In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1912) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902), History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912)
JEROME BLAND, M. D.
I here is no other profession in which greater responsibility rests than is peculiar to the medical profession. Upon the skill and fidelity of the physician depends life and death in great measure. No other professional man has greater opportunity to gain the confidence and esteem of his fellow man than has the physician. The public mind, nevertheless, is sharp and piercing in criticism; the sick, too, are susceptible to change of sentiment, easily discouraged, quick to make changes of mind, so that after all the physician has not only to battle with disease but also with ever-changing temper of mind and heart so manifest in mankind. And that physician who succeeds in the art of healing and establishes and long holds for himself high rank in his profession and in the esteem and confidence of his patients and fellow men deserves no little praise from the pen of the biographer.
Among skillful, successful and esteemed physicians of Ohio the subject of this sketch holds a conspicuous place. He was an Ohio farmer's son, and made school teaching a stepping-stone into the profession of medicine; began his professional career a poor man, and not under the most promising circumstances, but more than thirty years mark the span of a successful professional career lor him, and yet he is still active and promising of no limited years of usefulness in his profession.
Dr; Bland is a native of Ohio, born on a farm in Muskingum county, July 22, 1840, and spent the first twenty-three years of his life 011 the farm, where he was schooled in arduous labors of farm life, learningmost useful lessons of industry and perseverance that have characterized his life. His parents were Ebenezer and Harriet (Lane) Bland, and of their ten children, three daughters and seven sons, the Doctor was the eldest. The father was a native of Virginia, while the mother's native state was Maryland. John Bland, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came from Virginia to Ohio as early as 1798, and settled in Muskingum county. The land which he obtained by patent from the general government is still in possession of his descendants, which are numerous in Muskingum county. From sturdy ancestors our subject is descended, and his father and mother were possessed of many sterling qualities.
At the age of nineteen years Dr. Bland began teaching in the country schools of his native county, and, in all, he taught nine winter terms. In 1862 he became a student in Denison College at Granville, Ohio, where he remained till 1864, after which date he taught several terms of school.
Disposition of mind, that of a student, led him into preparation for professional life. Deciding upon the profession of medicine, he began, in 1864, the study of medicine, under the preceptorship of Dr. Joseph McCann, an old and successful practitioner of Irville, Ohio. Later he attended one term of lectures in the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, this state. He then began the practice of medicine at Hanover, also in this state, where he remained two years, and then returned to the Starling Medical College, where he graduated in 1869. He then came to Crawford county and located at Benton, now Poplar, where he continued in a most active and lucrative practice for fourteen years. During this time so large was his practice that he was "on the go" almost night and day. Xo other physician of the county ever had larger, if as large, a country practice as had Dr. Bland while he was located at Benton, from which place he came to Bucyrus in 1883, since when he has been numbered among the most active and successful physicians and surgeons of Bucyrus, enjoying a very large and lucrative practice. He is a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Society, of the Ohio State Medical Society and of the American Medical Association.
In politics the Doctor is a Democrat. He has served five years as county coroner and was a member of the pension board of examiners for four years under the second administration of Graver Cleveland. He also is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Masonic order, being a Knight Templar and also a "Shriner," holding membership in Alkoran Temple, at Cleveland.
He has considerable business interests, being the proprietor of the Knisely Springs stock farm, owning and breeding high-bred horses, his stock farm being noted for its high-class horses. On his farm are also most valuable mineral springs, the water from which constitute the product for the Knisely Mineral Springs Bottling Works.
In the mention of the Doctor's family history there is a peculiar item to record. He had two brothers, Charles and John Bland, who studied medicine under him, and both entered medical college and died of consumption during the last year of their studies in college, and both at the age of twenty-eight,, though their deaths occurred some eight years apart; and while a third brother died of consumption, his other brothers and himself are large and robust men.
In 1867 Dr. Bland married Lucy Coon, and they have had a son and two daughters. The son, whose name was Ebbie, died while in Cuba during the Spanish-American war, and his remains were brought back to this country and interred in Arlington cemetery, near Washington, D. C. He was a member of Company A, a company of Bucyrus soldiers. The daughters are Hattie, now Mrs. A. J. Yawger, of Bucyrus; and Alice, now in school.
Dr. Bland is in every sense of that over-used term a self-made man. Many have been his life struggles, but steadily he has worked his way up in his profession and business affairs. His success in life has been largely due to his fortitude of character, stern resolution and fidelity of purpose. Pleasant and agreeable in manner toward his fellow men, his friends are many and his name respected.
As printed in A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
JEROME BLAND, M. D., a well known and highly respected resident of Bucyrus, O., who is now living retired from the active practice of his profession, was born on a farm in Muskingum county, O., July 22, 1840. lie was the eldest of the family of ten children — three daughters and seven sons — of Ebenezer and Harriet (Lane) Bland. At an early day the Blands were prominent and representative people in the states of Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri, a conspicuous figure in the last named state being Congressman “Silver Dick” Bland.
John Bland, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native Virginian and of Virginian parentage. ' He came from his native state to Ohio as early as T79S, settling in Muskingum county, and the land which he obtained by patent from the general government is still in possession of his descendants, who are numerous in that county. The maiden name of his wife is not now recalled. They established a good homestead and both died at an advanced age.
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Jerome Bland, our direct subject, spent the first 24 years of his life on the farm, where lie learned most useful lessons of industry and perseverance, which have been characteristic of his entire career. At the age of 19 he began teaching in the country schools, and, in all, he taught nine winter terms. In 1862 he became a student in Denison College at Granville, O., where he remained until 1864, after which date he taught several terms of school. In 1864 he began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. Joseph McCann, of Irville, O. Later he attended one term of lectures in Starling Medical College, of Columbus, O. He then began the practice of his profession at Hanover, this state, where he remained two years. He then reentered Starling Medical College, where he graduated in 1869.
Settling in Crawford county, lie located at Benton, now Poplar, where he was engaged in a most active and lucrative practice for 14 years, being “on the go” almost day and night. No other physician of the county even had a larger, if as large a country practice as had Dr. Bland while he was located at Benton. From that place he came to Bucyrus in 1883, from which time until 1905, the year of his retirement, he was numbered among the most active and successful physicians and surgeons of the city. He gave up his practice only on account of extreme ill health, which unfitted him for the arduous labors of his profession, with its urgent calls at all hours of the day and night. As an item of family history, it may be mentioned that Dr. Bland had two brothers, Charles and John Bland, who studied medicine under him. Both entered medical college and died of consumption during the last year of their studies in college, and both at the age of 28, though their deaths occurred some eight years apart. A third brother of the Doctor’s also died of consumption, though his other brothers and himself were large and robust men.
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Dr. Bland stands high in the Masonic order. Besides holding membership not only in the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandery, but also in the Mystic Shrine, Scottish Rite (A1 Koran Temple), at Cleveland. He was a charter member and one of the organizers of the Elk lodge in Bucyrus and was voted a life member of that organization on Dec. 23, 1909.
Dr. Bland was married in 1867 to Miss Lucy Coon, who was born in Hanover, Licking county, O., Aug. 8, 1849, and who was there reared and educated. Her parents' were Israel and Maria (Edwards) Coon, both natives of Ohio, the father being of Pennsylvania parentage and the mother of Welsh ancestry. Mr. Coon was for many years proprietor of a hotel in Hanover, O., in which place he and his wife were married, and where lie died at the age of 59 years, llis wife had preceded him to the grave a few years previously leaving two children, one of whom, Israel, Jr., died when 16 years of age. The other, Mrs. Bland, still survives. She is a member of the M. E. church and is active in its good work.
Dr. and Mrs. Bland have been the parents of four children — Harriet Belle, Ebenezer, Charles, who died in infancy, and Alice Barbara, whose further record is briefly as follows: Harriet Belle was born in Benton, O.,
June 21, 1870. She was educated in the Bucyrus High School and was married in this city in 1893 to A. J. Yawgcr, who was born in Elmira, N. Y., of good parentage. May 26, 1866. He graduated from Cornell University w ith the degree of C. E. and later became a contractor on railroad and municipal engineering work in various parts of the United States, but his headquarters for some time have been at Indianapolis, Ind. He is a Mason. Mrs. Yawger is a member of the Methodist church. She is a lady of culture and refinement and of strong filial affection and resides with her parents in Bucyrus. She has no children.
Ebenezer, the Doctor’s second child, was a well educated young man. On the breaking out of the War with Spain, he joined Company A, Eighth Regiment O. V. I., as a private and accompanied his regiment to Cuba, where he died from cholera, July 11, 1898, when within a few days of being 24 years of age. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery, at Washington, D. C.
Alice Barbara Bland was born in Benton, O., Dec. 14, 1882. She graduated from Bucyrus High School and has since remained at home with her parents, to whom she is much attached. She is unmarried. She, like her married sister, is a member of the Methodist church.
As printed in History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Their biographies name Jerome Bland: Albert Frederick Messner
The printed record stops around 1902. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.