STRAUGHAN, John W. - M.D. - Putnam

John W. Straughan, M.D., the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, is the well-known practitioner of Brown Township. The evidence of Southern education so apparent in the courtesy shown by the Doctor to all with whom he has occasion to speak, is accounted for by the fact that he was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, The grandparents of our subject were John and Obedience (Scott) Straughan, both natives of Virginia. The father and two brothers of John were Revolutionary soldiers, and the brothers, going South with the army, it is supposed perished while fighting, as no tidings of them ever reached their kindred after their departure. The parents of our subject, Nathaniel S. and Mary (Brewer) Straughan, were both born in Shelby County, Kentucky, about the year 1810. Dr. John Straughan was born in the year 1831, and when about a year old his parents removed form Kentucky and located near Greencastle, Indiana, on a farm, where our subject grew to maturity. He received his education in the common schools, and after finishing his course accepted the position of teacher, which pursuit he followed until nineteen years old. His natural inclinations being toward a professional life, he resigned his position as a pedagogue and commenced the study of medicine. He read medicine for three years with Dr. William Mathews, one of the best-known practitioners in the State at that time. After completing his studies under Dr. Mathews, Dr. Straughan entered what was then known as the Indiana Central Medical College, where he remained during the winter of 1851-52. In the spring of the last-named year he located at Parkersburgh, where he practiced for one year. In the fall of 1853 he entered the New York University of Medicine, and afterward returned to Parkersburgh, in which vicinity he has since practiced, and is now known as the oldest practitioner doing work in the county. Dr. Straughan was married in 1853 to Sarah J., daughter of Robert T. Harrison, a native of Kentucky, who came to this county in an early day, and married Miss Melinda S. Parker, whose parents also rank among the old settlers of the State. Their family consisted of two daughters: the wife of our subject; and Rebecca, wife of Jasper Osborn, of Ladoga. The union of Dr. Straughan and his estimable wife has been blessed by the birth of three children: Robert A., a farmer; Dr. K. K., a sketch of whose life is given elsewhere in this volume; and Mary, the wife of Robert Williams. The family of our subject's father numbered four children, of whom he is the eldest. The others are Nancy, who married Wesley Dunlavey, of Putnam County, Indiana; Margaret, who married Thomas Phillips, of Bloomington, this State; and Mary C., who became the wife of Jacob Phillips. Dr. Straughan enjoys extensive practice, and has been a very successful physician. His career is one of honor to himself, and he is fortunate in the possession of a son of whose abilities fit him to follow in the footsteps of an eminent father. The professional career of Dr. Straughan was interrupted in the winter of 1881-1882, when he served as a member of the State Legislature. The Doctor has never branched out as a specialist, but has studied all diseases with which he has come in contact, and his successful record proves his efficiency. As a descendant of the old Revolutionary stock he is, of course, a stanch Republican, politically, and can be relied on for hearty support in the campaigns of his party. Socially, he is a Mason and Odd Fellow, standing high in both orders. He and his wife are noted for their broad intelligence and the liberality of their religious views. The cause of humanity being nearer their hearts than any creed, and the tenor of their lives illustrates their belief in the brotherhood of man.    --- kbz

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