The following biographical
sketch of Harris E. Pattison appeared in "Counties of White & Pulaski,
Indiana, Historical and Biographical", Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co.
1883:
"H.E. PATTISON, M.D., was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio,
February 4, 1843. His parents, David and Olive (Mitchell)
Pattison, were natives respectively of New York and Massachusetts, were of
Scotch-English descent, and the parents of four children, of whom a son and
daughter are yet living. David Pattison, a farmer, is now residing with his
second wife, in knox County, Ohio, his first wife, the mother of our subject,
having died in August, 1881. Dr. Pattison was reared on his father's farm,
received a good school and academic education, and in 1860 began the study of
medicine at Mount Vernon in the office of Dr. William Hayes. While yet a student, he enlisted
in the summer of 1862, in Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, and immediately went to the front, assigned to the Army of
the Cumberland, first under Buell, and afterward under Rosecrans. He fought as
a private in the battles of Perryville and Stone River, and in several
skirmishes, and in the summer of 1863 was transferred to the medical
department. In 1864 he was made Assistant Surgeon, and put in charge of a field
hospital; in September, 1864, his term of enlistment expired; the winter of the
same year he attended medical lectures at Ann Arbor; the following winter he
attended the medical department of Wooster University at Cleveland, graduating
in March, 1866. The following two years, he practiced his profession at Mount
Liberty, Ohio, and the next two at Hopedale. In 1870, he came to Star City,
this county, where he practiced until 1875, and then came to Winamac, where he
has ever since been engaged in active practice. The Doctor is a Republican, a
Freemason and an Odd Fellow. In 1867, he married Miss Columbia Hayes, daughter of his preceptor, and to
this marriage have been born three children--Harry H., Frank H. (deceased) and William D."
Shortly before he died, the
following notice appeared in the Pulaski County (IN) Democrat, 20 Oct
1893:
"Dr. H.E. Pattison was
taken sick Sunday night or Monday morning with a stomach trouble, and is yet
very much out of shape. Mrs. Pattison has also been quite ill from a
complication of ailments, but she is now convalescent."
The following day, this item
appeared in The Democratic Journal, Winamac, IN, on 21 Oct 1893.
"Dr. H.E. Pattison fell
dead on the street Thursday night about nine o'clock. He had been suffering
with real and imaginary ills for a week or so past, and had on that evening
been taken out for a walk by John Scott and Jacob Farenbaugh. When near Mrs.
Gill's, in the northern part of town, he fell, and after one or two
convulsions, was dead. 'Tis very sad, indeed, and the doctor's family have the
sympathy of all. Dr. Pattison had been a resident of Winamac for many years,
and at one time had the best practice of any physician in the county. He was a
man of kindly disposition, liberal to a fault and devoted to his family. His
age was about 45 years (actually, he was 50). The doctor carried a $3,000
life insurance in the Royal Arcanum. Funeral service next Sunday
afternoon."
The Pulaski County
Democrat then printed the following curious story the next week, on 26 Oct
1893:
"Last Thursday night
about 9 o'clock, after all the Democrats were printed and some hundreds
of them mailed, occurred the death of Dr. H.E. Pattison, whose illness was
noted in that issue. As stated then, he had been taken sick early Monday
morning, with a severe stomach trouble. When that phase of the ailment passed off
it left him very delirious, with a desire to move about a good deal, and in an
effort to prevent the heart complications that would very likely follow any
endeavor to keep him quiet by force, the attendants in charge of him were
instructed to go with him and let him move about at will. At the time mentioned
he wanted to walk, and Jake Farenbaugh and John Scott, who were caring for him
that night, went with him. They went north on Monticello street, and when about
five blocks from the house the doctor suddenly sank down on the pavement unable
to proceed. A messenger was sent for the patient's son Will, who had been up almost constantly for nearly
ninety hours and was then asleep, and he in turn sent messengers for a carriage
and for Dr. Moss. He found his father barely alive when he reached him, and
death from heart failure came before the physician or carriage arrived. Telegrams
were sent to Lieut. Harry Pattison at Fort Reno, OK, and to deceased's
sister, Mrs. Lewis, in Georgia. The latter's health prevented her coming, but Harry arrived at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon, an hour
before the time set for his father's burial. The funeral is said by those who
have lived here many years to have been the largest ever seen in the county. The
doctor was a member of the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the Royal
Arcanum and the G.A.R. Over 200 of his brothers in the various orders were in
the procession, more than half of them being Masons, North Judson and Kwanna
Masonic lodges coming as lodges and many others of the order being present from
Star City, Francesville, Medaryville and Logansport. There were also many
Knights of Pythias present from the west side and from Logansport. The funeral
was in charge of Winamac Masonic lodge, and following the completion of its
ceremony at the grave the K. of P. burial service was also rendered. Dr.
Pattison had practiced medicine in this county nearly twenty-five years, and
was rightly considered among the best physicians of Northern Indiana. He was
one of those big hearted men who derived much pleasure from accommodations to
his friends, and the very large attendance at his funeral is a good criterion
of the universal kindly feeling entertained for him. His age was fifty years,
eight months and fifteen days. He leaves a widow, to whom he was married about
six months ago, two sons -- Harry and Will -- by his first wife, and a little daughter, Olive, by his second wife, who died just two years
ago."
Dr. Harris E. Pattison's
will is short and succinct. It is dated Dec. 30, 1891 and is filed in Winamac,
Pulaski, IN.
"I,
Harris E. Pattison, do make this my last Will and Testament:
Item one: I first desire that all my just debts be fully
paid.
Item two: I give and bequeath all my property both personal
and real and of all kinds whatsoever to my son William D. Pattison, to be his own property absolutely.
I do this, and make this my last will and request trusting to the honor and
integrity of my said son William D. Pattison that he will do what is just and
right toward my children Harry and Olive. And I believe that my son William D. will do toward them what is just, right and
honorable.
Item three: I hereby appont my son William D. Pattison and my friend B. Borders as
executors of this my last will and testament, especially directing that they be
not required to give any bond for the performance of their duty as such
executors.
In Witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and and (sic) seal this 30th day of
December A.D. 1891. (signed) Harris E. Pattison"