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The fine doctor

Unique family grave plot in Tidioute Cemetery highlights the life of 19th century physician

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The Acomb family plot at the Tidioute Cemetery. The statue is of Dr. James Lafayette Acomb, a doctor with a lengthy career in Tidioute who died in 1902.

I wonder what the thought process is behind commissioning a life-size sculpture of yourself.

A while back I went to the Tidioute Catholic Cemetery for a photo that ran in our D-Day section.

I had never been so I took the opportunity to continue up the hill and check out the Tidioute Cemetery.

As with many cemeteries that date to the 19th century, it’s a fascinating place, a place where the story of the community manifests in granite, marble, birth dates and death dates.

While the Civil War memorial at the Tidioute Cemetery is the top eye-catcher (I’ll circle back to that in a few months), this statue is distinctly unique as well.

It’s not abnormal for a Civil War memorial to include a life-size sculpture of a soldier.

But it’s usually not based on the appearance of any specific individual.

The Acomb sculpture, though, certainly is.

So here’s what I learned about the man in stone – James Lafayette Acomb.

Acomb was born in 1828 in Yorkshire, England.

A brief biography can be found at pagenweb.org, as well as a copy of his obituary that was published in the Tidioute “The News.”

That biography notes that the Acomb settled in Geneva, New York in 1832 and that James’ father died just two years later in 1834 “leaving an invalid wife and four children” but that James’ mother, Elizabeth “by her own industry and economy maintained herself and four children until they were able to contribute to their own support.”

For James, the biography notes that he graduated from the Syracuse Medical College in 1853 and set up a practice in a couple of New York towns prior to spending a year at Pit Hole in Venango County and then a move to Tidioute where he developed a “large and remunerative practice in his profession” and also became involved in oil.

Grave records show that James, and his wife Seraph, knew their share of tragedy.

While the couple had six children, only two would live to reach adulthood. James died at the age of 10 in 1863, Oliver was born in 1856 and died in 1857 and a daughter, Sharon, died at the age of four in 1864. A fourth child, whose name is unclear, also died in childhood.

Two daughters – both of whom were college-educated (at Buchtel College, now known as Akron University) — lived to adulthood — Mary Knight who married a professor from the school and lived until 1930 and Lillian Hunter who lived until 1843.

Her husband was killed in a steamboat fire in Kentucky in 1902.

Lillian was featured in a 1914-1915 book, “Woman’s Who’s Who of America,” which states that she “carried on” her husband’s “business interests in the lumber, oil and banking business” and was “interested in education, social betterment and conditions of children and the helpless class.”

The book notes that she was a school director and for several years a “superintendent of scientific temperance instruction in the public schools of Warren Co.” She was involved heavily in the Daughters of the American Revolution among other social organizations.

His obituary — available at http://www.pagenweb.org/~warren/cemetery/tidioute-cem.html#acombjamesobit — notes that Acomb died on June 6, 1901, at the age of 73.

When Acomb moved to Tidioute “he at once took a prominent part in Boro affairs, being Burgess, Councilman, School Director, etc. at different periods.”

His obituary also offers some details into his business efforts.

Acomb “built up a large practice in the surrounding country, which he held until his disabilities incapacitated him from his country rides; enjoying a heavy trade in the drug store, which he still owned at the time of his death.”

His obituary also references his oil and gas efforts “in which he made money” and “joined Temple Lodge… advancing in the different masonic degrees to the 32nd” in addition to joining the International Order of Odd Fellows.

The most interesting element of the obituary, though, is a fair amount of discussion about Acomb’s personality.

“Dr. Acomb was a man of decided opinions on any subject, and never hesitated to express them when occasion required.

He was firm in his beliefs and followed them to a finality.

He was a good citizen and beneath (a) rough manner he carried a warm and confiding heart that ever stood ready to do its part in alleviating distress or misery, and at his funeral were gathered many who bore willing testimony to his worth.

His obituary notes that he was buried “under the shadow of a life-size statue of the Doctor erected by himself a number of years ago….”

Given that he was a doctor, it should come as no surprise that the cause of death was included in the obituary.

“The Doctor was sick only a little over a week, erysipelas developing and becoming complicated with heart trouble. A post mortem developed not only valvular heart trouble, but kidney trouble as well, and while the cause of his death was erysipelas, his other troubles prevented his recovery from the attack.”

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