Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-01-21
DOCTORS OF THE OLDEN
TINE and DOCTORS We
HAVE KNOWN.
[By Wallace McGeorge, NJ. d.
Read Before the Gloucester County
Historical Society, on Tuesday,
January II, 1908.

count Oh a lew Oh tQ0 uOCtOIS Ol Inc
18th, 18th and 18th centuries. These
men have by their deeds, benefited
the people of this county and state.
In the early history of the colonies
the practice of the healing art was
chiefly in the care of the clergy
Many of them were men of profound
minds and highly educated. (a).
DR.. John R. Stevenson, in his admir-
able History of Medicine and Medi-
cal Men, says that in 1885, seven years
after the first settlement in Glouces-
ter county. there was not a medical
man in it. And yet between 1880 and
1890, members of the medical pro-
fession held the title to one-fourth of
the land in New Jersey, and one of
them was Governor of West Jersey
for five years. (b).
DR.. Daniel Wills, one of the propr1e-
tors of West Jersey, and one of tie
signers to "The Grants and Conces-
sions of the Proprietors, FreehOlders
and Inhabitants of the Province OF
West Jersey in America, dated March
2, 1876, came over in the ship Kent,
stopping first at Newcastle, Delaware.
Later, most of the passengers landed
at the mouth of Raccoon creek tel.
If DR.. Wills was among them he was
the first physician to land in Glouces-
ter county He settled in Burlington
in October, 1876, and practiced medi-
cine and surgery in that county. In
one deed he is described as Daniel
Wills, of Rancokus, Burlington county,
DR.. of Physsick, in another deed he
is styled "chyrurgeon." He was a
member of the General Assembly
from its organization in 1851 until lis
death, in March, 1859. (dD
Dr. Robert Dimsdale, one of the
Proprietors in 1882, settled in Bur
lington county, and built a large brick
house on a stream of water called
Dimsdale Run. (e).
Dr. John Gosling was also one of
the signers to 'The Concessions" in
1876, but he did not settle in New
Jersey till 1858. He was elected a
member of the West Jersey Assembly
and appointed a member of the Gov
ernor's Council. While on a visit to
Barbados in 1886 he died. (e). In
1922 his son, John Gosling, presented
a memorial to the Governor, urging
the opening and working of the iron
and silver mines in this State (f).
Dr. Daniel Coke, Governor of West
Jersey from 1857 to 1892, was the
richest in lands of any of his collea-
CUES. Being. the largest Proprietor,
under the laws he became Governor
of West Jersey, ruling by deputy. in
a letter to the Council of Proprietors,
he wrote: 1--WE thereupon consulted
with several Proprietors and others,
well wishers to your colony, amongst
whom it was agreed and resolved 10
be for the good of your country, and
s our own security, that one amongst
us should purchase from the heirs of
Mr. Byllinge, all his or their inter
est in property and government, and
because my proportion of land was
greater, or that they apprehended me
capable of serving them, or to have
more money at command or because
they had ever perceived me to be
jealous and active to promote the
good of the province" (e). He own
ed 33,078 acres in one tract in Glou-
cester county, 100000 acres in Salem,
Cumberland and Cape May counties,
100000 acres in Massachusetts, 100000
acres in New York State, and lands i'll
5000 and 10000 acre tracts in nearly
every county in this State. He was
eminent in his profession, being ply
sician to the Queen of Charles the
Second, and also to Queen Ann who
succeeded King Charles.
John Estaugh, tthe Quaker preacher
who married Elizabeth Haddon, after
whom Haddonfield is named, was the
first medical practitioner that we
know of in this county. He was not
a graduate in medicine, but "had some
skill in chemistry and medicine" and
made himself useful, especially by
his attendance upon the poor. This
was in 1902. (b) He died in 1742
during his mission to the Island of
Tortula In Haddonfield there still
stands an old brick still house built
about 1712, used by John and Eliza
beth Haddon Estaugh, to distill medi-
cines, for gratuitous use among poor
settlers. (e).
Gloucester county, while sick, was
attended by Doctor Graham. After
his death, the doctors bill was paid
by his widow, Mary Ladd, and this is
the first doctors bill of which we have
any record being paid in Gloucester
county.
DIR. Benjamin Vanleer practiced
medicine in Haddonfield in 1872 and
later he lived on the Mickle estate
between Camden and Gloucester Town
and continued the practice of his pro-
fession. He was on the Committee
of Correspondence for Gloucester
county in ITS. He was man of
fashion, dressed in the Continental
style, with knee breeches, and was
proud of his handsome leg" (b) He
was one. of the Wardens of the Coles
town Protestant Episcopal Church ir
I776, and there is a deed in the pos
session of Joseph G. Hollinshed late
vestryman of this church, dated Aug.
s. 1776, from Kendall Coles, of Water
ford township, to Benjamin Vanleer
and William Rudroe, of Gloucester
county wardens for the church COM
monty called Coles Church, in the
township aforesaid for one acre of
ground, for church and a burying
ground and none other use or purpose
whatsoever" The church had been
built in 1851.