Following Bliss
I’ve long-held a grudge against Dr. Doctor Willard Bliss
…ever since I read that his grubby fingers killed President James Garfield.
I’ve also long made fun of his name. (See?)
Imagine my surprise to discover that his name was a nod to my ancestor. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Let’s back up…
I just finished reading President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier by CW Goodyear, which sparked this whole post.
President James Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau
Garfield had been walking arm in arm with Secretary of State James Blaine, with his two boys behind them.
Robert Todd Lincoln, Secretary of War/Abraham Lincoln’s son, was several feet away.
Initially, Dr. Charles Purvis treated Garfield — Surgeon in Chief at the Freeman’s Hospital and the first Black doctor to treat a president.
Unfortunately, Lincoln called for Dr. Doctor Willard Bliss.
The good doctor doctor was exceptionally full of himself, believing “if I can’t save him, no one can.”
Walt Whitman once said of Bliss that he was “one of the best surgeons in the Army” and in particular he admired his bonesaw skills.
This lead to me an image search for his bonesaw to use as a reference, and instead stumbled on how he got his ridiculous name — it was a nod to New England surgeon Dr. Samuel Willard.*
*I should disclose, I can’t check the sources listed so I’m semi-skeptical and need to look into it further.
Dr. Samuel Willard?!
Friends, I’m related to the Willards!!
But am I related to this Willard? There’s only one way to find out…
Am I doing genealogy right? Probably not. Notice that I couldn’t even hold the camera still in my excitement.
I started digging
I pulled out my family tree. And photocopies of Descendants of Henry - 2 Willard of Still River Massachusetts and Willard Genealogy: Sequel to Willard Memoir … both of which were from The Willard Family Association of America and both of which I’d previously only given quick cursory glances.
I also did some digging online. There are multiple Samuel Willards, including:
Reverend Samuel Willard (1600s; opposed the Salem Witch Trials)
Dr. Samuel Willard (another one; from the Civil War era)
Dr. Samuel Willard (the one I’m after!; also from the Civil War era)
Eventually, I got to it…
Drumroll, please…
Dr. Samuel Willard and I both roll up to Henry Willard (1655-1701), through to different wives. I’m related to his first wife, thankyouverymuch — Mary Lakin. Dr. Samuel rolls up to Dorcas (Dorothy), his second wife.
It pains me to leave the women off of the family tree, but I did it anyhow… first of all so this would be less cluttered/easier to follow. And secondly because I mostly connect up to Henry Willard through men, with the exception of Ruth Dudley Willard. We’ll get back to Ruth in a minute…
Did Dr. Willard deliver Doctor Doctor Willard Bliss?
His obituary (Evening Star, DC; February 21, 1889) says:
“He received the name of ‘Doctor Willard’ in honor of the physician who presided at his birth.”
What’s that now?!
Did Dr. Samuel Willard help deliver baby Doctor Willard Bliss?! Or was this another doctor?
Can this obituary even be trusted? It says that he “refused at first to accept the compensation awarded by Congress” [for treating** President Garfield] “but finally accepted $6,500.”
Hmmmm… that is not my understanding of events. (He billed Congress $25,000 — $500,000 in today’s money!! — and Congress was like “how’s about $6,500?” He refused.
**Italics to denote sarcasm
QUICK RECAP
While reading this book I uncovered two random connections:
The grubby fingers that killed my favorite president, James Garfield, belonged to a doctor named after my ancestor? And maybe my ancestor may have “presided at his birth”…?
And also my 6x great uncle was law partner of the father of the guy who shut James Garfield up so he wouldn’t talk his way out of being nominated as a presidential candidate.
I also discovered I’m a direct descendant James Madison
Brown
🤭
James Madison Brown was born in 1810. James Madison became president in 1809, he had to be named for him, right? And here he is!! Actual pictures!!
His daughter was Jennie Louise Brown Willard (here’s a pic!) married to Wendell Bowles Willard
Their daughter was Ruth Dudley Willard Rockwood, married to Albert Eugene Rockwood
Etc. etc. - me!
Ruths
Years ago, I learned that the name Ruth surged in popularity after Grover Cleveland’s daughter was born in 1891… which prompted me to check when my great-grandmother was born. Not until ~1911. Looking for her birth year led me to realize that I had not one, but two paternal great-grandmothers named Ruth!
The other was Ruth Dudley Willard (shown above), who was 1895.
(Ruth was the #46 girls’ name in 1890 and by 1892, it was #5. I’m not sure if that’s why Ruth got her name, or because of her grandmother — Ellen Ruth Dudley (married to Luther, all of the above, or none of the above.)
All of these little genealogical adventures seem very 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. But more like 16 degrees. or 26 degrees. Of Heather Rogers.
Then I noticed an actual Bacon in my family tree… Mary Bacon.
Am I related to Kevin Bacon?! That is not an adventure for today.
More items of note and/or delightful coincidences
Feeding Per Rectum: As Illustrated in the Case of the Late President Garfield, and Others by D. W. Bliss, MD
There are no illustrations.
Groton, Massachusetts
Henry Willard lived in Groton
Joseph Willard’s wife Elizabeth was born in Groton
Mary Bacon was born in Groton
Groton Public Library is one of the libraries collaborating on the Virtual Presidential Series and now it keeps popping up in a lot of my family research. In my previous post, I said I had family in Groton dating back to at least 1739. Now I know it goes back at least to Mary Bacon’s birth in 1640, nearly a century earlier than I thought!
John Quincy Adams??
Bliss’ Wikipedia entry says while in DC, “the family lived in a house… built by John Quincy Adams.” I imagine this was more of a “in a house that JQA had built” situation, but I certainly don’t know. I’m just adding this tidbit so I can say, “hey, have I mentioned that I think I’m related to John Quincy Adams?”
If all of this is true, then maybe Dr. Bliss was delivered by one of my ancestors and lived in a home built by another?! That would be bonkers.
Things (People) for Future Heather to look into
I found a John Livingston Willard
Born in Albany, NY in 1816
Any connection/relation to the Livingston family?
Major Simon Willard
1604 - 1676, a century before the Declaration of Independence
Early settler of the settlement of the British colony of New England, America (1634)
Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces “against the hostile Indian Tribes,” according to a tablet in the Crypt of the Canterbury Cathedral in London (erected in 1902)
Simon, the one who made clocks
Emma Willard
I visited her grave! In the same cemetery there’s a …
George Lamb Willard
The Spirit of ‘76
My God! What is this?