Bounell - Matthew H.
MATTHEW H. BOUNELL
Source: Zach, Karen Bazzani. Montgomery Medicine Men .... Crawfordsville: Montgomery County Historical Society, 2002.
Matthew H. Bounell was born on a farm in Butler County, Ohio NOv 12, 1822 and when six years old, walked with his father, Matthew, and mother, Ruth Florerer, behind a large wagon drawn by four yoke of oxen to a farm in the wilds of Clinton County, Indiana. Dr. Bounell loved to tell the story that they passed by only two hours after leaving Indianapolis. He received a crude education in a log schoolhouse, then furthered his studies at what is now DePauw University. In 1846, he took the medical course at Rush Medical College in Chicago. He first went to practice in Lebanon, but relocated to Alamo for a short time where he was in partnership with his cousin, Dr. Thomas Florer. Next, he moved to Yountsville where he owned a lucrative practice for about 10 years,. At the beginning of the Civil War, he again began practicing at Lebanon where he stayed until enlisting into Co. G., 16th Indiana Infantry. He began as Captain and obtained the rank of Major SUrgeon, 102nd Regiment. He acted as post surgeon at Tazewell, Tennessee. He was acting surgeon at the battle of BLue Springs and Walker's Ford. Upon his return to civilian life, he went back to Lebanon. The farm, which he dearly loved, was in Harrison Township, Clinton County. He was an untiring student and kept in touch with the advancements in his profession. In September 1844, he had married Mary "Louisa," daughter of David and Elizabeth (Clark) Kilgore. They had one daughter, India and a son, Thomas (named of course in honor of Dr. Florer) who also became a doctor. Louisa died in 1862. In 1864, Dr. Bounnell married Elizabeth Heath whose father, Joshua was a prominent merchant in Lafayette. Their two sons, Harry and Guy, also followed in their father's footsteps and went into the medical world. Bounell was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. One of his last thoughts was for him and his famiy to receive the sacrament together, the evening before he died on March 23, 1896.
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Source: Family history files; obituaries of the time; Boone/Clinton Co. History, A W Bowen, February, 1895, pp. 217-218; Dyer's Compendium...
Dr. Matthew Hugh Bounell, one of nine children, was born on a farm in Butler County, Ohio, November 12, 1822 and was six years old when brought by his parents, Mathew and Ruth (Florer) Bounel, to Indiana. His early education was acquired in the old fashioned log school. Later he attended school at Frankfort for a limited period and for one year pursued his studies at Ashbury University, Greencastle, Indiana. After learning the cobbler's trade, he decided to adopt the medical profession for his life work; after some preliminary study he entered the Rush Medical college at Chicago, and in 1847 embarked upon his professional career at Lebanon, where he soon built up a large practice, which, owning to the poverty of the majority of the people, was not very remunerative. In 1851 he located at Yountsville, Montgomery county, where he practiced successfully for ten years, in the meantime doing work in the Rush Medical college, from which he was graduated the following year. While in Yountsville, it was reported that his home was a station in the underground railway. In 1861 he returned to Lebanon and resumed the practice and was thus engaged until 1863, at which time he raised Company G, 116th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, being elected and commissioned Captain when the company was organized. Later he was made major surgeon of the regiment and for some time acted as post surgeon at Tazewell, Tennessee and was also, for a limited period, surgeon of the brigade. Dyer's Compendium of the War of the Rebellion reports the history of the regiment:
Organized at Lafayette, Ind. and mustered in for 6 months' service August 17, 1863. Moved to Dearborn, Mich. August 31, and guard arsenal till September 16. Moved to Nicholasville, Ky., September 16. Attached to Mahan's 1st Brigade, Willcox's Left Wing Forces, Dept. of the Ohio, to January 1864. District of the Clinch, Dept. of the Ohio, to February, 1864. Service - march from Nicholasville, Ky. to Cumberland Gap September 24-October 3, 1863 and to Morristown October 6-8. Action at Blue Springs October 10. March to Greenville and duty there till November 6; thence march to Bull's Gap and across Clinch Mountain to Clinch River November-December. Action at Walker's Ford, Clinch River, December 2. Duty at Tazwell, Maynardsville and in East Tennessee till February 1864. Action at Tazwell January 24. Mustered out February 29 to March 2, 1864. On return home he again resumed the practice of medicine in Lebanon, which was continued until 1872, when he moved to his farm not far from Lebanon. He again moved to Lebanon about March, 1895 and continued his practice.
On September 19,1844 Dr. Bounell married Mary Louisa Kilgore, daughter of David Kilgore, one of the pioneers of Clinton county. They had two children - Thomas Aaron, a physician practicing in New Brunswick, Indiana, and India J., a registered nurse. Dr. Bounell's wife Mary Louisa died in 1862. In 1863 Dr. Bounnel married Elizabeth Heath, daughter of Joshua Heath, a prominent merchant of Lafayette. They had two surviving children at the time of his death - Dr. Harry Matthew, a physician practicing in Waynetown, Indiana, and Emory Guy, a physician practicing in Indianapolis. A third child, William Heath, died November 2, 1866 at age 1 month 9 days.
Dr. Bounell died March 23, 1896 at Lebanon. He was a member of the Methodist Church, one of the oldest Masons in the state, was a member of Boone County Medical Fraternity. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Lebanon.
Note: This biography submitted by Harry L. Bounell, Rosebriar@earthlink.net