Finley Ellingwood
Physician of Chicago and Evanston, Illinois: professor at Bennett Medical College, author of medical textbooks, founder of the journal Ellingwood's Therapeutist, and president of the National Eclectic Medical Association in 1919. Born at Manchester, Indiana, and taken to Illinois at four or five, he was left the support of the family by his father's sudden death. Father of Richard Everett "Cudge" Ellingwood; he died at Pasadena in 1920.
Life
- 1852Born12 Sep 1852, Manchester, Dearborn County, Indiana
"Sept. 12, 1852", Manchester, Indiana, on his death certificate and on his AMA card, and "Sept 1852" in the 1900 census; his own Who's Who entry agrees. His son's memoir, p. 3, types the year "1952". The 1860 census makes him 4, born about 1856.
documentedprovenSources
- Who's Who in America: Finley Ellingwood
- California certificate of death, Finley Ellingwood, Pasadena, 1920
- American Medical Association, Deceased Physicians File: Finley Ellingwood
- 1900 U.S. census, Evanston Ward 6, Cook County, Illinois: Finley Ellingwood household
- Cudge: Being his story as he recalls it, memoir of Richard Everett Ellingwood Sr.
- 1860LivedMomence, Kankakee County, Illinois
In his parents' household, entered as 4, which does not fit his birth in 1852.
documentedproven - 1880LivedManteno, Kankakee County, Illinois
Physician, single, 27, with his brother Ellsworth, 17, a printer.
documentedproven - 〃Married Jennie L. Elliott1 Sep 1880, Chicago, Illinois
Written by hand in the memoir, p. 3; the Cook County marriage index agrees.
- 1900LivedEvanston Ward 6, Cook County, Illinois
Head of household at 2209 Central Street, physician, with Jennie and their six children.
documentedproven - 1910LivedEvanston Ward 6, Cook County, Illinois
Head of household, physician, editor of a medical journal.
documentedproven - 1920LivedEvanston Ward 6, Cook County, Illinois
Head of household at 2209 Central Street, publisher, medical.
documentedproven - 〃Died26 Jun 1920, Pasadena, California
At 614 South Lake Avenue, his son's home, of chronic interstitial nephritis (his death certificate), or Bright's disease (the family death notice; California Death Index). The memoir, JAMA and Leonard Ellinwood give 29 June, the date of the notice.
documentedprovenSources
- California certificate of death, Finley Ellingwood, Pasadena, 1920
- Chicago Daily Tribune, 29 June and 16 July 1920: death and burial of Dr. Finley Ellingwood
- Cudge: Being his story as he recalls it, memoir of Richard Everett Ellingwood Sr.
- American Medical Association, Deceased Physicians File: Finley Ellingwood
- 〃Buried17 Jul 1920, Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, Illinois
Cremated at Mountain View, Pasadena, on 28 June 1920 (his death certificate); a private burial of the ashes.
Family
- Father
- Elijah Ellingwood
In Elijah's household at Momence in 1860 (the census, from a screenshot); "s. Elijah and Mary Abigail (Rice) E." in his own Who's Who entry; in 1875 the Kankakee County Court found him "the brother" of Elijah's orphaned son Ellsworth.
- Mother
- Spouse
- Jennie L. Elliottdocumentedproven
Pedigree
Notes
Physician, an M.D. of Bennett Medical College, Chicago, with an office in Chicago and later in the family home at 2209 Central Street, Evanston. He wrote medical textbooks and published the journal Ellingwood’s Therapeutist. A Methodist, Sunday School superintendent and member of the church’s official board. His son Cudge remembered that he “never turned down anyone”.
Born at Manchester, Indiana, and taken to Illinois at four or five. He was a carpenter from about fourteen, taught school, and from 1873 was deputy clerk of the Iroquois County court; “He began the study of medicine July 10, 1871. The sudden death of his father, a few months later, threw the entire support of the family” on him (source). In January 1875, aged 22, he became guardian of his orphaned brother Ellsworth (record); in 1880 the two brothers were keeping house together at Manteno, Finley a physician and Ellsworth a printer (record). He had gone to the Kankakee city and high school (his AMA card). M.D., Bennett Medical College, 1878; practised at Manteno, 1878-84; then professor of chemistry and of materia medica at Bennett, editor of the Chicago Medical Times, founder of Ellingwood’s Therapeutist (1906/7), author of the American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy (1915), and president of the National Eclectic Medical Association, 1919. “He has always been a Republican in politics, but at present, with three sons in the Government service, he is a staunch advocate of President Wilson” (1918). The association’s obituary: “tall and slender, growing heavier in later years … In his own family he maintained a musical orchestra.”
He went to Pasadena in May 1920 for his health and died at his son’s home there, 614 South Lake Avenue, on 26 June, of chronic interstitial nephritis; he was cremated at Mountain View two days later (death certificate; notice). The American Medical Association’s file has his licence in Illinois in 1878 and his career at Bennett (record).
Children (from the memoir and the 1918 biography; in 1900 Jennie had borne seven, six living): Elma Jane, Laura, Elliott Lee “Jim”, a son (Ellsworth) born 1888 who lived only a few weeks, Finley Fitch “Wink”, Richard Everett “Cudge” and Lloyd “Gog”. His brothers and sisters: Adeline (Mrs. Kay, mother of Wendell Kay of Watseka), Jennie (Mrs. Plummer), Nancy, Mary, Ellsworth, a printer at Pueblo, Colorado, and Minnie; three more died young.
In the censuses: in 1880 a single physician at Manteno, Kankakee County, Illinois (record); in 1900 a physician at Evanston, with Jennie and the children (record); in 1910 a physician and editor there (record); in 1920 a publisher there, with Jennie, Richard, Lloyd and their granddaughter Jennie Harriet Cother (record).
Open questions
- His birth year: 1852 by his own account, but “4” in the 1860 census, with a sister Nancy aged 8.
- His obituary in Ellingwood’s Therapeutist (Lloyd Library, Cincinnati).
Cudge's memoir
Cudge's father kept an office in Chicago and practised in the neighbourhood too, mostly by home calls, and never refused anyone who came for help, gypsies and drunks included, whether or not he would be paid.
I can assure you that he never turned down anyone, no matter what time of day or night or how much effort it took on his part, or what the chances were for him to get any money for his services.
p. 5 →In 1903 he took the whole family to the St. Louis Fair, where he spoke at the Eclectic Medical Society's convention for a national organization, after rehearsing the speech aloud at home.
He spoke with a great deal of gusto and fervor, and we boys were quite impressed with the end of his speech in which he exorted the audience to "organize! organize! organize!"
p. 20 →He had never ridden a bicycle until his sons taught him on a slope at Park Place; he rode off down the street and fell off without slowing down.
When we got to him, he said, "You told me how to keep going, but you didn't tell me how to stop."
p. 21 →He wrote his medical textbooks in the early mornings in his home office, wrapped in a blanket; rereading them, Cudge marvelled at what his father had achieved from a modest background.
One of the bright and familiar memories of my early years was to find him in the morning ... still in his nightclothes, but with a big blanket wrapped around him ... while he wrote out his book.
p. 23 →A leader in the church, Sunday School superintendent for years and the board member who told ministers it was time to move on, he believed God had told him to become a doctor.
He was a most sincere and dedicated Christian gentleman. He told us time, and time again, how he had not known what he was going to do with his life, and a voice spoke to him and told him to be a doctor.
p. 25 →Cudge brought him a silver-mounted thorn cane from England; he carried it proudly on his Sunday walks and had his house number, 2209, engraved on it.
when I gave it to him, his face just glowed ... Particularly on the Sunday walks, his cane became an ornament, as well as useful. He took great pride in that cane, and I still have it.
p. C15 →When Cudge left for the army in May 1918, his affectionate father hugged and kissed him on the station platform in front of everyone, to his son's embarrassment.
father as I have told you before, was very affectionate. So when the train pulled in, he hugged me to his chest and insisted on kissing me before 200 boys, women and men soldiers and everybody else.
p. D1 →In failing health, he went to Pasadena with his wife at his son Jim's urging and died there in 1920; he was given a memorial service in the church to which he had given so much.
Finally early in 1919 he decided to go out to Pasadena at Jims urging, for a complete rest. Mother went with him. But he did not get his strength back and he passed away out there
p. 83 →
Pictures
Connections
- Notable ancestor
- Eclectic physician of Chicago and Evanston; author of American Materia Medica and editor of Ellingwood's Therapeutist
Finley Ellingwood is the grandfather of Richard Everett Ellingwood Jr. Founders, magistrates and ministers.
- In his ancestry
- 47 notable connections →
Every notable ancestor and famous relative that Finley's own ancestors lead to, with the lines drawn down to him.
- Small world