[or-roots] Is there a Doctor in the house?

[Cecil Houk]

More by Florence Courtney Melton; on the Oregon Trail in 1868.

     Someone on the the road, while the California group was with us, there was a family bound for California that had one child, a little boy seven or eight years old.  He had a pony, and one day it jumped and threw him off and broke his arm between the wrist and elbow.  They went into camp right away.  The parents were frantic.  The father asked everyone if there was a doctor on the train.  No one knew of anyone.  He said he would give $100 for someone to set his boy's arm.  Uncle William Holbrook told him he knew of one person, who laid no claim to being a doctor, but she could set the boy's arm.  At first he was skeptical because it was a woman.  Uncle brought him around and introduced him to Mother.  She went with him and examined the arm, then came back to fix a splint.  Mary took some of the till of her trunk.  Mother padded it, got something for bandages, and went to work to pull his arm into place.  Of course it hurt.  He screamed but she kept pulling.  The man ordered her to stop hurting the boy.  He was very insulting.  Mother just stopped and asked him if he knew how to set it.  She had plenty to do at her own wagon.  He said no, he didn't know anything about it.  "Well, just keep still and quit giving orders, if I am to do it."  There was a big crowd standing around.  They didn't blame her, and they said so.  Uncle laughed and said, "I knew Mary would settle him."  She took care of the arm until the splints were off.  The arm was as straight as the other.  The parents never even thanked her.  She never charged for anything she ever did for sick folks. 

Mary (and mother in the above), was Mary Anne Ashbaugh Courtney; my great great grandmother.

Cecil Houk, ET1 USN Ret.
PO Box 530833
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ANDERSON - BLAKELY - FORD - HOUK - KIMSEY - MOE - RULAFORD - SIMPSON
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