|
ST.
ELIZABETH HOSPITAL
FOR a number of years prior to the founding of
this charitable institution the Rev. Father
J. F. Hahne, pastor of Emanuel's Church, had
been desirous of seeing a hospital of the
Sisters in Dayton, and had repeatedly invited
the attention of the Mother Superior of the
Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis to the lack
of hospital accommodations in the city, and
solicited her aid and kindly offices toward the
establishment of such an institution here under
the care of her order.
In 1878, his prayer was answered, and soon thereafter
there appeared in our midst two strange faces,
whose appearance on our streets, clothed in a
garb of brown, with an embroidered red cross in
front, and black veil and cloak, attracted the
attention of our people. These were the
forerunners, and theirs the mission of founding
St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Prior to this
time no systematic accommodations for the
receiving and caring of the indigent sick, and
unfortunate victims of accidents, existed in
this city, other than the "pesthouse," a
habitation which, in name and associations, and
its restricted accommodations, were alike
objectionable and insufficient to properly and
satisfactorily care for the varied class and
character of applicants for hospital treatment.
This condition of things had, at different
times for many years past, suggested various
propositions on the part of public-spirited
citizens, and the introduction of resolutions
into the City Council for the creation of an
establishment equal to the wants and dignity of
the city.
No decisive steps, however, were ever take by the City
Council, other than a mere discussion and a
reference to future action. As the
undertaking seemed, moreover, too large and
expensive for individual enterprise, the subject
had never as yet taken any definite shape.
The task, then, of filling so great qa void and
establishing such an institution in our midst,
has devolved upon a small number of women,
belonging to the Order of the Sisters of the
Poor of St. Francis, whose mission is the
alleviation and care of the sick and helpless,
and whose motto is that of voluntary and
absolute poverty.
The Sisters referred to were Emilie and
Columba, who, on the 2d of July of that
year, rented a moderately-sized two-story brick
building on Franklin street, near Ludlow, and
commenced to prepare the premises for hospital
purposes. July 25, a railroader, with a
crushed arm, the result of an accident, was
brought to their doors for treatment. He
was received, although, in the language of our
informant, "they were compelled to go to
housekeeping before they were quite ready."
Then commenced an active solicitation on their part for
assistance and encouragement. Sufficient
aid to furnish the house and devote it to its
purposes was soon obtained.
A staff of physicians, who devote their time and
services gratuitously,
Page 753 -
was selected. Applicants of admission came
pouring in, and the hospital became a fixed
fact.
Page 754 -
The number of Patients received and treated
during the year ending Aug. 31, 1881, is given
as follows:
| |
Male |
Female |
Total |
| In
Hospital September 1, 1880 |
14 |
10 |
24 |
| September |
28 |
6 |
34 |
| October |
14 |
2 |
16 |
| November |
12 |
1 |
13 |
| December |
13 |
4 |
17 |
| January |
11 |
7 |
18 |
| February |
14 |
- |
14 |
| March |
10 |
2 |
12 |
| April |
19 |
5 |
24 |
| May |
17 |
9 |
26 |
| June |
23 |
5 |
28 |
| July |
24 |
4 |
28 |
| August |
33 |
9 |
42 |
|
Grand Total |
232 |
64 |
296 |
Civil
condition - Married and widowed, 100; Unmarried,
172. Total, 272.
Religion - Catholic, 146; Protestants, 126.
Total, 272
Nationalities - United States, 133; Germany, 78;
Ireland, 42; England, 6; Switzerland, 4; France,
3; Wales, 2; Denmark 1; Holland, 1; Canada, 1;
Bavaria, 1. Total, 272.
Ages - Under twenty years, 32; between twenty and
thirty years, 74; between thirty and forty
years, 57; between forty and fifty years, 40;
between fifty and sixty years, 30; between sixty
and seventy years, 22; between seventy and
eighty years, 9; between eighty and ninety
years, 4; unknown, 4. Total, 272
| |
Male |
Female |
Total |
| Recovered |
165 |
31 |
196 |
| Improved |
28 |
7 |
35 |
|
Unimproved |
8 |
5 |
13 |
| Died |
19 |
6 |
25 |
| Remaining
in Hospital Aug. 31, 1881 |
17 |
10 |
27 |
Since
the opening of the hospital, 824 patients have
been admitted for treatment.
WOODLAND
CEMETERY.
The hallowed spot is
conveniently and beautifully located on an
elevated tract of ground a little southeast of
the city. Though within the corporate
limits, it is so situated as likely never to be
disturbed by the onward growth and progress of
the city. It comprises nearly one hundred
acres of ground, whose surface is composed
almost entirely of hills and valleys, which are
covered with numerous forest trees, with here
and there numbers of the choicest evergreens and
deciduous trees. The ground rises
continually, though gradually; yet in some
places the ascent is steep, from the entrance to
the summit of the main hill, about two-thirds of
the distance of the cemetery from north to
south. There are a number of neat and
spacious avenues traversing the entire grounds,
rendering, by their numerous intersections, each
lot easy of access. These avenues are
sixteen in number, and are appropriately and
prettily named, a number receiving their
appellations from the kind of trees skirting
their borders, and are as follows: Red Oak.
Walnut, Van Cleve, Ridge, Maple, North, West,
Cherry, Sycamore, Ash, Locust, Cottonwood,
South, Sassa-
Page 755 -
Page 756 -
Page 757 -
CALVARY
CEMETERY.
On the 9th of July, 1872, Calvary Cemetery
Association was organized, and the following
first Board of Trustees elected; Revs. J. F.
Habne, William M. Carey, F. J. Goetz
and H. Stuckenborg, for teh term of three
yeasr;s William Helfrich, N. Ohmer, John
Stephans and Henry Hilgefort, for two
years, and Robert Chambers, Severin Wiegert,
Theodore Barlow and Henry Schlaman,
for one year; Jacob Stephans, elected
Clerk. Soon after were purchased ninety
acres of ground two and a half miles south of
the city, and the name of Calvary Cemetery given
it. It is beautifully situated on the
bluffs of the Great Miami. It has been
regularly laid out into lots, and is dotted with
shrubbery. The cost of the ground was
$25,000. The following table shows the
number of interments thus far made in the
cemetery: July 1, 1874 to July 1, 1876,
91; July 1, 1876, to July 1, 1877, 151; ;July 1,
1877, to July 1, 1878, 175; July 1, 1878, to
July 1, 1879, 181; July 1, 1879, to July 1,
1880, 214; July 1, 1880, to July 1, 1881, 265;
July 1, 1881, to May 23, 1882, 270; total,
1,347. Of this number, 315 were removed
from St. Henry's Cemetery, and elsewhere.
The cemetery is exclusively a Catholic burying
ground.
Present officers are as follows: N. Ohmer,
Vice President; John H. finke, Secretary;
A. Froendhoff, Treasurer; William
Irvin, Superintendent.
Executive Committee - N. Ohmer, M. Walter, Henry
Hilgefort, S. Wiegert.
Trustees or Directors - Emanuel's Church, Michael
Walter and A. Froendhoff. St.
Joseph's Church, Rev. J. J. O'Donohue,
Nicholas Ohmer, James Hartnett. St.
Mary's Church, Rev. H. Stuckenborg, Severin
Wieget, Franz Thill. Holy Trinity
Church, Rev. T. J. Goetz, Henry Hilgefort,
Sebastian Demphle.
ST. HENRY'S
CEMETERY.
The first burying-ground of the Catholics
bore this name. In September, 1844, one-half of
what was known as Outlot No. 27, was purchased
by Archbishop Purcell of Thomas
Morrison, for $305. Mar. 2, 1853,
the south half of the same lot was purchased by
the same gentleman of E. W. Davies, for
$800. These two pieces of ground with,
perhaps, later additions, constitute St. Henry's
Cemetery. Interments were made therein
soon after the preparation of the ground for a
graveyard. It is like the other burying
grounds located south of the city, yet is within
the corporate limits. The grounds are
inclosed by a high board fence, and contain many
beautiful shade trees and evergreens, with
shrubbery. Few interments are now made in
it,
Page 758 -
as pretty much all of the space has been taken
up, and it is considered as abandoned.
HEBREW
CEMETERY.
DESCRIPTIVE
REVIEW OF THE CITY OF DAYTON.
This city, from its favorable location; its
advantageous surroundings; its commercial
facilities, natural and acquired; its business
opportunities; its manufactures; its solidity;
its advantages as a shipping and distributing
point; its wealth; the intelligence, culture,
taste, refinement and moral advancement of its
people; its public and private enterprise; its
excellent sanitary condition: its metropolitan
advantages in short, the thousand and one things
that tend to make a city a desirable place for
residence or for business, are beginning to
attract the attention of people from abroad, who
have learned of the place. As a result, a
tide of capital and business industry and
enterprise is gradually settling in this
direction, and which will assist very materially
in building up at this point a city destined at
no distant day to take a prominent place among
the important inland cities of America.
Dayton now numbers about forty thousand
inhabitants, comprised very largely of those
belonging to the working or industrial classes,
mechanics, tradesmen - the "sons of toil."
Dayton is essentially a busy city. There
are few drones residing here. That is to
say, there are few, indeed, who do not labor in
some useful sphere. There are, of course,
many men of wealth - capitalists - but they
generally are actively and busily engaged in
business. Perhaps no city in this country,
of the same size, can boast of its wealth being
so equally distributed among its citizens as is
the case in Dayton. Among all its wealthy
citizens, there is not a millionaire, and then
none in abject poverty. It has many
wealthy men, and but few really poor ones.
Page 759 -
Page 760 -
NEXT - BOOK
III |
