b. 23 October 1822, d. 30 April 1903
Birth | 23 Oct 1822 | Dr. John Moffett was born on 23 Oct 1822 in Washington County, Virginia.2,3 |
Migration | | When John was about one year old, his parents left Virginia and migrated to Indiana. There they settled on an eighty acre tract of land north of the developing town of Rushville.4 |
Education | | John's childhood education was in the public schools of Rush County.5 |
Occupation | 1842 | He taught one term of school himself, after which he attended the Rushville Seminary for one year.5,2 |
Education | 14 May 1844 | Having made the decision to become a physican, he began study under Dr. William H. Martin on 14 May 1844 in Rushville.5,2 |
Education | 1849 | John entered the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati in October, 1846 and graduated with honors on March 4, 1849. Following graduation he interned in the Cincinnati College Hospital and served during the cholera outbreak of 1849.1,5,2 |
Cens-1850 | Sep 1850 | In April 1850 John returned to Rushville to begin his medical practice. He initally made his home with his mentor. Dr. William Martin and his family.2,6 |
Marriage | 8 May 1851 | He married Elizabeth J. A. Harris, daughter of Isaac Harris and Jane Anne Brierley, on 8 May 1851 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.2,5 |
| | John and Elizabeth established their own home in Rushville where over the next 10 years Elizabeth gave birth to 4 children; only 2 survived infancy. The couple also briefly provided a home for Elizabeth's brother Isaac who in 1861 married John's sister Mary Jane.7,8 |
Public Serv | | John helped organize the first medical society in the county and served as its secretary. He also belonged to the Indiana State Medical Society, serving as its acting president in 1864. John was a staunch supporter of the local community, serving as president of the town board from 1867 to 1877 and as chairman of the Rush County Democratic Central Committee for twenty years.5,9,10 |
Widowed | 12 Apr 1878 | John was widowed when Elizabeth died at age 57 in the spring of 1878. |
| | Following Elizabeth's death John accepted a faculty position at the Central College of Physicians at Indianapolis, chairing two departments (medicine and obstetrics) during his tenure. He authored several papers including one on cerebrospinal meningitis.2,10 |
Occupation | Apr 1886 | In April 1886 he was appointed United States Pension Examiner, a position that probably involved evaluating claims filed by Civil War veterans.5 |
Cens-1900 | 13 Jun 1900 | At the turn of the century John was enumerated living on Perkins Street in Rushville. His son William, who had married 4 years earlier, was also present as was William's wife, Meta.11 |
| | John was interested in the Moffett family history and recorded some of his observations and remembrances in several letters that were contributed to the archives of the Clan Moffat Society in the early 1900s. |
Death | 30 Apr 1903 | John died of erysipelas [an acute bacterial infection of the skin] on 30 Apr 1903 in Rushville, Rush County, Indiana, at age 80.3,2 |
Burial | 3 May 1903 | He was buried on 3 May 1903 at East Hill Cemetery in Rushville.2 |
Obituary | 4 May 1903 | John's lengthy obituary observed: "There was no one in the community more respected and loved than was this good physician."2 |