Daniel Millikin

As printed in 1905

DR. DANIEL MILLIKIN.

The first regular physician who practiced in Hamilton for a long time, and whose history was identified with it, was Dr. Daniel Millikin. Several of the other members of his family came here with him, or subsequently, and they and their descendants have maintained a distinguished position up to the present time.

Daniel Millikin was born on the lath day of February, 1779, on Ten-mile creek, in Washington county, Pennsylvania. The early incidents of his boyhood life are not known by any of his surviving descendants. Being the oldest child of James and Dolly (McFarland) Millikin, a young married couple, who had commenced their married life with the view of acquiring and improving a home under the inevitable trials and privations incident to living on the extreme western border of the settlements, and in a neighborhood sparsely populated, it is fair to presume that his services as a boy and young man were constantly required in assisting his parents. The history of all boys on the then western borders at that period will show that they had to perform much labor and to endure many privations.

The facilities afforded for obtaining even a very limited rudimental education were necessarily very meager. What progress he made we have no means of knowing. When, however, he had arrived to the age of eighteen, about 1797, his father and mother found themselves able to give their oldest son some respite from the labors of the farm to afford him an opportunity of acquiring a better education than he could obtain at home.

Accordingly, in fulfillment of their desires, the son was sent to Jefferson College, then located at Canonsburg, about six miles north of the town of Washington, in his native county. He remained there over a year, devoting part of his time to the languages, in view of reading medicine. Soon after leaving college he commenced the study of that profession under the care and instruction of Dr. John Bell, a prominent physician residing in Greensboro, Greene county.

After he had completed his studies under Dr. Bell, and was authorized to commence practice, he deemed it prudent to seek a wife. While residing at Greensboro he became acquainted with the family of Col. John - Minor, living near that place, and, in fulfillment of his purpose, he subsequently, on the 31st day of December, 1801, at the residence of her father, married Joan Minor. She was born where married, on the 22d day of September, J782, being at the time of her marriage a few weeks less than nineteen years old, while he lacked a few weeks of being twenty-two.

Immediately after his marriage Dr. Millikin commenced the practice of medicine, residing at his old home. The sparseness of the population and the general healthfulness of the neighborhood did not furnish a very encouraging prospect for a young physician. Besides the spirit of emigration was prevailing, and young men, especially those who were ambitious to improve their condition, were contemplating new homes in the farther West.

Strongly impressed with the prevailing conviction that “Westward the course of empire takes its way,” Dr. Millikin determined to investigate for himself, and, by personal observation, to see whether it would he wise to follow that course. Accordingly, in 1804, he came to Ohio, and visited the valley of the Miamis. As the result of his investigations, ultimately he and his two brothers — John H. Millikin and Samuel Millikin — on the 7th day of April, 1807, took their departure from their cherished home. The separation was an occasion of deep feeling with parents and sons. They, however, had made up their mind for the undertaking, and went forward. John H. Millikin and wife intended to locate in Knox county, Ohio. Samuel assisted his brother to drive his stock as far as Zanesville, and there they separated. Samuel continued his journey on horseback to Cincinnati, where he expected to meet his brother. Dr. Millikin, with his wife and three children, embarked on a flat-bottomed family Ixiat at Fredericktown, on the Monongahela, descending that river to Pittsburg, and thence going by the Ohio river to Cincinnati. After remaining there for a short time, he, with his family and his brother Samuel, took his departure for Hamilton, reaching it on the night of the 7th of May,

The first house he occupied was a story and a half hewed-log house situated on the precise spot now occupied by the paper mill of Snider Sons, on lot 160. During the ensuing fall and winter he built a two-store hewed-log house on the north end of lot 202, on Second street, north of Heaton street, to which house he removed in the early part of the summer of 1808. Afterwards he purchased lot No. 1 18, on the corner of High and Fourth streets, upon which he erected a frame house and into it he removed his family on the 18th day of September, 1819. He resided there for eighteen or twenty years, and afterwards he built a house on the north end of lot 155, on Third street, where he resided until within a few years of his death.

Dr. Millikin and wife had a large family. Their children were born as follows: Stephen Millikin, on the 2d day of January, 1803: John M. Millikin, on the lath day of October, 1804; Anna Millikin. on the 6th day of September, 1806; Thomas B. Millikin and James H. Millikin, on the 8th day of May. 1808; Anna Millikin, on the 5th day of March, 1811; Joan Millikin, on the loth day of May, 1813; Mary Millikin, on the 22d day of August, 1815; Daniel Millikin, on the 17th day of April, 1818; Jane Millikin, on the 22d day of September, 1819; James Millikin, on the 8th day of July, 1822; Otho W. Millikin, on the 22d day of January, 1826. The first three were born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and the others in Hamilton. Anna and James H. both died young and previous to the birth of others of like name. Nine of the foregoing arrived to lawful age, and were all married as follows: Stephen married Eleanor Ewing, April 17, 1823; John M. married Mary G. Hough, September 6, 1831; Thomas B. married Catherine Hough, November 10, 1831; Anna married Americus Symmes, February 21, 1832; Joan married Robert Kennedy, December 6, 1832; Mary married D. D. Conover, October 19, 1838: Daniel married Sarah J. Osborn, February 1, 1843; Jane married O. P. Line, April 25, 1843 Otho W. married Lida

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mrs. Joan Millikin had, for some years, been in feeble health, and died on the 28th day of September, 1830, being then only a few days past forty-eight years of age. Owing to the extremely severe hardships that Dr. Millikin had been compelled to endure in the very extensive and laborious practice of his profession, in the earlier years of his residence in Butler county, his stalwart frame was for years enfeebled by disease. For some time previous to his death he occasionally suffered severely from acute attacks, while his general health was seriously impaired. He finally departed this life on the 3d day of November, 1849, having attained the age of seventy years, eight months and twenty days, and after a residence in Butler county of forty-two years and nearly six months.

The professional career of Dr. Millikin was not only protracted, but it was excessively laborious and severe. There was no mode of conveyance save riding on horseback. Doctors had to ride in the intense hot sun and were exposed to the cold, the rain, and winter storms. The roads were frightfully bad for a large portion of the year. As there were but few physicians, Dr. Millikin had a wide range in his practice, not only visiting in all parts of the county, but receiving occasional calls from adjoining counties. The pressing demands that were made on physicians during the summer and fall months, for twenty-five or thirty years of Dr. Millikin’s professional life, can not be understood by those who did not live at the time referred to. Almost every household contained one or more patients needing medical treatment. Oftentimes the entire family would be prostrate with chills and fever, or with a most malignant case of bilious fever; so that there were not enough well persons in the family competent to answer the pressing calls of the sick. For continuous months the services of physicians were so much required that their average imperfect rest did not exceed four or five hours out of the twenty-four. It is marvelous that the excessive toil, great exposure, and deprivation of comfort and rest did not destroy the most robust constitution or impair the health of the most vigorous and enduring.

In the practice of his profession at the period referred to, Dr. Millikin was enabled to endure much hardship. He was of a cheerful, genial temperament, and submitted to the hardships and discomforts of his professional life with but little complaint. His services were inadequately compensated by those he served. The fees charged and collected were insufficient for the comfortable maintenance of a family. He was unselfish and liberal in his nature, and had apprehensions lest he might demand too much for his services, or call too soon for the miserable pittance that he had charged his patients. He married a second wife, by whom he had several children, the last surviving of whom — Samuel Millikin— died in 1895.

Outside of his professional life he had the confidence of the public, and occupied several honorable positions. He was in the war of 1812, in Colonel Mills's regiment, as surgeon, and, for a period, as quartermaster. He was a trustee of Miami University for many years; represented the county as a representative in the Ohio legislature in 1816; was major-general of the Third Division of Ohio militia, composed of Butler and Warren counties, and served for three terms as an associate judge of the court of common pleas.

As printed in Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio (1905). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.