. Charles died soon after the
birth of Sadie, and Halle and her child returned
home. At age 24 Halle entered the Woman's Medical
College of Pennsylvania; she was the only African-American in her class and
graduated with honors on May 7, 1891.
Booker T. Washington had
written the college dean, Dr. Clara Marshall, about his need for a resident
physician at Tuskegee Institute. Dr. Marshall must have brought the letter to Halle's attention, since she wrote Washington. The educator
responded with a description of the position at Tuskegee. She was to begin on
September 1, 1891, but she had to pass the Alabama certification exam first.
Washington knew how difficult
passing the exam would be for Dr. Dillon; she would have to spend several days
answering hundreds of questions from the white members of the board of
examiners. So Washington arranged for her to study with Montgomery physician
Cornelius Nathaniel Dorsette. Born in North Carolina
in the early 1850s, Dorsette had been a classmate of
Washington's at Hampton Institute and graduated from the University of Buffalo
Medical School in 1882. Washington then persuaded Dr. Dorsette
to come south and set up practice as the first licensed African-American
physician in Montgomery and one of the first in the state. As far as I have
been able to determine, only Dr. Burgess E. Scruggs of Huntsville preceded him.
[Trans MASA 1880, p. 101] In 1890, Dr. Dorsette
founded Hale Infirmary, the first hospital for African-Americans in Alabama
which operated until 1958. Dr. Dorsette also served
on the Board of Trustees of Tuskegee Institute from 1883 until his death in
1897.. [Cobb, W. Montague. Cornelius Nathaniel Dorsette,
M.D., 1852-1897. Journal of the National Medical Association 52: 456-459,
November 1960; Savitt, T. Dorsette,
Cornelius Nathaniel. In: Martin Kaufman, Stuart Galishoff,
Todd L. Savitt, eds. Dictionary of American Medical
Biography. 2 vols. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984, p211]
After her period of study with
Dorsette, Dillon sat for the medical licensure
examination. Among the three references Dillon had listed was Dr. Clara
Marshall, her medical school dean. The test began in Montgomery on August 17,
1891, and concluded on August 25. During those days she was examined on ten
subjects by ten different examiners. [Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners.
Examination Papers in the Case of Halle Tanner
Dillon, MD. August 1891. Alabama Department of Archives and History.] Among
those examiners were some of the most prominent physicians in Alabama.
Dr. Peter Bryce,
superintendent of Alabama Hospital for the Insane since 1860, tested her on
medical jurisprudence. Dr. Jerome Cochran, state health officer and the primary
force behind the Medical Licensure Act of 1877, examined Dr. Dillon in
chemistry. Her examiner in natural history and diagnosis of diseases was Dr.
George A. Ketchum, Dean of the Medical College of Alabama from 1885 until his
death in 1906; he was also involved in creating the Medical Association of the
State of Alabama in 1847. Dr. James T. Searcy, her examiner in hygiene, became
superintendent of the state's hospital for the insane the following year after
Dr. Bryce's death. Dillon was examined in obstetrical operations by Dr. J.B.
Gaston, who had served as president of the state medical association in 1882.
Dillon passed the
examinations. As the Transactions of the state medical association noted
in its annual report of examination results, "The case of H.T. Dillon is
remarkable as that of the first colored woman examined in the state."
[Trans MASA 1892, p. 128] Dr. Dillon served at Tuskegee from September 1, 1891,
until sometime in 1894. "During her tenure she was responsible for the
medical care of 450 students as well as for 30 officers and teachers and their
families. Johnson was expected to make her own medicines, while teaching one or
two classes each term. For her efforts she was paid six hundred dollars per
year plus room and board; she was allowed one one-month vacation per
year." [Hine DC. Co-laborers in the work of the
Lord: nineteenth-century black women physicians. In: Abram RJ, ed. Send Us a
Lady Physician: Women Doctors in America, 1835-1920. New York: Norton, 1985,
114]
In 1894 Dillon married Rev.
John Quincy Johnson, a mathematics teacher at Tuskegee. The following year Rev.
Johnson was named President of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina. In
1900 he became pastor of an AME church in Nashville. The Johnsons
had three sons. Dr. Johnson died on April 26, 1901, of dysentery and childbirth
complications; she was 37. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Nashville.
Apparently Dr. Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson ceased the
practice of medicine after her second marriage. [Smith, Carney Jessie. Johnson,
Halle Tanner. In: Darlene Clark Hine,
ed. Facts on File Encyclopedia o Black Women in America: Science, Health and
Medicine. New York: Facts on File, 1997]
*Dinkins,
Pauline Elizabeth. Woman's MC Phila, 1919. Selma,
Dallas Co. Cert state bd, July, 1919. [Trans MASA
1920, p85, 303] Selma “(col.) (b’91). Licensed 1919.
SS Albert Ballin
From: http://www.norwayheritage.com/
*Dorsette,
Cornelius Nathaniel: b.1851,1852 or 1859, Davidson Co NC, d.Dec
7, 1897 Montgomery; Univ of Buffalo Med Sch, 1882; Ala's first
licensed black physician? (1884?); practice Montgomery 1884-1897. Founded Hale
Infirmary, Montgomery, first Alabama hospital (1890-1958) for blacks; Hampton
classmate and lifelong friend of Booker T. Washington; served on Tuskegee
Institute Bd Trustees 1883-1897. (Savitt
1; Cobb 1)Montgomery Co Bd, 1884: "The papers in
this case came up in very bad order. The scope of the examination is defective
by the omission of public and private hygiene, medical jurisprudence, and
medical ethics. The written examination may be allowed to pass, especially as
the oral examination is reported to have been very good." (Trans 1884,
pp159-160) (Trans 1888, p289) (Trans 1889, p201) (Trans 1890, p189)
(Trans 1891, p231) (Trans 1892, p248) (Trans 1895, p209) (Hafner
1:419; last name spelled "Dorsat") “Born a
slave in 1852, Cornelius Dorsette lived through the
Civil War in rural
”In 1884 or 1885 he had married Sarah Hale,
daughter of James Hale, Montgomery’s wealthiest and most influential black
resident. Dorsette emphasized to James Hale the great
need for an infirmary to treat black patients…Dorsette
helped organize the National Medical Association for black physicians and
served as the group’s first president.” Active in state Republican Party. Dorsette and first wife had no children; she died within a
year of the marriage. In 1886 he married Lula Harper; they had two daughters
and lived near his professional building on
Cornelius Nathanial Dorsette, M.D.
1852-1897
*Dungee, Alfred
Coleman Jr. [March 16,1864?-November 10?, 1965]: Howard, 1889; State Bd, 1891; Montgomery, 1894, 1895, 1899, 1901, 1902,
1903, 1904. 1905 and 1910 (Trans 1892, Home on Jeff Davis Avenue. First of
three children born to Alfred Sr. and Lillian Brewster Dungee
of Montgomery. Member of Mt. Zion AME Church and veteran of World War I.
Affiliated with Hale Infirmary. Mother was a co-founder of Alabama Reform
School for Negro Boys at Mt. Meigs and the first
black to be appointed to the Court of Domestic Relations. ["Heart
Attack Fatal to Dr. Dungee." Montgomery
Advertiser 11 November 1965] [A Century of Negro Progress in Montgomery
City and County: Centennial Edition, 1863-1963. Montgomery, Ala: n.d.] [Bailey, Richard. They Too Call Alabama Home:
African-American Profiles, 1800-1999. Montgomery: Pyramid Publishing, 1999,
p123] “(col.)
*Fearn, LeRoy: Meharry, 1882; Jeff Co Bd cert refused, unsuccessful exam (Trans 1885, pp 181,286)
*Fields, Jackson Park: Meharry, 1900; Morgan Co Bd, 1901
(Trans 1901, p112)
*Flagg, Charles
S.W. Leonard Medical College, 1905. Unsuccessful applicant/exam 13-16 July
1909. [Trans 1910, p. 103]
*Ford, Justina
Lorena . Herring Medical College, Chicago, 1899. Cert. Madison Co Bd 1900. [Trans MASA 1901, p120]
*Ford, Justina Laurena Carter . [1871-1952]. Born in Knoxville, small town
east of Galesburg, Illinois. Herring Medical College, Chicago, 1899. Practiced
briefly at Normal, Alabama, before moving to Denver, Colorado. Claimed to have
delivered over 7,000 babies in her career. [Harris, Mark. The forty years of Justina Ford. Negro Digest 8:43-45, March 1950;
Smith, Jessie Carney. Justina L. Ford. In: Smith,
Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Women, volume 2. New York:
Gale, 1996, pp 229-231] A lengthy biographical sketch is here. Her home in Denver
is now the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/bawmus.htm
Black American West Museum and Heritage Center
Denver, Colorado
*Freeman, M.H. Birmingham. Jefferson Co.
1910 [Trans 1910, p. 642]
*Goin, John
Burt: Meharry, 1900?; Jeff Co Bd,
1900?; Birmingham, 1892, 1894, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1910 (Trans
1892, p230) (Trans 1894, p234) (Trans 1895, p190) (Trans 1899, p182) (Trans
1901, p192) (Trans 1902, p444) (Trans 1903, p511) (Trans 1904, p536) (Trans
1905, p542) (Trans 1910, p. 642) [NOTE: 1910 Transactions give Meharry 1890, cb Jefferson 1890]
*Goin, Logwood
Ulysses: Meharry, 1899; State Bd,
1899; Birmingham, 1901-02, 1903, 1904-05, 1910 (Trans 1902, p444) (Trans 1903,
p511) (Trans 1904, p536) (Trans 1905, p542) (Trans 1910, p. 642) [NOTE: 1910
Transactions give Meharry, 1890, cb
Jefferson 1890]
*Gregg, Eugene J. Meharry,
1905. cb Walker 1905. Birmingham. Jefferson Co.
1910. [Trans 1910, p. 642]
*Grimes, R.L. Leonard, 1905. cb Barbour 1906. Dothan. Houston Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p.
631]
*Hamilton, C.A. Knoxville, 1905. cb Morgan 1905. Decatur. Morgan Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p.
668]
*Harris, H.F. Meharry
1905. cb Elmore. Anniston. Calhoun Co. 1910 [Trans
1910, p. 600]
*Harris, Thomas Nathaniel: Meharry, 1899; State Bd, 1899;
Mobile, 1904, 1905, 1910 (Trans 1904, p553) (Trans 1905, p559) (Trans 1910, p.
660 which says "state board 1895") "Thomas Nathaniel Harris
graduated from Tuskegee in 1889 and went to Montgomery, Ala., where he taught
printing at the Alabama State Normal School and ran a printing business from
1890 to 1894. He then went to Meharry Medical College
to study medicine and dentistry, graduating in 1897. He was a dentist in
Henderson, Ky., and later a physician in Montgomery before moving to Mobile in
1899." [Harlan, Louis R., ed. The Booker T. Washington Papers
volume 4, 1895-1898; p. 108, footnote 2] "Dr. Thomas N. Harris is a
physician and surgeon in Mobile, and one of the partners in a drug store there.
Dr. Harris went to Tuskegee and remained four years, learning the printer's
trade. After he graduated he returned to Montgomery and taught printing for
four years in the State Normal School for Negroes in that city. From there he
went to Meharry Medical College, from which he
graduated, and began the practice of his profession." [Thrasher, Max
Bennett. Tuskegee: Its Story and Work. 1901. Rep. New York: Negro Universities
Press, 1969, p. 141] David L. Johnston, in "A Druggist's Story"
mentions that he entered Meharry Medical College on
October 15, 1894, and graduated on February 4, 1896. "I had pleasant
associations while there with many of my former Tuskegee class-and schoolmates,
among them...Dr. T.N. Harris, of Mobile, Ala....each of these is succeeding at
the places named most satisfactorily as physicians." [Chapter 14 in
Washington, Booker T., ed. Tuskegee and Its People: Their Ideals and
Achievements. Rep. 1905. Rep. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1969, pp.
293-294] In "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1959" database at Ancestry.Com, a
"Thomas N. Harris" is listed as deceased on 27 October 1943 in Mobile
County; other possbilities in this database in Mobile
County are Thomas Harris [deceased Aug. 1928], Thomas Harris [deceased Dec.
1928] and Thomas Harris [deceased Aug. 26, 1916]. Whether any of these men are
the same Harris has yet to be determined.
*Hawkins, Charles C. Meharry
Medical College, 1908. Unsuccessful applicant/exam 11-14 1910 [Trans
1910, p. 104]
*Hill, Robert Leon: Howard, 1897; State
cert exam refused, year ending March 1899 (Trans 1899, p113) State cert second
exam refused, year ending March 1900 (Trans 1901, p112)
*Howard, Wayne Cox. State Board, 1905.
Demopolis. Marengo Co. 1910 [Trans 1910, p. 655]
*Huckabee,
Benjamin Edward: Meharry 1902; Hale Co Bd 1902; Greensboro 1902-03; Blossburg,
Jeff Co, 1904-05; (Trans 1902, p435) (Trans 1903, p501) (Trans 1905,
p543)
*Hudson, Norman Hyde: Long Island, 1890;
Jeff Co Bd, 1891; Birmingham 1891, 1894 (Trans
1892, p230) (Trans 1894, p234) Moved from Birmingham to "parts
unknown" (Trans 1895, p192)
*Hundley, J.T.: Birmingham, 1900-01,
1902, 1903, 1904-05, and 1910 (Trans 1901, p192) (Trans 1902, p444)
(Trans 1903, p511) (Trans 1904, p537) (Trans 1905, p543) (Trans 1910, p. 642)
*Jones, Amanda. On October 29, 1870, she
made a deposit into the Huntsville branch of the Freedman's Saving and
Trust Company. In the questions asked of depositors, she identified her
occupation as "Doctors." Other information given: she was 53
and had a brown complextion. Her father's name
was George; her mother's Delia. She was a widow. Children were John,
Delia, Hannah. "I have one brother I don't know where he is, one
sister gone Washington." She was born in Woodstock, Virginia, Shando County, and resided in Huntsville. [National
Archives Microfilm Publication M816, "Registers of Signatures of
Depositors in Branches of the Freeman's Saving and Trust Company
1865-1874. Roll 1, Huntsville, Alabama, accounts 1-1698, November 28,
1865-August 21, 1874]
*Jones, Archie: Meharry,
1897; Madison Co Bd, 1897; Florence, 1902, 1903,
1904, 1905, 1910 (Trans 1903, p515) (Trans 1905, p547) (Trans 1910, p.
647)
*Jones, E. state board 1909. Talladega.
1910 [Trans 1910, p. 679]
*Jones, Sr., Elisha
Henry [1883-1963] “(col.), b’83; Tenn. 14, ‘09, l’09.” (American Medical Directory 1931). “Tenn. 14” is the University of
West Tennessee Medical Department, which opened in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1900
and moved to Memphis in 1907. The school closed in 1923. Dr. Jones practiced in
Talladega from 1909 until his death in 1963. Some of his medical instruments
are located in Heritage Hall Museum, 200 South Street East in Talladega. Dr.
Jones appeared on the May 22, 1957, episode of the NBC-TV program This Is Your Life as a childhood friend
of American inventor Lee De Forest. De Forest’s father, a Congregational
minister, served as President of Talladega College during much of De Forest’s
youth.
*Kennebrew, Alonzo
Homer: Meharry, 1897; Macon Co Bd,
1897; Tuskegee, 1899 (Trans 1899, p191), 1901 (Trans 1901, p201), 1902
(Trans 1902, p454) Moved from Tuskegee to Illinois before April 1903 (Trans
1903, p521)
*Kenniebrew,
Alonzo Homer: Listed in “Academic Department” Faculty listing as
“Physiology” and “Nurse Training Department” as “Physician in Charge” [Max
Bennett Thrasher, Tuskegee: Its Story and
Its Work. 1901. Rep. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1967, pp 209-210]
Two letters from him appear in Booker T. Washington
Papers Vol. 4: 265 and 290, March 25 and June 1, 1897. Footnote on page 265
notes that he graduated from Tuskegee in 1891 and Meharry
in 1897 and that in 1899 he married Leonora Love Chapman, Lady Principal at
Tuskegee. Other mentions of him in the Papers
appear between 1894 and 1903 [University of Illinois Press, online at http://stills.nap.edu/btw/ ] He left Tuskegee
in 1902 for Jacksonville, Illinois. See
http://history.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisAlive/files/jp/htm2/jpken.cfm
for information on his career after leaving Tuskegee.
Alonzo Homer Kenniebrew, M.D.
*Kenney, John Andrew (June 11,
1874-January 29, 1950): Leonard Med Coll [Shaw;
*Lawrence, William Collins: Leonard Medical College[Shaw; Raleigh NC, 1901; State bd certification refused (2nd exam) (Trans 1904, p94)
*Maclin, Robert
B.: Meharry, 1905; Tuscaloosa Co Bd,
1905; Brookwood, 1905 (Trans 1905, p578)
*Mason, Ulysses Grant: Meharry, 1895; Jeff Co Bd, 1895;
Birmingham, 1895, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1910 and ca. 1913 (Trans
1895, p101) (Trans 1899, p183) (Trans 1901, p192) (Trans 1902, p444) (Trans
1903, p511) (Trans 1904, p537) (Trans 1905, p543) (Trans 1910, p. 643)
Dr. U.G. Mason,
Physician and Surgeon, Birmingham, Ala.
*McBroom, F.G. Meharry 1905. cb Jefferson 1908. Gadsden. Etowah Co. 1910. [Trans 1910, p. 623]
*McCoo, ThomasVivian [January 3, 1883-February 1967]:
Leonard, 1906. cb Barbour 1907. Selma. Dallas Co.
1910. [Trans 1910, p. 618] [January 3, 1883-February 1967, Eufaula
[Social Security Death Index]. Practiced in Eufaula for almost 50 years.
Graduated from Selma University and Leonard Medical School at Shaw University
in Raleigh, N.C. Married Gertrude Coffee, daughter of Methodist minister, in
1908 and returned to Eufaula. Before integration, a high school for blacks,
T.V. McCoo High School, was named after him. Son
William, also a physician, set up practice in Los Angeles. One grandchild is
singer Marilyn McCoo. [Johnston, Patrick. "'Eufaulians of both races' loved Dr. McCoo."
Eufaula Tribune, February 7, 2002. This article cites a book, Robert Flewellen, _Along Broad Street_.] Attended
T.V. McCoo [1883-1967]
(Eufaula Tribune 7 Feb 2002)
*McDonald, F.V. mc ?, 1908. sb 1908. Brewton. Escambia Co. 1910. [Trans, 1910, p.
621]
*McDonald, Floyd Virgel:
[b. Leslie MI, April 27, 1888; d. Dec 10, 1917, Fernandina, Florida, buried in
Jackson MI] ; Michigan, 1907; practiced in Brewton (Johnson, 60)
*McLaurin,
Archie Farley: Meharry, 1902; State Bd cert refused, 1902 (Trans 1903, p82)
*Mitchell, B: Meharry,
?; ? Co Bd, ?; Demopolis, 1905 (Trans 1905, p555)
*Mitchell, Bruce Blance.
Meharry, 1903. cb Lamar
1903. Demopolis. Marengo Co. 1910. [Trans 1910, p. 655]
*Moorer, John Wesley [Moore, John Welsey
in Trans 1901]: Meharry, 1899; Clarke Co Bd, 1899; Selma, Dallas Co, 1900-01, 1901-02, 1903-04,
1904-05, 1910 (Trans 1901, p174) (Trans 1902, p426) (Trans 1903, p492) (Trans
1904, p517) (Trans 1905, p522) (Trans 1910, p618) Listed in American Medical Directory 1912, p.100
and 1921, p. 150. “DEATH CLAIMS NEGRO DOCTOR/Moorer
Funeral Rites Will Be Held Here on Thursday/ Dr. J.W. Moorer
practicing negro physician here for more than 40 years, died at his home at 3
o’clock Monday afternoon, funeral services will be held at 2:30 o’clock
Thursday afternoon at the First Baptist Church for colored. His life and his
career as an outstanding negro physician of the Black Belt exemplified many
qualities which serves as an inspiration to others of his race and he was held
in high respect by many white friends who were familiar with his years of
service to his own people. A graduate of Selma University, he also was long
connected with the development of the negro educational institution. He had
been a trustee for many years and was treasurer of the board at the time of his
death, also having served at one time as secretary. He also was University
Physician. Dr. Moorer was active in State and
National Negro Baptist work. He held a diploma from Meharry
Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., and did post-graduate work at Johns
Hopkins in Baltimore. Born at Braggs, Ala., practically all his life was spent
in this section and at one time he taught school at Thomasville.” [Selma Times-Journal Tuesday, January 13, 1942]
*Nichols, Taylor Henderson: Howard,
1904. State certificate refused, 1904-05. Not designated "col." in
Trans (Trans 1905, p70)
*Nuttall, Harry
Montgomery: b. Nov 3, 1891 (???) Madison IN, d. Dec 2, 1962, Detroit MI;
Michigan, 1904; Perry Co. Certificate refused, 1905 (Trans 1905, p78, 567)
Practiced almost 50 years in Detroit (Johnson, 61)
*Plaine,
Charles Amos: Meharry, 1900; State cert, 1900;
Gadsden, 1900-01, 1901-02, 1910 (Trans 1901, pp. 112, 178) (Trans 1902,
p. 430) (Trans 1910, p. 623)
*Porter, D.W. Birmingham. Jefferson Co.
1910 [Trans 1910, p. 643]
*Pratt, John Paul: Meharry,
?; ? Co Bd ?; Anniston; 1888 (Trans 1888, p247)
*Reynolds, Oliver M. Meharry
Medical College, 1909. Unsuccessful applicant/exam 13-16 July 1909 [Trans 1910
p. 102]
*Richardson, Perry Nash: Meharry student but non-graduate. State Bd
cert refused (Trans 1892, p129)
*Robertson, A.G. Birmingham. Jefferson
Co. 1910 [Trans 1910 p. 643]
*Rodgers,
G.A. Meharry 1908. sb 1907.
Anniston. Calhoun Co. 1910 [Trans 1910 p. 600]
*Norcross,
?. Montgomery. [Trans 1910, p. 666]
*Northcross, David Caneen. “(col.)
(b.’76) 6 Sheppard Ave.; office, 222 Dexter Ave.”(American Medical Directory, 1912, p. 97)
*Scott, David H.C. [1871 Nov 21-1919 Dec 25]: Univ Nashville, 1895; Jeff Co Bd, 1895; Selma, 1895; (Trans 1895, p101, 177) Montgomery 1899, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1910 (Trans 1899, p201) (Trans 1901, p212) (Trans 1902, p465) (Trans 1903, p531) (Trans 1904, p557) (Trans 1905, p564) (Trans 1910, p666) “(col.) 111 Monroe St.” .”(American Medical Directory, 1912, p. 97)