Welcome to another Grave Spotlight of the Month. With the demolition of the old Bloomington Hospital and the current construction of the Hopewell Community near downtown Bloomington, it made me wonder about the history of the area, so this time we are taking a look at the women who were responsible for establishing the first hospital in Bloomington, Indiana. The Local County of Women was established in 1897 when members of nine local women's clubs, all looking to the betterment of the community, came together to promote working for the community's interests. This group eventually became the Local Council of Women (LCW).
At their 1905 meeting, it was brought to the council's attention by Mrs. John Harris, the wife of a Monon railway surgeon, that a young man who was severely injured while working on the railroad, died in the office of the railway surgeon because there was not a hospital facility nearby. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a newspaper article that talks about this particular incident, though I did find one dated for 1912 that is very similar to the accident noted by Mrs. Harris. It even had her husband, Dr. CE Harris as the attending physician, but it does note that he died at the hospital.
This revelation to the Council caused an outpouring of sympathy that also set into motion the plans for a healthcare facility. In February 1905, this group of women officially became the Local Council of Women with the following members, with the sole purpose of acquiring a place for the hospital:
Maude E. Showers Wilson
Julia A. Blair
Lena M. Beck
Antoinette M. Mottier
Flora D. Kitson
Alice A. Buskirk
Vesta T. Rogers
Anna B. Hill
Atlanta C. Holland
Laura C. Mathers
Minnie Waldron
Anna B. Hoffman
Eudora Shoemaker
Catherine A. Harris
Sarah C. Duncan
Charlotte Lowe Bryan
Mable Tichenor
Irene Burtt
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| From LCW website |
However, as the population of Bloomington, and Monroe County, grew, it became clear that the need for a larger building was clear. In April 1917, through the sale of Liberty Bonds, the council announced plans for a new 35 bed limestone building. This building was opened in 1919, leaving the former Hopewell House to be converted into nurse's quarters.
In 1943, with thoughts of the health concerns of soldiers returning from World War II, advancements in medical technology and the continued growth of the population, a new building expansion was planned and organized by the council. This was completely in 1947 and was known as the Kohr Building. This building still stands today. It was the medical records building and some admin offices for quite a long time. I had family that worked in that building for many years.
The council continued its work for many years with some seats still on the board of IU Health.
So, now that we have an idea of what these amazing women did for the health and happiness of the Bloomington Community, let's take a look at the women behind these deeds.
Maude E. Showers Wilson was born on April 17, 1862 in Monroe County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Rufus Coatney (1826-1892) and Mary Jane Shipman Coatney (1832-1893). They are both buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, their names on one side of the monument. She had one sibling that I have found: Mattie J. Coatney (1857-1868) who is buried in Clear Creek Cemetery. She was married first to Charles Hull Showers (1860-1886), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had three children that I have found reference to: Erle Hull Showers (1881-1940), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Beryl Showers Holland (1881-1964), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Clyde C. Showers (1886-1887), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They were married in 1880 and he is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Her second marriage was the Judge James Benjamin Wilson (1859-1956) in 1912. They had no children that I have found reference to. She passed away on August 23, 1936 and is buried with her first husband at Rose Hill Cemetery.
According to her obituary, Maude was the last surviving founding member of the Local Council of Women. For her entire time involved with the council, she served as the council president, minus one year. She also was responsible for establishing the first library and served on the board until just before her death. Maude was also the county's first probation officer as well as the first member of the Children's Board of Guardians. She was also an early suffragette leader.
Julia A. Blair was born in 1855. She was the daughter of John Waldron (?-?) and possibly Anna Waldron (?-?). She was married to William T. Blair (1856-1938). He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had at least three children: James Waldron Blair (1884-1951), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Will J. Blair, Jr (1884-1927), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Mary L. Blair (1894-1980), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. She passed away on March 20, 1930 and is buried with her husband and children at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Lena M. Beck was born on February 20, 1856 in Stanford, Monroe County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Adams (1827-1910) and Harriet Jane Baker Adams (1830-1865). They are buried in Breeden Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana. She had several siblings: Jacob Adams (1856-1931), buried in Lawrenceville City Cemetery, Lawrence County, Illinois; Lillie Harriet Adams Telfer (1858-1938), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; William Hamilton Adams (1860-1946), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Benjamin Franklin Adams Jr (1861-1926), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Thomas E. Adams (1865-1865), buried in Breeden Cemetery. She was married to James Kirkwood Beck (1850-1923). He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had several children: Anna H. Beck (1879-1879), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Alfred Adams Beck (1880-1961), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Mary E. Beck Culmer (1885-1966), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; James Kirkwood Beck Jr (1889-1891), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Helen Margaret Beck Crane (1891-1970), cremated and inured at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston ; and Esther L. Beck (1893-1923), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Lena was educated at Bloomington High School and was a teacher for two years before marrying. She passed away on November 13, 1931 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Antoinette M. Mottier was born on February 22, 1868. She was the daughter of Barbara Mottier Haworth. Here birth and death dates are unknown as is her burial location. Antoinette was married to Doctor David Myers Mottier (1864-1940). He was cremated and is inured in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had t least three children: Hartwig Hessler Mottier (1896-1973), buried in Dayton National Cemetery, Montgomery County, Ohio; Wanda Mottier Pearson (1898-1968), buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana; Barbara Mottier Haworth (1901-1961), her burial details are unknown. She passed away on November 7, 1938 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Flora D. Kitson is unfortunately one that I cannot find any information on. If anyone knows of her burial place, let me know.
Alice A. Buskirk was born on July 1, 1867 in West Newton, Marion County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Doctor Wesley Allen (1836-1916) and Rebecca Ann Jones Allen (1842-1878). They are buried in West Newton Cemetery, Marion County, Indiana. She had a couple of siblings that I have found: Infant Girl Allen (1864-1864), buried in West Newton Cemetery, Marion County, Indiana and Wesley Allen (1887-1961), buried in West Newton Cemetery, Marion County, Indiana. She was married to Lawrence Van Buskirk, Sr (1867-1910). They were married in 1891 and he is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had three children: Allen Van Buskirk (1893-1946), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Lawrence Van Buskirk Jr (1897-1910), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Martha Ann Buskirk McFaddin (1899-1979), buried in Memory Garden Cemetery, Rockville, Parke County, Indiana. Alice passed away on November 10, 1942 in Bloomington, Indiana and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery with her husband and two of her children.
Vesta T. Rogers was born in 1879 in Indiana and was the daughter of Preston B. Triplett (?-1913) and Florence Grace Hurst Triplett (1858-1929). They were married in 1875 and he is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Marion County, while she is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Vesta had at least two siblings: Lena Triplett Rogers (1879-1935), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, and Grace Triplett Stilwell (1880-1951), buried in Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum in Miami, Florida. She was married to Doctor Otto Floyd Rogers (1872-1935). He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had two children that I have found: Doctor Otto Floyd Rogers Jr (1904-1970), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Florence Emily Rogers McDaniel (1907-1950), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. She passed away on March 27, 1933 and is buried near her family in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Anna B. Hill was born on September 4, 1855 in Bloomington, Indiana. She was the daughter of George Abraham Buskirk (1829-1874) and Martha Ann Hardesty Buskirk (1827-1894). They are both buried in the Buskirk plot in Rose Hill Cemetery. She had a few siblings that I have found: George A. Buskirk (1857-1931), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Martha R. Buskirk Haungs (1860-1901), buried in buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Philip Kearney Buskirk (1862-1907), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Lawrence Van Buskirk Sr. (1867-1910), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. She was married to Nathaniel Usher Hill Sr (1851-1908) in 1878. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had at least two children: Nathaniel Usher Hill Jr (1881-1924) and Philip Buskirk Hill (1882-1951). They are both buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Anna passed away on October 18, 1915 and is buried with her husband and sons.
Atlanta C. Holland has been hard to find any information on. There are several Hollands buried in Monroe County, specifically Rose Hill Cemetery, but I can't find any mention of Atlanta. The only one that I can find that fits the time frame is buried in Minnesota and there is no connection to Bloomington.
Laura C. Mathers was born on October 24, 1851 in Floyd County, Indiana. She was the daughter of William Holman Keach (1823-1899) and Elizabeth Moreland Keach (1829-1904). They were buried in Leyden Cemetery in Floyd County, Indiana. She had a couple of siblings: Lafayette Stewart Keach (1850-1931), buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Floyd County, Indiana; and Harry Eugene Keach (1867-1934), buried in IOOF Brookston Cemetery, White County, Indiana. She was married to Samuel Milford Mathers (1850-1896) in 1873. He is buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana. They had several children: Milford R. Mathers (1873-1958), buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana; Letha Mathers Armstrong (1875-1962), buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana; Laura May Mathers Murphy (1883-1936), buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana; Florence Mathers (1887-1927), buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana; and Samuel Allison Mathers (1889-1978), buried in Rest Haven Memorial Park, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Laura passed away on March 26, 1926 in Washington DC and was buried with her husband in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Minnie Waldron was born on March 28, 1858 in Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana. She was the daughter of John J. Shiel (1826-1899) and Mary A. Phelan Shiel (1828-1886). They were both natives of Ireland and are buried in Saint Ambrose Catholic Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana. She had a few siblings: Michael E. Shiel (1851-1911), buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Marion County, Indiana; Anna C. Shiel Brown (1853-1929), buried in Riverview Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana; John F. Shiel Sr (1854-1932), buried in Riverview Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana; and Katherine Shiel Fagan (1861-1893), buried in Saint Ambrose Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana. She was married to John B. Waldron (1856-1886) in 1884. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had one child who was born the year before he passed away: Charles Bonicum Waldron (1885-1978), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Minnie passed away April 14, 1940 in Bloomington, Indiana and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Her name is on a plaque at Fountain Square Mall as a charter member of the Monroe County Hall of Fame. This plaque reads: "Attorney, 1922-1940; Humanitarian; founder Bloomington Charity Organization 1900; Exec Secretary, county founder Red Cross, Children's Guardians, Crippled Children's Society, Travelers' Aid, Family Welfare, TB Society"
Anna B. Hoffman is another one of the council members that I haven't been able to track down. There were no Hoffman's buried in Monroe County that fit in the timeframe, so I am not sure where she was buried or really any information at all about her.
Eudora Shoemaker was born November 5, 1850, in Salem, Indiana. She was the daughter of William Stuart (1816-1892) and Malinda Holstein Stuart (1820-1896). They are both buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. I only found one sibling for her: Sarah Ann Stuart Brammell (1848-1935), buried in Plummer Cemetery, Clinton County, Indiana. Eudora was married to Captain John Wesley Shoemaker (1841-1915) on 1869. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had a few children: John Franklin Shoemaker (1871-1930), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Frederick Stuart Shoemaker (1873-1940), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; Lynn M, Shoemaker (1874-1899), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Helen Marian Shoemaker (1880-1897), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Eudora passed away on October 31, 1930 in Bloomington, Indiana and is buried near her family in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Catherine A. Harris was born in 1850 and was the wife of Doctor John E. Harris (1847-1908). He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had three children, but I only found the names of two: John G. Harris (1869-1925), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery; and Doctor Charles Edward Harris (1876-1940), buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles County, California. She passed away on October 12, 1909 in Monroe County, Indiana. She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery near her husband.
Sarah C. Duncan was born in 1848 and was the wife of Henry Clay Duncan (1844-1911). He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. They had one child that I have been able to find: Frank Cummings Duncan (1873-1949), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. Sarah is buried in Rose Hill with her husband.
Charlotte Lowe Bryan born on September 7, 1867 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was the daughter of Charles Gilbert Lowe (1838-1920) and Sophia Elizabeth Cole Lowe (1837-1911). They are both buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana. I have found the name of one sibling: Mary Ella Lowe Howard (1861-1936), buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana. She was married to Doctor William Lowe Bryan (1860-1955), buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana. I have not found any children for them. Charlotte passed away in August of 1948 and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mable Tichenor is another one of the council members that I can find no information for. I can't find any Tichenor's buried in Monroe County and only one Mable Tichenor in Florida, but the time frame is wrong.
Irene Burtt is the final member of the council and I cannot find her burial site either. I did find an Irene Burtt which could fit in the time frame but she is buried in New York and I can't find any connections to Indiana, much less Bloomington.
The work that these women did to make sure that the population of Bloomington and Monroe County had viable healthcare was invaluable. And unfortunately, there is so little information about them beyond what I have listed here. These are women that should never be forgotten.
Thank you to the Local Council of Women for your hard work and dedication.
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REFERENCES
Local Council of Women - Our Story
Bloomington Then and Now - Train & Railroad Tragedies in Bloomington, Indiana
Monroe County History Center - Bloomington Hospital: From Dream to Reality
Monroe County Historian Dec 2012/Jan 2013
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