J. R. Wilson, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of J. R. Wilson
J. R. WILSON, M.D.
The profession of the physician is one that has drawn to it at all periods of its history, the brightest and most honorable of men; for none but an intelligent, well-informed man could be a physician at all, and no physician not a man of honor could long retain a profitable practice. Porter County is fortunate in its physicians, and it is especially so during recent years, in its younger generation of practitioners, who have contributed much to the enhancement of the county's reputation as a center of medical knowledge. Dr. Wilson is a representative of the regular school at Hebron, is a native Hoosier, and owes his nativity to the village of Leroy, Lake County, where he was born December 23, 1867. His parents were Joseph and Jane (McKay) Wilson, who came to this country from the Isle of Erin in a very early day, and he is the sixth of the thirteen children born to them, ten of whom are living at the present time. Dr. Wilson was educated in the public schools of Leroy and Hebron, and later finished his literary education in the State Normal College at Valparaiso, in which he was a faithful and industrious student. After leaving this institution he entered the office of Drs. W. B. and J. K. Blackstone, with whom he studied off and on for about three years, but previous to this had been a "Hoosier Schoolmaster" for three years, during which time he gained a reputation for ability and thoroughness which has remained with him during his experience as a medical practitioner. In 1892 he graduated from the Chicago Medical College, being a classmate of Dr. H. M. Evans, of Valparaiso, a sketch of whom appears in this work. After graduating Dr. Wilson practiced for about a year in Lansing, Illinois, but at the end of that time returned to Hebron, and succeeded to the practice of Dr. J. K. Blackstone, and has succeeded in building up a practice, not only remunerative but among the elite of his section, although he is always prompt to respond to the call of those in the humbler walks of life, from whom he never expects to receive a cent of remuneration. His reputation has already extended to the surrounding counties, and he gives every promise of becoming eminent in his profession. Politically, he has always supported the principles of the Democratic party, and while interested in the political issues of the day, he has never aspired to public office. He affiliates with the Independent Order of Foresters, in which he is medical examiner. September 12, 1893, he was married to Ada, daughter of H. W. Bryant, of the firm of Bryant, Dowd & Co., of Hebron. The Doctor owes his present prosperity to his own unaided efforts, and has every reason to be proud of the manner in which he has surmounted the many difficulties that have strewn his pathways, especially at the commencement of his career.
Source: Goodspeed Brothers. 1894. Pictorial and Biographical Record of La Porte, Porter, Lake and Starke Counties, Indiana. Chicago, Illinois: Goodspeed Brothers. 569 p.
Page(s) in Source: 527-528
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook