William Dougall

William Dougall, M. D., born at Paisley, Scotland, March 1, 1842, came to the United States with his father in 1858. Dr. Dougall was educated at the Glasgow High School, after the War of 1861-G5 attended the medical department of the Michigan University, and graduated from the Chicago Medical College, March 4, 1868. He enlisted in the Fifteenth Indiana Infantry June 1, 1861; served with that command until October 1, 1863. He was severely wounded at Stone river. In October, 1863, he was commissioned Captain of the Thirteenth United States Colored Infantry, served to the close of the War, and resigned in April, 1865. He entered on medical practice at Lemont, in 1868, and moved to Joliet in 1872. He was married October 1, 18T2, to Miss Cassie, daughter of Edwin Walker, of Lemont. John Dougall, the Doctor's father, died at New Haven, Indiana, where he settled in 1858, in

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As printed in Souvenir of settlement and progress of Will County, Ill. A review of the lives of our presidents, political, military and commercial history of the United States and of the state of Illinois ... Busin (1884). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM DOUGALL, M. D.

Dr. William Dougall, successfully engaged in the practice of medicine in Joliet, was born March 1, 1842, in Paisley, Eenfrewshire, Scotland. His father, John Dougall, was born December 10, 1799, in Fintry, Stirlingshire, Scotland. The family name is derived from Dugall or Dhughil, a son of Somerled, who died in 1164, and who was the founder of the clan of MacDougal. In 1230 A. D. the prior of Ardchattan was founded on the shores of Lock Etive, Scotland, by Duncan Dougal. The Dougalls were opposed to the claim o* Robert Bruce to the throne of Scotland. This hostility arose from the murder of John, the Red Comyn, rightful heir to the throne, who was father-in-law of Alexander Dougal, the head of the clan of Dugall or MacDugalls. In 1303 a battle took place at Dalriechin, Perthshire, where Bruce was defeated and narrowly escaped capture or death, as he was being pursued by three of the most determined MacDugalls. They caught him while he was wading a ford on the River Almond, and had not the brooch which fastened his plaid given way he would have been taken prisoner. The brooch is still in possession of the clan at Dunolly.

John Dougall, father of our subject, was a leading cotton spinner in west Scotland. In 1858 he came with the other members of his family to America, settling at New Haven, Allen county, Indiana, where lie died in 1874 at the age of seventy-five years. His wife, Margaret Houstoun, born January 1, 1801, in the town of Houstoun, Eenfrewshire, Scotland, was a descendant of Sir Patrick Houstoun, a French Huguenot. He left France about 1585 and built Houstoun Castle, Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. John Dougall had six sous and six daughters, and eleven of the number were living at the time of her golden wedding, in 1872. She survived her husband for about fourteen years, passing away June 17, 1888, in her eighty-eighth year.

Dr. Dougall pursued his early education in the common schools of Scotland and afterward attended, successively, the high school of Glasgow,, the University of Michigan and the Chicago Medical College. He pursued at various times literary, scientific and medical courses and was graduated in Chicago with the degree of M. D. in 1868. He was reared in a scientific atmosphere and manifested some leaning toward theology. He was passionately fond of a sailors life, however, and enjoyed such an experience for a short time when he was fifteen years of age. In 1858 he came to America with his father, who wished to retrieve his fortunes in the new world, and in Indiana Dr. Dougall aided in clearing timber land for farming. In May, 1858, he left school and made his way with his father to Fort Wayne, Indiana, after which the family home was established on a timbered farm near New Haven. He aided in the support of the family by clearing land and raising the crops of the farm and thus amid pioneer surroundings he developed a spirit of self-reliance and energy which have been of benefit to him in later years.

At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war, having been reared to believe in the cause of abolition, he offered his services to the government, enlisting in June, 1861, as a member of Company 0. Fifteenth Eegiment of Indiana Volunteers,, with the avowed purpose of aiding in making the whole country free. He participated in many important engagements, including the battle of Rich Mountain, West Virginia. July 11. 1861; Green Brier, West Virginia, October 3, 1861; Shiloh. Tennessee, April T, 1862: the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, from the 30th of April to the 30th of May of the same year; the battle of Munfordsville, Kentucky. September 14-21, 1862; Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862; Laverne, Tennessee. December 26, 1862; Stone River, Tennessee, December 31, 1862; Tullahoma, Tennessee, June 24- July 3, 1862; Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 8, 1862; Johnsonville, Tennessee, November 2-4. 1864; Nashville, December 15-16, 1864; and a number of skirmishes. He served successively as corporal, sergeant and first sergeant of Company C of the Fifteenth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry and was examined by the West Point officers and commissioned captain of the Thirteenth United States colored infantry in October,

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1864. His company carried the colors and lost seventeen killed and thirteen wounded out of a total of forty-three men. Captain Dougall was slightly wounded, but not disabled until the following day. He was severely wounded at the bat- He of Stone River, near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 31, 1862. He proved a brave and loyal officer, winning promotion in recognition of his capable and valorous service.

Returning to New Haven, Indiana, at the close of the war in 1865, Dr. Dougall, after providing for his father and mother, resumed the study of medicine and upon his graduation in 1868 located at Lemon t, Cook county, Illinois, where the summit level of the Illinois and Michigan canal was Deing deepened. Unassisted, he often performed surgical operations in the shanties of the laborers with good success.

On the ist of October, 1872, Dr. Dougall was united in marriage to Miss Cassie Walker, the eldest daughter of Edwin Walker, of Lemont, Illinois, and removed to their present residence, where they have since lived. The lady was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, and her father for many years operated extensive stone quarries in Will county. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Dougall have been born a daughter and son, Mary Clapham and William Houstoun. The former was married December 20, 1906, to Hon. Richard J. Barr. mayor of Joliet from 1905-1907, and senator of the forty-first district of Illinois since 1902, his incumbency to continue until 1910.

Dr. Dougall has also filled some positions of public trust. He was postmaster of Joliet from 1879 until 1883 and he is widely recognized as a stalwart and unfaltering republican. He served as chairman of Will county republican central committee from 1876 until 1879. inclusive, and was closely connected with General John A. Logan in his section for United States senator in the work which was carried on for that end from 1876 until 1878. He is also prominent in various organized societies of a fraternal, social and professional nature. On the 18th of October, 1865, he became a member of the Masonic fraternity and was commander of Joliet commandery, No. 4, K. T., in 1879 and 1880. In 1866 he joined the Grand Army of the Republic in Indiana and was commander of Bartleson post, No. 6, at Joliet, in 1890. He joined the military order of the Loyal Legion as a member of the commandery of Illinois, May 8, 1890. He was secretary and president of the Will County Medical Society, with which he has affiliated since 1875, and in 1877 he joined the Illinois Medical Society and the American Medical Association. Through these avenues as well as by extensive travel, reading and investigation, he keeps in touch with the modern trend of thought and experiment and advanced learning in the medical profession and is today recognized as one of the most able and learned physicians practicing in Joliet. Socially he is connected with the Joliet Commercial Club, which he joined in 1906, and he is a member and vestryman of Christ Episcopalian church at Joliet. A glance over his history will show that his life has been one of untiring activity and of consecutive progress. Endowed by nature with keen intellectual powers, he has so developed his talents as to grow in usefulness as well as in learning, and in a profession which many regard as the most important to which a man can give his energies he has made for himself a creditable name, gaining a goodly measure of professional and financial success.

As printed in Past and present of Will County, Illinois (1907). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.