Harriet R. 
pod Washington 
biography.... 
TWIT BUSHROD WASHINGTON JAMES, M.D. 
A BIOGRAPHY 
Compiled from the notes of Dr. James 
BY 
i HARRIET R. STAPLETON 
Printed for Private Distribution 
by 
THE PROVIDENT LIFE AND TRUST COMPANY 
OF PHILADELPHIA 
EXECUTOR 
AS DIRECTED BY THE WILL OF DR. JAMES 
1921 Bushrod Washington James, A.M., M.D., LL.D. 
BIOGRAPHICAL 
SKETCH CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER PAGE 
I. The James Family in America 5 
II. School Days 9 
III. Travels 11 
IV. Traits 15 
V. Writings 19 
VI. Professional Life 22 
VII. Decision upon Profession 25 
VIII. Sons of the Revolution 27 
IX. The Potts Family 30 
X. The James Family in Wales 34 
XI. Somerton 36 
XII. A Mason 38 
XIII. Founding of Hospital-His Death 40 Life is a round of battles, bravely fought, 
Or weakly lost for want of noble will, 
To meet each foe before the standard brought 
With weapons tempered with unerring skill. 
So strength to meet it must be bravely strong 
In eyes that quail not, hearts too bold to faint. 
"Life's Battles"- Bushrod W. James. CHAPTER I. 
WILLIAM PENN, founder of the State of Pennsylvania, 
came to this country in 1681. Every incoming vessel 
brought as passengers, converts to the new religious 
body called Quakers. Among those who came over in 1683, 
were David and Margaret James. They were friends of John 
Lloyd and probably came over in the vessel with that famous 
Friend. To show that David and Margaret James had left 
Wales and had come to this country solely on account of re- 
ligious persecution, a certificate to that effect was drawn up, and 
on the 5th month, 20th day, 1683, signed by John Lloyd, John 
Watson, Daniel Lewis, and several other important members 
of the faith. This certificate is on the records of the Haver- 
ford Monthly Meeting of Friends, Vol. I. p. 308. This was 
done owing to the fact that many who had suffered incarcera- 
tion for various reasons, fled to this settlement to find seclu- 
sion, and a chance for a new life in this peaceful Community. 
Owing to the historical value of the certificate it may not be 
amiss to quote it here:- 
Radnorshire at our Men's Meeting, the 20th day of the 
5th month, Anno Domini 1683. Whereas we understand 
that our dear friend David James and his wife Margaret, 
with his daughter Mary who have for several years past 
inhabited among us both in the parish of Llandegly and 
Glascum both in the county of Radnor, having now ar- 
rived in the eighth month, 1682, into the Province of Penn- 
sylvania, seeing he doth require a certificate from us his 
friends and former acquaintances we doe therefore certifie 
unto all whom it may concern that he hath been a man 
walking harmless and of good behavior, loving to his friends 
and having good report amongst his neighbors and so left a 
good Saviour behind with us.-And his dear wife Mar- 
garet hath owned the same truth these several years and 
hath walked orderly and in love among friends, and we 
doe further certifie that our friend David James did not 
transport himself and family into ye place aforesaid for 
any debt or debts to any person or persons, neither for any 
5 wrongful act or deed by him, his wife or child done or com- 
mitted against any person or persons whatsoever and to 
this testimony we put our names as followeth:- 
Owen Humphrey 
John James 
Daniel Lewis 
Nathan Woodliff 
David Meredith 
John Lloyd 
Edward Moore 
Richard Cook 
David Griffith 
Edward Jarman 
Rees Rees 
Roger Hughes 
John Roberts 
John Watson 
Before leaving their mother country these pioneers, David 
and Margaret James, purchased from William Penn a tract of 
land which they called Radnor after the county of Radnor from 
which they came. 
The history of the family does not mention definitely whether 
David James and his family came on the vessel with William 
Penn or on that in which Lloyd, the Deputy Governor, sailed. 
Considering their companionship in Wales it is very likely that 
David James and his family came over with the latter. They 
arrived in September, 1682. Research tells us that David, 
his wife Margaret, and a son Evan, who was born on the voy- 
age or immediately afterward, occupied a cave near a spring 
of clear water. This cave served as a home until a log house 
was constructed. 
In following the very limited history of this honest Quaker 
we are led to believe that he was purely an agriculturist who at- 
tended faithfully to his own affairs and left the more active 
parts of government and building towns to other hands. As in 
all the Colonies, the wife and daughter must have had many 
dangers to face while David and his farmhands worked on the 
estate. We do not know how long they lived, but the beauti- 
ful property called Radnor descended to Evan who was the only 
son of David James. Evan James married Margaret Jones of 
Tredyffryn, Chester County, on June 8, 1739. The quaint cer- 
tificate of their marriage is still preserved. 
At his death Evan bequeathed seventy-eight and three- 
fourths acres of land and the Mansion House to his son Griffith, 
who married Mary, a daughter of Jesse Gyger. Griffith and 
Mary James had five children. David James the eldest son, 
became an itinerant of the Methodist Church in 1799, and was 
ordained deacon by the venerable Bishop of Ardsbury on June 
6 3, 1801. David married Elizabeth Boehm. David and Eliza- 
beth James left the old homestead and settled permanently in 
Trenton, New Jersey. Isaac James, a younger son of Griffith 
James, on March 26, 1801, married Henrietta Potts, a daughter 
of Thomas Potts, the iron manufacturer whose works were at 
Manatawny, Pennsylvania. She was a granddaughter of Re- 
becca Grace, a woman made prominent as one of the first people 
in Pennsylvania to liberate slaves. This was a remarkable fact, 
for at that time slavery was not censured, even by the Quakers, 
all of whom afterwards gave freedom to their slaves. 
There is no positive record of when the James family forsook 
the Society of Friends, but Isaac James relates that his grand- 
father Evan James gave to the Methodist Society the plot of 
ground upon which the Radnor church was built. The deed of 
this gift is said to be in the possession of the family of Daniel 
Gyger. The deed is dated October, 1783. That the James 
family embraced the new religion became known before the 
building of the Radnor church, for Griffith James invited 
preachers of the Methodist faith to come to his house and 
preach. 
Isaac and Henrietta James gave to their nine children every 
advantage to be derived from a scholarly education. Two of 
the sons, Thomas and John, were scientists of considerable re- 
pute. David, the third son, was graduated from Jefferson Med- 
ical Institution in 1828, and practiced the system taught in that 
institution for fourteen years. Being of a thoughtful and in- 
vestigating turn of mind, and deeply interested in all material 
pertaining to his profession, when the writings of Hahnemann 
were promulgated, he gave them his undivided attention and 
study. After faithful and conscientious trial of the new sys- 
tem he adopted it. So much confidence had his patients in 
his ability that when he changed his manner of treating dis- 
ease nearly all of them retained him as their physician. About 
this time, his father, then a practicing physician, also examined, 
tested and accepted the system of Hahnemann, and thus 
father and son, became, as it were, pioneers in the Homoeo- 
pathic School. 
Dr. David James began practice as an associate of Dr. Worth- 
ington of Byberry Township. Upon the latter's retiring from 
active practice, Dr. James fell into his place without any trou- 
ble. Dr. James was a man of strong Christian character. His 
7 happy disposition brought cheer and hopefulness into many a 
sick room. He was quick in decision, keen to judge, and swift 
to act, while his natural generosity and kindness of heart made 
him beloved by all with whom he was associated either as 
churchman, friend or physician. His useful and beautifully 
blameless life ended in a painful illness that tried to the utmost 
his cheerful disposition; but in his suffering, he lost none of 
those qualities that made him so beloved, and his loss was 
keenly felt for a long time. Even now one hears remarks of 
affectionate remembrance by those who were privileged to 
know him. 
Doubtless it is to such strong members of the profession, that 
Hahnemann owed a very great deal of the rapid success of his 
new found faith. Both father and son not only practiced the 
new medical theory, but they endeavored to prove to others its 
intrinsic value. They continued the practice of Homoeopathy 
though they were subjected to much opposition and no little 
tormenting banter. To such a line of ancestors Bushrod Wash- 
ington Janies owed the traits so prominent in his character. 
Dr. David James married Amanda Worthington, the niece of 
Dr. Worthington with whom he commenced the practice of his 
profession. Owing to the fact that the doctor was a Methodist, 
and she a Hicksite Friend and that they were married by a 
Methodist minister, the young wife was dropped from the mem- 
bership of Quakers by marrying out of meeting. Nevertheless 
the union was a happy one. 
8 CHAPTER II. 
Bushrod Washington james, the second child and 
eldest son of David and Amanda James, was born August 
25, 1836, in the beautiful suburb of Somerton, which was, 
later on, incorporated in the city of Philadelphia. 
His earlier education was in charge of private teachers. The 
first real experience of school life began at an old Friends ' school 
taught by Miss Walton, a severe but highly educated lady. 
His next teacher was an elderly Scotchman, a graduate of Edin- 
burgh University, under whose care he received not only an ex- 
cellent English education, but a thorough knowledge of Latin. 
At this period of his life his education was interfered with by 
two accidents, which caused him to lose two years of study. 
Notwithstanding, at the age of fourteen his father entered him 
as a scholar in the Weccacoe Grammar school. At the end of 
five months he successfully passed the examinations and be- 
came a pupil of the Philadelphia Central High School, of which 
Prof. John S. Hart, L. L. D., the famous English scholar, was 
principal. It is interesting to note that another member of 
Dr. James's class was D. Ridgway Knight, the famous artist 
now living in France. At Bushrod's graduation his ability and 
application were rewarded by his receiving the degree of B. A., 
and later that of M. A., having completed the full classical 
course of that institution. 
During his earlier years Bushrod James was an almost con- 
stant. companion of his father. He went with him on his pro- 
fessional visits, and during these times talked earnestly about 
the profession of his father. Both father and grandfather 
were amused at the youthful earnestness and apt questions of 
this mere boy. But both became deeply interested at the ten- 
acity of the young student, as we may call him. At this time 
he displayed a rather peevish temper, caused, no doubt, by 
close application to study, and an ardent desire to make up for 
the two lost years of his school life. Those two years were not 
really lost however, for during that period, having time for 
more attention to his father's profession, he developed a strong 
9 liking for the profession of his relatives. Aided by his father 
and having inherited a natural aptitude for the medical pro- 
fession, he was graduated with honors from the Homoeopathic 
Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1857, with the degrees of 
M. D., and H. M. D. 
There has been some question why Bushrod should not have 
entered the University of Pennsylvania, as did his brother 
John Edwin, also a famous physician, but it is no mystery. 
As he was his father's associate, and had an excellent library 
at his command, and with two such instructors from youth 
as his father and grandfather were, it is no wonder that he 
entered the Homoeopathic Medical College. In order to per- 
fect himself in surgery Dr. James, as we may now speak of 
him, took an advanced course under the tuition of the renowned 
surgeon Dr. D. Hayes Agnew, at the Philadelphia School of 
Anatomy and Surgery. 
Thus at the age of twenty-one we find Bushrod W. James, M. 
D., located at Nineteenth and Wallace streets; having yielded 
to the desire of both mother and sister not to grow up with a 
western city. Immediately after graduating he was placed in 
charge of the Dispensary Department of the College. He was 
also elected attending physician in the Northern Home for 
Friendless Children. Although his increasing clientele made it 
a tax upon his time and energy he held the position for seven 
years. It was in this institution that he attained his first suc- 
cess in diseases of the eye. Two epidemics of Opthalmia gave 
him five hundred cases, and it was a great source of satisfaction 
to him to know that not one of these cases resulted in blindness, 
a result truly remarkable especially among the class of children 
likely to inhabit such a home. 
To secure for his son Bushrod every possible advantage, Dr. 
David James was careful that his instructors were men of great 
strength of character as well as classical attainments. Thus 
whatever education he received, whether classical or medical, 
was of the best. Under such care he naturally acquired purity 
of speech, and quickness and accuracy of reasoning. These 
with a remarkably retentive memory, and study of only the 
best in literature gave him a good foundation for writing. Is 
it any wonder that amid such surroundings, advantages, and 
an inherited talent Dr. James should have acquired so high a 
position in his profession? 
10 CHAPTER HI. 
HIS nature was always impressionable. When only seven- 
teen, his great desire to visit Niagara was gratified. 
When he first saw it, he was simply overwhelmed by its 
stupendous majesty. After looking on it for some time with 
reverent awe, when wandering over one of the smaller islands 
his foot slipped and it was only Providence that saved him 
from being hurled into the mass of seething waters below. 
Leaning against a railing he gazed with deep emotion into the 
terrible depths from which he had been saved. Many times 
after he looked upon Niagara, but never without a creepy 
feeling brought on by the remembrance of his first visit. Not- 
withstanding this experience and narrow escape from drowning, 
and of being on a vessel crippled by a frightful storm, Dr. James 
enjoyed to the fullest extent the beauties and grandeur of the 
ocean. 
He possessed a great longing for travel. He once said that 
his desire to see Rome the Eternal City, was so great, that he 
made up his mind to "save it as a dessert" to his first trip to 
Europe. He did so. Then having brought his visit to Rome 
in the unhealthy season, he contracted the Roman fever, and 
devoutly wished there had been no Rome. 
For many years, except for the usual summer vacation, Dr. 
James made no extended tour, being limited to Niagara, Long 
Branch, Cape May, Atlantic City, and other coast resorts 
within reasonable distance from his home. The opportunity to 
see the world in general opened for him when he was called upon 
to go as a delegate of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, 
of which he was a member, to the French Homoeopathic Med- 
ical Congress, which met in Paris in 1867. This gave him a 
glimpse of the old world, for after attending the meetings he 
made as much of his time as possible by touring through Eng- 
land and France. His great thirst for travel was largely grati- 
fied by these historic sights. But he was not yet ready to de- 
vote his spare time to trans-Atlantic travel, for he looked upon 
the, to him, unexplored wonders of his own country as the field 
11 for his first journeys. His next long vacation was spent in 
visiting California, and the wild and only just fully explored 
Yosemite Valley. The result of this last trip was a beautifully 
illustrated lecture, which was delivered before delighted and 
enthusiastic audiences. The description then given by the 
young physician showed that he had considerable talent for 
vividly describing nature. Desiring to see as much on his trips 
as possible, as his time was precious, he invariably went by one 
route and returned by another, thus accomplishing much in a 
short time. 
Another call to visit Europe came in 1881, when he attended 
the International Homoeopathic Convention and World's 
Homoeopathic Medical Congress held in London. After ac- 
complishing his professional duties as one of the Congress, he 
arranged to make a much more extended tour than he had on 
his previous visit in '67. He now visited Norway, Sweden, 
Finland, Russia, Turkey, Egypt and the Holy Land, besides 
making trips to Italy and Switzerland. In 1887, he again 
attended the Congress held at Basle, Switzerland, at which he 
read a paper which was received with decided approval. At 
this time he made a visit to the glaciers which make the Alps 
one of the wonders of the world. He again visited Paris, Lon- 
don, and other large cities of Europe. 
Being appointed to prepare a paper for the World's Congress, 
he again went to London in 1896. During this visit he spent 
much time searching through the haunts made delightful and 
familiar to the English reading world by the writings of Charles 
Dickens. At this time he traveled through Wales, and made 
exhaustive searches for traces of his Welsh ancestors. He 
found unmistakable traces of them in Radnorshire. This 
proved beyond doubt that the name of Radnor, Pa., was be- 
stowed by his great-great-grandfather when he took possession 
of his property under the title from William Penn. 
Between his visits to the other Continent he made several 
tours on this. The most important of these was the tour of 
the Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado, Arizona, New 
Mexico, Dakota, and also Alaska. Possessing the great art of 
being able to leave his cares at home, he devoted himself solely 
to the pleasures at hand. He made notes of his travels, which 
later on were embodied in lectures, essays, and a book on 
" Climates and Health Resorts. " Thus gradually he extended 
12 his tours all over this country and became perfectly familiar 
with the east, west, north and south. Dr. James said that the 
pictures of these places he visited were so indelibly printed on 
his mind, that like Wordsworth's Daffodils- 
"They flash upon that inward eye 
Which is the bliss of solitude." 
While on a visit to Italy it was his good fortune to see Vesu- 
vius in a state of activity. He climbed this famous volcano, at 
that time, and his clothes were burnt in spots, and his hat rid- 
dled as with shot by the falling cinders. The sight was most 
awe-inspiring and imposing. He climbed through biting cold to 
the very top of Etna, and from its lofty peak saw the sun rise 
from the beautiful blue sea beneath. He visited points in Pal- 
estine, rarely seen by tourists, tasted the water from the Dead 
Sea, and bathed in that holy stream the Jordan. During the 
absence of the Sultan he visited, in spite of all danger, the Pal- 
ace of the Sultan, and from its parapets gazed into the Bos- 
phorus into which the body of many a favorite beauty of the 
Harem has been flung. Thus in a few hours he walked the 
roads made holy by the feet of the Redeemer of the world, 
and trod the walks of one of the noble homes of the head of 
the Moslem nation. Still he found evil triumphant in glitter- 
ing wealth, and the good but holding a humble place among 
the haunts of men. 
Beautiful, scintillating Paris held him spell-bound with its 
art, its splendor, and effervescent merriment; while London, 
stolid, even in its most genial mood, attracted him with its 
strength, its grandeur, and its ancient dignity. In both he 
gazed below the surface and saw the wretchedness and vice 
that as yet the New World has never known. 
In Sweden he sat upon a towering slope and watched the de- 
clining sun wake into another day without waiting to rest, the 
only change from night to morning being a weird quivering half 
light in which all things were distinctly visible. There was a 
faint chill in the air, a strange uprising of the distant sea, and 
then the sun reappeared with new light and warmth. It is no 
wonder that there are legends and fairy tales innumerable in 
this mysterious "Land of the Midnight Sun." All the changes 
of nature, the beasts and birds of the forest, those of the sea, 
and the monuments to and of man's ingenuity were to him 
books to be studied thoroughly. 
13 Meet this traveler as your physician, his trained professional 
eye read your case as quickly as his ear caught your complaint. 
He prescribed and you had unbounded faith in the power of his 
medicine to cure your ills. But if you chanced to mention 
Alaska, Rome, or some other place, patients were for the time 
forgotten, and he became a fellow-traveler with you over these 
delightful regions. All at once his manner would become re- 
served and you would know you were dismissed,-not because 
he was tired talking, but because he remembered waiting pa- 
tients and professional duties. Ten chances to one, on your 
next visit, he would commence talking at the place where he left 
off, for these "snatches of recalled travels" as he called them 
were a great pleasure to the busy doctor as well as to his pa- 
tients. These travels meant much to him besides the love of 
travel, and he recommended wisely when he ordered as he did 
frequently, his patients to take a trip to a certain place as a 
veritable tonic. 
14 CHAPTER IV. 
PERHAPS one of the most prominent traits possessed by 
Dr. James was his keen observation, which when a boy, 
led him to evince a sometimes peculiar curiosity. He 
wished to know the cause which led to every effect. This trait 
was cultivated by his father, grandfather, and well selected 
preceptors, and made him a man whose judgment was trusted 
and whose word was relied upon without question. Profes- 
sionally he soon won a reputation seldom obtained by anyone 
so early in life. 
Another characteristic was to act quickly. This trait led him 
to arrive at conclusions with rapidity at the same time that his 
practical knowledge was guiding his decision. Thus his diag- 
nosis was quick and correct. Other very noticeable features of 
this physician were the winning gentleness of his manner to his 
patients, and his firm self-confidence. These were traits that 
made themselves felt with his patients whether little children 
or strong men, for all were of one opinion that they felt better 
after his visits. There is no doubt that education and culti- 
vation had done much to make this last trait so, but nature 
must be credited for the innate kindness of heart, the pleasant 
voice and friendly smile that always took courage and cheer 
into the sickroom, the home of the chronic invalid, or the hos- 
pital, where bright eyes watched eagerly for his coming. His 
delight was to treat poor little children from whom he could 
not expect anything beyond gratitude and affection. These 
he won in full measure from hundreds of little ones to whom 
he brought health and relief from suffering. Nurses have re- 
marked that restlessness and discontent vanished for awhile 
after he came in. 
It was a fact well known by all who had dealings with the 
doctor, that he had a strong tendency toward order and prompt- 
ness in performing duties. His faculty for attention to details 
was only equalled by his wish to have them performed at once. 
This gave him a somewhat nervous and sometimes irritable 
manner. But the moment he had given offence or required 
15 too much, his true kindness asserted itself and he was willing to 
excuse delay. 
Always a student, he found subject for study, not only in the 
human frame suffering from disease, but in the condition of 
affairs in his city or elsewhere. He was not a politician in the 
usual sense of the word, yet he studied the condition of affairs 
and was keenly alive to their betterment. Conservative to a 
degree, yet he fully advocated the right of women to vote. In 
his little book, "The Dawn of a New Era," he discussed the 
policies of the day, and plainly showed the beneficent influence 
that would follow the advent of women in politics. This little 
book met with great success and today should prove of great 
value to the community at large. 
Ambition was another strong point in Dr. James's character. 
In whatever he attempted he wished to excel. To the matter 
in hand he bent all his energies and let no fact escape him. 
This trait was brought to bear in his treatment of homeless or- 
phans as well as in his treatment of the loved children of rich 
households. No matter who the patient, what the disease, each 
obtained the benefit of his skill and experience. 
In one of his books he advises physicians to be friends as well 
as doctors to their patients-for by so doing they may trace not 
only the cause for some phases of disease, but give pleasure and 
help where medicine can not reach. He was warm-hearted 
to a marked degree, and was never too busy to think of 
another's comfort. Often when many patients were still 
waiting their turn in the reception room, and the doctor's 
carriage stood outside, be would send some home in it to save 
them a walk in the rain or cold. How keen an interest he took 
in the welfare of others, their pleasures or sorrows all being 
of interest to him, and he never refused aid when it was in his 
power to bestow it. His patients found in him a warm-hearted 
friend. More than once has he aided someone on his path 
to success and derived great pleasure in witnessing his 
achievements. 
Perhaps the most beautiful of all his characteristics was his 
great love for little children. The more pitiful and hopeless the 
case was, the more faithfully did he lend his aid for its relief. 
He gloried in restoring weaklings to strength, and in the success 
of curing eyes that were inflamed and dreadful to look upon, 
until they became clear with no disease to spoil their innocent 
16 childish beauty. Often their smiling gratitude was his only pay 
and gladly he received and enjoyed it. 
Rather than experiment upon his patients, he again and 
again tried drugs upon his own system before giving them to 
anyone. To this and to his peculiar powers as a professional, he 
attributed much of his success in raising the sick, and healing 
the injured. Extremely gentle in setting broken bones, he 
nevertheless regretted any pain that must of course be borne by 
the sufferers and was most patient and sympathetic with them. 
Notwithstanding the many sorrows that shadowed his life 
Dr. James had a cheerful disposition. In times even of deepest 
depression and anxiety, the presence of a truly jovial friend would 
cause his brow to clear and his laugh to ring out in almost boy- 
ish merriment. Fond of good jokes he was always ready to 
exchange them with his friends and laugh heartily over them. 
Dr. James showed his Quaker ancestry very strongly in his 
aversion to warfare. His great desire was to have perpetual 
peace overreach the whole earth. As he ministered to the 
wounded and dying on the fields of battle, his heart was sore 
with sorrow for those brave defenders of our nation's flag. So 
vivid was the memory of those awful days that he never re- 
called them without an expression of horror. Time and again 
he gave evidence of his abhorrence of bloodshed. Even po- 
litical battles, in which no blood was spilled, were to him not 
only unnecessary but decidedly detrimental to the national 
character. At one time when party contention seemed destined 
to destroy public harmony he wrote a telling little article called, 
"Let Us Reconcile," which was published in several daily pa- 
pers and read with great approval. This was followed by "A 
Song of Hope," which was set to music by Professor John 
Sweeny, who thought the song very beautiful. 
The exclusion of the Chinese annoyed him very much, as it 
appeared to him to be a menace to the peaceful relations exist- 
ing between the two great nations. He would permit their 
immigration, and trust to the example set by a Christian people 
to win them from idolatry. The purity of his own life actually 
seemed to blind him to the consequences of permitting such an 
element to contaminate our already perverted moral status. 
He saw the low ebb to which the public character had fallen 
and greatly desired to see it raised to a higher plane. In truth, 
if his ideas of reform were adopted and promulgated by a few as 
17 firmly fearless as himself, there could be no guess as to the suc- 
cess of such noble work. 
Doctor James's love of order showed itself in great as in small 
matters. Although carried to such a degree as to be somewhat 
trying it was of particular advantage to his patients. A care- 
fully kept record of each visit of a patient, the symptoms, and 
remedies prescribed, was on file in the doctor's office. Thus 
if necessary the constitution of an® of his patients from the 
first visit to him could be traced in a few minutes. The value 
of such an arrangement is too plain to need an explanation. 
Dr. James not only required this systematic arrangement from 
others, but was systematic himself to a remarkable degree. 
This clearly explains how he was enabled to accomplish so much. 
In response to a remark as to how he found time to do so many 
things, he said that he never wasted time. Even while going 
from one patient to another he either wrote notes, later to be 
used in his books, or read. This taking care of the minutes en- 
abled the doctor to accomplish as much as he did. 
It has been said by many that Dr. James was so dignified 
that people stood rather in awe of him. Be this as it may, those 
who were fortunate in knowing him well, can testify to his good 
nature and amiability. Little children were naturally attracted 
to him on account of his pleasant voice and manner. There 
were few, if any, children who did not respond to his genial man- 
ner and cheerfully permit him to examine them. 
All through his life Dr. James was always studying. Every- 
thing he saw had some great meaning to him. Nor was it alone 
the important points that impressed him. The sense of humor 
was strong in him. Thus the grandeur of seeing a thunder 
storm come up, while at the seashore, did not blind him to the 
humor of the situation. The great effort made by some to keep 
up their dignified manner, while at the same time fleeing in a 
most undignified way in their efforts to seek a place of shelter, 
was also a source of character study to him. 
18 CHAPTER V. 
DR. James's success as a physician and ability as a writer 
caused him to write the results of his experience for 
journals, magazines and societies. His classical edu- 
cation, observation, and experience served not only to make 
his articles acceptable but they were eagerly sought for by many 
who were attracted by their concise instructiveness. For seven- 
teen years he was Editor of the surgical department of the 
"American Observer," of Detroit, Michigan, and he continued 
five years longer with that journal as Editor of the Department 
of Sanitary Science. For a number of years he was business 
manager of "The Hahnemannian," a leading Homoeopathic 
medical journal, afterwards he was part owner, business mana- 
ger, and editor, until his professional duties forced him to give 
this up in 1887. 
Inclination to write was not confined alone to professional 
subjects. In his numerous and extensive travels, he made 
notes, and thus acquired material which, later on, he embodied 
in essays and lectures. These lectures he willingly delivered 
either for his friends or for charity. They embraced visits to 
California, the Yosemite Valley, Alaska, Mexico, Colorado, 
Yellowstone Park, and other places of equal interest. His exten- 
sive travels and keen observation led him to prepare a valuable 
work on American Health Resorts and Climates, which, having 
gone through one edition, was already revised for the second 
when his death occurred. Its value as a standard authority on 
the subject has been well recognized. Having by study and 
touring made a very close acquaintance with Alaska and its 
people, he published the myths and legends of that land in a 
book of poems called "Alaskana." It passed through three 
editions. Later on Dr. James wrote of the conditions and 
prospects of that country in a book entitled "Alaska, Its 
Neglected Past and Brilliant Future." 
When the Civil War was in progress, the news of the terrible 
battles caused the doctor to leave his patients and offer his ser- 
vices as volunteer surgeon at the front. His offer was accepted 
19 and he went at once to the scene of activity. Although he had 
sent a willing representative to the front, and had agreed to 
render professional services to any of his patients who enlisted 
in the army, he knew surgeons were needed, and hence his offer. 
He worked unceasingly on the battlefield of Antietam, and 
remained until completely exhausted and compelled to return 
home. Again, when the news of the terrible battle of Gettys- 
burg reached this city, Dr. James, fully realizing from past ex- 
perience the great need of surgeons at the front, went as 
quickly as possible to the scene. Both here and at Antietam 
he took quantities of hospital and sanitary stores with him. 
Some years after he wrote sketches of the battles in both prose 
and poetry and combined them with others on historical events 
in our country in a volume entitled "Echoes of Battles." In 
the preface to the latter he said, "I believe that the more fully 
we realize at what fearful cost the independence of the United 
States, and the preservation of the whole Union were attained, 
the more surely the American people will always protect the 
country from a recurrence of distrust and rebellion, and I 
sincerely hope that no battle cry will ever again resound in our 
Union, and that no misunderstanding will ever arise which a 
peaceful interchange of opinions may not rectify." 
With what vigor he describes battle scenes may be judged by 
the following: 
"Oh! the cries of the crushed were fearful: 
But the silence was worse by far, 
For each dead one would cause a heart break. 
Each absent would leave a scar! 
Blood wet was the field of carnage, 
Tear wet would be many a face, 
When the morrow had told the story 
Of this terrible battle place!" 
His novel, "A Political Freshman," was quite a new field of 
literature for the doctor to enter. But that he did it success- 
fully is attested to by the fact that copies of it are found in all 
libraries and those of private families throughout the country. 
His subject was so daring that he laughingly remarked that he 
could not find a publisher willing to risk its publication, so had 
to publish it himself. Many miscellaneous poems, essays, pa- 
pers on important medical subjects, and lectures show an enor- 
mous amount of work. This seems remarkable when it is a well 
20 known fact that he did not allow his literary work to interfere 
with his professional duties, ample proof that he was never 
idle a moment. Thus we find him a voluminous writer, a con- 
scientious instructor, and an eminent physician, respected and 
honored not only in his own school, but in the opposing school 
also, among whose members he had warm and lasting friendships. 
In addition to his degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of 
Medicine, the honorary degree of LL. D. was conferred upon 
him by a university in Tennessee in recognition of his valuable 
service rendered to the profession by his medical writings. This 
degree was conferred upon him but a few years before his death 
and it meant much to him to know that the efforts and devo- 
tion of a lifetime were so fittingly recognized. 
21 CHAPTER VI. 
IN the chapter on Dr. James's school life, was mentioned the 
fact that his graduation as a physician occurred in 1857. 
In that year a faithfully educated Homoeopath entered the 
arena. Then came character to support education. For, as 
to-day, Homoeopathy is still surrounded by enemies, one can 
judge that forty years ago the opposition was sufficiently strong 
to seriously annoy an older, let alone a young physician. 
It was even predicted by some that he would not always re- 
main staunch to the doctrine in which he was such a firm be- 
liever and which they thought was already trembling toward 
its downfall. That he remained firm to the doctrine of Hahne- 
mann even his least friendly associate in the profession would 
affirm. An experimentalist he never was, even from the first 
case that came under his care until his death. His rule from 
the commencement was to diagnose most carefully, and then 
to use the proper remedy, with whose action upon the system 
he was perfectly familiar. Always a student, his remedies were 
thoroughly tested before he tried them on his patients. He 
always knew exactly what he was doing, and with him there 
was no such thing as prescribing experimentally. As before 
noted, he was intrusted with the medical care of the inmates of 
the Northern Home for Friendless Children. Dr. James did 
not look upon this as a great field for experiment. He toiled 
as earnestly to restore health to the little waifs as he did to his 
more fortunate patients. By so doing he was, unconsciously, 
building a firm, solid foundation for his profession. 
While in charge of this institution a disease of the eye, known 
as ophthalmia, became epidemic. He followed the disease with 
great care and had the extreme satisfaction of curing in that 
Home alone, five hundred cases in the two or three years that 
it raged as an epidemic. Not one patient in his charge lost his 
sight; a record considered by all in the profession as truly re- 
markable. Not alone were the care and intelligence strongly 
marked in his cases, but also the integrity of the man,who 
worked with the same unbounded determination among those 
22 children to whom he could look for neither fame nor fortune. 
This integrity was the keynote of his character in every case. 
He did what he, an educated and experienced Homoeopath, 
should. He knew the right and stood by it, and never once 
swerved from the teachings of its founder. So his companions 
in the profession found him loyal to the core, and the school 
must stand firmer for the years of skill not only of this great 
physician but of others of the same belief. 
That his opinion was favorably regarded, is proved by the long 
list of his professional writings, which were not only accepted 
and published but were in many instances used as text books 
to prove the truth of the doctrines of Hahnemann. For a 
number of years his articles appeared in all the prominent pro- 
fessional literature. As a member of the American Institute 
of Homoeopathy, he held a prominent position, and was Presi- 
dent of the association for a time. He was also President of the 
Pennsylvania State Medical Society, and was called upon from 
time to time to write for the medical societies of other states. 
For several years Dr. James was Professor of Physiology and 
Climatology and Sanitary Science in the Women's Department 
of the University of the State of New York. He held the po- 
sition of President of Hahnemann Club of Philadelphia; and of 
the Children's Homoeopathic Hospital of which he was one of 
the most active founders. He was an honorary member of the 
New York State Medical Society and of the British Homoeo- 
pathic Medical Society of England. An active member of the 
World's Congress of Homoeopathic Physicians, an institution 
that he was influential in founding during the Centennial held 
in Philadelphia, 1876, he attended its meetings in Europe as 
well as in his own country, and his papers always met with ap- 
preciation and success. 
As a consulting physician he had an enviable reputation both 
in private practice and in the Hahnemann Hospital, the Chil- 
dren's Homoeopathic Hospital, and other prominent institutions. 
From the day of his graduation, this thorough Homoeopath 
had risen step by step until at the close of his career he had 
reached the top round of the ladder, and could look back with 
a pardonable pride at a career unsullied by a single fall from the 
principles in which he had been instructed, and to which his 
ever widening experience was constantly adding irrefutable 
proofs, as he won fame and honor in their practice. He had 
23 many friends among the still dominant school who testified to 
his ability as a successful physician, and who willingly grasped 
his hand in fraternal friendship, though they were not yet will- 
ing to accept the doctrines to which he was such a strong ad- 
herent. 
Dr. James often recounted endless amusing episodes that oc- 
curred in his practice,-one being especially so, it does not seem 
out of place to relate it here. Early one morning he found a 
lady and her maid, in his reception room, in great distress. The 
latter said she had swallowed her set of false teeth. Conse- 
quently she was suffering great pain. On examining her mouth 
he found that the plate must have been two by two and a half 
inches, an object entirely too large to slip down any human 
throat. This he stated. But the poor girl was positive that 
she had a severe pain at the lower end of the stomach, in fact 
she could feel the hard substance that was causing the trouble. 
After many suggestions that she might have absentmindedly 
put them in some unusual place, the doctor told her to go 
home and make one more thorough search and then return. 
This she did. The doctor then went on with his office work, 
wondering what to do in case she failed to find the missing 
teeth. The sufferer was determined on an operation, so afraid 
was she of death, while the doctor knew she had never swallowed 
them. Suddenly in she walked, her face beaming with happi- 
ness. "I have found them, Doctor." "Did you vomit them 
up?" he asked soberly. At this she blushed and said, "No, no, 
I just shook the blanket and out they tumbled on the floor." 
All knew Dr. James's aversion to dogs, which was caused 
no doubt by the fact that he was badly bitten when quite a boy. 
To protect himself he always carried a heavy cane. But one 
evening his fear gave rise to a good laugh when an Irishman who 
saw him getting out of the way of a suspicious looking object, 
laughingly exclaimed, "Its a quare place where they let the 
dogs go loose and tie the stones! " 
24 CHAPTER VII. 
A FEW pages of notes left by Dr. Janies so well explain 
how he decided upon his profession that they are re- 
produced here:- 
"It is doubtful if one ever arrives at a sudden conclusion re- 
garding any important event in his life. Even to his inmost 
consciousness he may appear to do so, but somewhere in the 
course of years he has received a first impression upon which his 
ultimate decision has been founded. An infant's brain, with 
all its innocent uncomprehension, is permanently influenced by 
its environments, though in subsequent years they be greatly 
altered. Involuntarily the tiny convolutions accept impres- 
sions as the invisible film upon the photographer's plate re- 
ceives and retains the pictures that are focused upon it. At 
first comes the bright daguerreotype with its faithful similitude 
clear and plain. It may be but a line of sunlight in which iri- 
descent particles float illusively and tempt the baby hands to 
grasp and grasp again, only to find disappointment in every 
trial. But futile as the efforts appear, some of those micro- 
scopic atoms cling to the small, moist palms, perhaps, alas, to 
bring the little one disease and suffering. So that first bright 
ray of light remains impressed upon the memory forming a nu- 
cleus from which springs his comprehension of daylight and 
then of the contrast between day and night. Like the 
evanescent daguerreotype, the picture of that first sun- 
beam will fade until it becomes less than a memory, but 
the impressionable brain has received an impetus to the intel- 
lect that thereafter grows and develops with marvelous rapid- 
ity. In this, then, is the question answered referring to my 
selecting the medical profession. 
"I was reared to it, though without positive intentions. My 
father was honest in his permission that I should choose for my- 
self the career which I intended to follow. But he had settled 
the matter irrevocably for me long before I had any thought 
about it. Perhaps it was nothing but parental fondness that 
made me his companion in many a round of visits; perhaps it 
25 was to give me pleasure, or more probable still, I was taken in 
the hope that the air, while driving through the country and 
among the villages, would entertain and strengthen me while 
convalescing after the serious illness which apparently deprived 
me of two years of valuable scholastic time. But to-day I 
doubt if there was any actual loss to my intellect in that period. 
True the regular routine of school life was interrupted, but at 
every turn I was becoming more deeply imbued with the desire 
to emulate my father and grandfather in their profession. I 
was literally fed upon Homoeopathy because it was at that time 
still young in America, and these two conscientious students 
were tireless in discussions upon its progress and its future 
grand success. I heard of the controversies regarding the 
"small dose," and time after time its success was joyfully an- 
nounced in my hearing. Not yet in actual training, I was being 
firmly grounded in the school; my education going on consist- 
ently and my impressions taken from incontrovertible facts 
from lips that I knew would not detract the smallest iota from 
the truth, the proof of which they were daily and hourly search- 
ing for with tireless zeal. Before my matriculation as a med- 
ical student I had received incalculable aid, perhaps the great- 
est being the unalterable conviction that I was treading the 
right path toward ministering to suffering humanity. My 
collegiate course, then, was simply the continuation of a deeply 
founded education and I would have been less than faithful if I 
had not followed it through conscientiously and carefully. 
Thus, with Homoeopathy inculcated until it became a part of 
myself, studied honestly and at last understood as clearly as 
it is possible for limited human intellect to comprehend, I 
started into the world one of a few who had never stepped 
aside from the faithful and almost inspired teaching of Hahne- 
mann." 
26 CHAPTER VIII. 
IN 1894 Dr. Janies, having concluded to thoroughly investi- 
gate his right to become a member of the Sons of the 
Revolution of Pennsylvania, made a visit to Pottsgrove 
Township, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania. He first went to 
Pottstown, a quaint little city living much to itself though so 
closely connected by railroad and business operations with 
the larger adjacent cities. Having made a tour of this town 
in years gone by, he found nothing new to interest him. He 
then took a train for Colebrookdale, the Colonial estate and 
residence of the Potts family. At this place nearly all the 
important figures in this part of the doctor's ancestry were born, 
and he was curious to see the neighborhood. He stopped at 
Glasgow and paid a visit to a friend named Richard Baily, or 
Bailey, whose wife, Catinka Myhlertz, he had known previous 
to her marriage. 
Mr. Baily took a great interest in the doctor's plans to in- 
vestigate his family history, and after showing him through his 
own foundry and rolling mill, and making him acquainted with 
the summer residence of Comly Shoemaker, another descendant 
of the early Quaker settlers, he took the doctor to the spot upon 
which the old house of Colonel Thomas Potts, Dr. James' great 
grandfather, once stood. Having made a tour of Glasgow, Dr. 
James took a carriage and drove up Manatawny Creek, upon 
which the town is built. He continued along this creek for 
about three miles to the residence of an aunt. But he found the 
house closed and the family away. The house is an old- 
fashioned mansion, built of stone quarried from the neighboring 
hills. He then drove slowly onward and came to old Pine 
Forge, once busy with raging fires and thronged with brawny, 
strong-limbed workmen. The forge stands a short distance 
from the house on the creek, but it is now entirely forsaken, ex- 
cept that it serves as a refuge for old hay wagons, dilapidated 
farm vehicles and long-ago antiquated machinery, parts of 
which lie rusting in confused heaps. The roof, once covered 
with shingles, was nearly all hidden under a rich growth of vel- 
27 vety moss. Here and there a solitary weather-beaten shingle 
peeped up from its luxuriant green covering. The window 
frames were nearly all demolished, the panes of glass broken and 
the fragments glittered here and there among the rubbish of the 
still firm walls. A few, great, spotted buttonwood trees stood 
guard over the forsaken building. 
In striking contrast to this sorrowful picture, a fine new grist 
mill hummed busily as the foaming waters dashed against and 
over the great wheel, and tumbled over its paddles in bois- 
terous haste. With a mingling of regret and admiration chan- 
ging the expression of his features as thoughts came and went, 
the descendant of the men who once, and for ages, made this lo- 
cality famous, looked at the beautiful surrounding country, the 
silent forge and the bustling mill. The contrast between the 
productions of the two buildings was not greater than their ap- 
pearance. The old forge once turned out great bars of iron amid 
smoke, black dust, and flashing sparks. The new one was 
white with the dust of grains, and the drops of water sparkled 
as brightly as the roaring fire. Business, all of it, and all of it 
brought gold to the owner's coffers. 
He, the man whose name is famous through still another 
course of human intelligence, stood long, and his mind went 
back to the times when the forge turned iron into gold to 
help his Revolutionary ancestors to fight the cause of freedom. 
Even on the spot upon which he stood there may have been 
bitter contention between the enemies of liberty and the brave 
men who were willing to fight and, if need be, die for that inesti 
mable blessing they had won. The spectator's heart swelled 
at the thought that more than one of his ancestry had risked 
fortune and life in that long and well-fought struggle. One 
had given time, talent, and experience as a physician among the 
poor, distressed and half-starved soldiers, whose pitiable condi- 
tion at once aroused the pity of Steuben and others who came to 
their assistance. Involuntarily he straightened himself and 
raised his head higher when he thought of the surprise that 
awaited them when Washington called upon these patriots to 
rise once more against the enemy. Bleeding feet and emaci- 
ated bodies were so full of patriotic fire that they were trans- 
formed. It was a heroic and unconquerable host that left Val- 
ley Forge and marched to victory. Dr. James said he could 
almost hear the shouts of joy that greeted their return. With- 
28 out doubt Dr. James could be excused for feeling elated when he 
thought that he had followed the footsteps of his great-grand- 
uncle, Johnathan Potts, M. D., when he toiled to repair the 
ravages of war among the soldiers who suffered more than death on 
the battlefields of Antietam and Gettysburg. If a slight doubt 
as to his eligibility to become a member of the society men- 
tioned, had lingered in his mind, it was swept away. For he 
knew the patriotism, which was a conspicuous part of his na- 
ture, came down through a direct channel from his great-grand- 
father Colonel Thomas Potts, the friend and trusted officer of 
Washington, the entertainer of the wife of the great Comman- 
der-in-chief, who whenever she could, would come to share the 
hospitality that flowed without stint in the Potts mansion. 
One cannot help but wonder if every one bears such clear cre- 
dentials to the right of membership in the society as did Bush- 
rod Washington James. 
29 CHAPTER IX. 
THOMAS POTTS, called Junior, because he was named for 
an uncle of the same name, was the son of John Potts and 
was born in Wales in 1630. The family moved to Penn- 
sylvania when he was quite young. Although from Wales, they 
became members of the German colony which settled German- 
town. When about nineteen years of age he married Martha 
Keurlis, daughter of Peter Keurlis, one of the first large land 
holders in Philadelphia. The marriage took place August 20, 
1699. Some little confusion surrounds this history because in 
one or two places the name Keurlis was spelled Courlin. Posi- 
tive proof has been found however, that they were one and the 
same name. Mistakes of that kind were of common occurrence 
in those days, owing to the change taking place in the blending 
of the German and English languages. 
Thomas Potts spoke the German language as fluently as he 
did his own tongue. From the first he displayed great business 
talent, buying and selling real estate, before he reached his ma- 
jority. In 1702 he was appointed sheriff of the Corporation of 
Germantown. He was then but little over twenty-two years 
of age. His election was no doubt due to the fact that he was 
perfectly familiar with both the German and English languages, 
a very essential point in a colony composed of people of both 
nationalities. Perhaps the fact that he was connected with one 
of the best families in the town also had some effect on his se- 
lection to the post. 
In 1716, after the death of Martha Potts, her husband left 
Germantown for the iron region of Manatawny, from which iron 
was sent to England as early as 1717. In 1718, Thomas Potts 
re-married. His second wife was Magdalen Robeson, whose 
grand-father, Israel Robeson, was one of the early Swedish set- 
tlers in New Jersey; and was one of William Penn's counselors. 
Thomas Potts by both marriages thus connected himself with 
two very important colonial families. This with his great 
business abilities made him a conspicuous character. He was 
associated in the iron business with Thomas Rutter. At the 
death of Mr. Rutter, Thomas Potts purchased much land from 
30 the heirs. On the land thus acquired, he built the Potts home- 
stead, called Popodickon. The children of the second wife of 
Thomas Potts and their descendants for years afterwards lived 
in this old Colonial mansion, as all residences of any pretension 
were then called. Thomas Potts at the same time became the 
chief owner of the iron works In 1732 when Benjamin Franklin 
organized the Philadelphia Library Company, Thomas Potts 
became one of the first subscribers. In 1752 Thomas Potts 
died. His sons continued the iron business. 
John Potts, the son of Thomas and his first wife Martha, was 
the founder of the town called Pottstown. There are records 
showing that he purchased nine hundred and forty nine acres 
of land and laid a town out after the fashion of Germantown. 
The stone buildings erected for himself and sons still stand, 
though they have been altered from time to time by the occu- 
pants. The family mansion occupied a fine situation, slightly 
westward from the town. At that time this handsome stone 
mansion was one of the most attractive features of the town. 
It still stands a mute but eloquent monument to the thrift and 
enterprise of the new residents of Pennsylvania. John Potts 
was a justice, an honored member of society, an intimate 
friend of Franklin. He was also one of the most successful 
and wealthy men of his times. John Potts sided with the 
Tories. This fact caused a coolness with the rest of the family, 
for after the Declaration of Peace he did not take up his former 
life at Pottstown, but went west where he died on June 6, 1768. 
Among the iron forges founded by this family, the one from 
which Valley Forge received its name came into the possession 
of Isaac, the seventh son of John Potts, by purchase, it having 
been willed to his brothers Samuel and John. It was the house 
of Isaac Potts, which is still standing, which was Martha Wash- 
ington 's home during her visits to General George Washington, 
while the American army was quartered at Valley Forge during 
the dreadful winter of 1777-1778. The General refused the 
hospitality, preferring to share the same lot that his faithful 
men were enduring with such fortitude. Some of the events 
of this trying season are graphically described by Dr. James in 
his Echoes of Battles. 
Johnathan Potts was a physician of considerable note, but 
died at the early age of thirty-six. John, the third son of John 
Potts, was highly educated. He practiced law and conducted 
an iron furnace in connection with his brother Samue . But 
31 when he thought that the Cause of Independence was lost, he 
turned traitor, and his property was attached. His brother 
Johnathan bought the greater part of the estate. 
Thomas, the eldest son, is the one most closely connected 
with this sketch. He was born in the mansion Popodickon, 
on May 29, 1735. When quite young he devoted himself to the 
iron business. He was the first of the family to establish a reg- 
ular store for the sale of the output of the mines and forges of 
his native district. In 1757 he married his cousin Anna Nutt, 
who by the death of her father and grand-father became heir to 
a large estate. The estate included forges established by them 
and bearing the name of Samuel Nutt. Later Thomas Potts 
bought from his mother-in-law, Rebecca (Savage) and her 
second husband Robert Grace, all their interests in the iron 
district named Coventry. Finding that his business war- 
ranted the extravagance, as it was then considered, of a city 
residence during the winter months, he made his home on 
Front Street, Philadelphia. This neighborhood was at that 
time a very fashionable part of the town. Together with 
prominent business capacities, Thomas Potts was an educated 
gentleman, interested in all important projects of that time. 
He was one of the original members of the American Philo- 
sophical Society, which was established in 1758, with Benjamin 
Franklin as its president. 
Thomas Potts took possession of the house at Pottsgrove, 
and during the Revolutionary War he lived in it. It is a well 
known fact that General Washington made so many visits to 
the place, that it became known by the name of Washington's 
Headquarters. Many important letters were sent from this 
old mansion and it is positively known that at least one im- 
portant meeting of the Commander-in-chief and his staff was 
held in its large rooms. The leaning toward the Royalists as 
shown by his brother John Potts was in no manner shared by 
Thomas. Upon the breaking out of hostilities, Thomas joined 
with the side of the patriots. He belonged to the Assembly 
of Philadelphia in 1775, and took an active part in every en- 
terprise for the safety of his country. In 1776 he was appointed 
a captain in one of the Continental regiments. Seeing the 
great need of soldiers, he recruited a battalion, armed and 
equipped it at his own expense. For this act of loyalty Congress 
commissioned him as Colonel. 
32 Colonel Thomas Potts was a member from Philadelphia to 
the Convention which met in the old State House on July 6, 
1776. The object of this Convention was to form a new 
government for the now united Colonies. All through these 
stirring times Thomas Potts and his family aided the great 
cause of liberty in every way possible. And like many others, 
these patriots sought neither pension nor office as a return for 
the great sums of money and the care thus spent. Colonel 
Potts died in Philadelphia on March 22, 1785. 
Many claims have been set forth as to the discovery of the 
great veins of anthracite coal, but the greatest claim seems to be 
in favor of Thomas Potts as the discoverer. After the close of 
the Revolution Thomas Potts, while hunting in the Tuscarora 
Mountains, stopped beside Norwegian Creek, to get a drink of 
its cool waters. While leaning over he noticed at the bottom a 
number of very black stones. He took one, examined it and 
decided that it was coal. He took some home and tried it in 
the forge; and thus found it to be real coal, although of a differ- 
ent quality from the English product. Thomas Potts and seven 
other men located the coal beds, purchased the land and com- 
menced operations. This is a mere outline of the early history 
of the commencement of an industry which now supplies the 
greater part of the coal used in the country. 
Henrietta, the youngest daughter of "this family, married 
Isaac James of Radnor, Chester Co., on March 26, 1801. Isaac 
James took charge of his father's farm lands, because of the 
latter's old age. Later on he gave up farming and studied med- 
icine in the University of Pennsylvania, in the New York Uni- 
versity and later on in Columbia College, New York, from 
which he received the degree of medical doctor. About 1820 
he took his family to Trenton where he practiced medicine for 
some time. He afterwards moved to Philadelphia and practiced 
medicine for a few years and then returned*to the homestead at 
Radnor. His wife died in April 1832. He then sold the family 
estate, went to reside in Bucks County, and here married a 
second time. The second wife was Huldah Wetherill. 
This chapter shows the relation existing between the Potts 
family and the James family. Thus it is readily seen how Dr. 
Bushrod Washington Janies came to be named after Bushrod 
Washington, brother of General George Washington, an inti- 
mate friend of the Potts family. 
33 CHAPTER X. 
THE same spirit which led Dr. James to visit the homes of 
his ancestors on the side of the Potts family, led him to 
visit Wales in pursuit of the history of the James family. 
Here he followed every clue that came to his notice, and was 
rewarded with ample proof that his ancestor, David James, did 
live in both Glascum and Llandegley. In documents which he 
read here, he discovered various records pertaining to several 
members of the James family. He went to old Radnor, and 
found a quaint old village, whose chief attraction seemed to be 
St. Stephen's church, a building constructed of stone, with a 
lofty spire and massive embattlements. The tower contains 
a clock and chimes, numbering six bells. The baptismal font 
is large and rudely constructed. It is regarded as one of the 
oldest, if not the oldest, relic of early Christianity in Wales. The 
church is one of the earliest British churches. The remains of 
Sir George Lewis, Chancellor of the Excheqeur, repose in this 
ancient church, the register of which dates back to 1682. 
The view of old Radnor is pastorally beautiful with its cul- 
tivated valley and rich verdant slope. There is a peculiar 
peacefulness about the valley with its old church and its quaint 
old-fashioned people. Some of the houses are so old that their 
roofs are moss-grown, and their residents are consistently 
equipped, both morally and physically. The town was once 
totally destroyed during war time and has never been entirely 
restored. The land is owned by gentlemen, Sir Herbert Lewis 
being the chief owner. The people live principally by agri- 
culture, although the soil is gravelly to a great extent. The 
peaceful valley with the Radnor Forest Mountains a short 
distance away and a waterfall dashing down a mass of rock 
and earth 70 feet high, form a picture that left an indelible 
impression on the brain of the busy physician. He could readily 
understand what a trial it was to these simple-minded people, 
to be restrained from worshiping God in the manner deemed 
by them as most appropriate. How utterly their trials must 
have overcome them, when, rather than submit to dictation 
34 both in their spiritual and in their secular lives, they left their 
beloved mother-country, and sought a home in a new country 
that was filled with many dangers. 
Looking from the old Radnor in Wales to the new Radnor in 
Pennsylvania, one can easily see how the peaceful undulating 
country comforted the weary eyes of the heart-sore pilgrims. 
True, their first homes were really caves in the hill-sides. But 
here they could meet and worship in their unique way with no 
one to interfere, no soldiery to break in upon them, no king's 
mandate to threaten their lives. Thanks to the gracious deal- 
ings of William Penn, the very savages, of whom they might 
reasonably have been afraid, did not molest them. In truth, 
here in the woods of a new country, among savage Indians and 
wild animals, they were more free from being molested than in 
their own peaceful native villages. Many times, no doubt, 
their hearts went back with painful longing to their homes and 
friends. But with deeper and more enduring love they clung 
together to the spot that gave them peace and prosperity 
35 CHAPTER XI. 
IN 1892 Dr. James learned that his cousin Morris Worth- 
ington had sold the old homestead at Somerton. He felt 
that the best relics that he could preserve from the place 
of his birth could be most pleasantly obtained with his camera. 
Thus he could collect pictures of the different points which he 
wished to obtain. He also wanted to visit the nooks and cor- 
ners, the streams and springs, the woodlands and rolling mead- 
ows, the fruit and forest trees of the present and compare them 
with those that were the haunts of his boyhood days. Those 
days lived in his memory although he had not been able to visit 
the scenes because of his busy life. So, with his camera slung 
over his shoulder, he set out on his tour of inspection. 
Many a time he had rushed past the place on the express trains 
to and from New York, as his duties as Professor of Physi- 
ology called him there during the three years of duty in the 
Women's Hospital College of the University of New York. 
But on these flying visits he had not been able to note the im- 
provements that had been made in that place which was long 
ago included in the twenty-third ward of Philadelphia. 
Leaving the railroad station, he stood long and looked at the 
altered surroundings, thinking how narrow was the limit now 
in comparison with the ideas of his childhood days. Alas! 
We all know that the high hill which was the delight of many a 
childhood hour, seems but a slight elevation of ground when 
we reach maturity. Dr. James started along a road leading 
into the woods immediately adjoining those which were once 
the property of his father. All along the road on both sides he 
found beautiful summer residences. Near by ran a murmur- 
ing stream, fed by a not far distant spring. Entering the woods 
he followed the 'Tittle river" and recognized many of the 
stately trees which were the saplings of his boyhood days. 
There also he saw the decaying trunks of some of the giant 
trees which had been his great delight to climb. The nut trees 
recalled vividly to his memory nutting frolics with his brothers, 
sisters and playmates. As he stood gazing upon the scene, 
he thought after all that there was a greater change in him than 
in his surroundings. He thought of those same companions 
36 and wondered if they had been with him that day, whether they 
would have scrambled with delight and eaten with greedy appe- 
tites the unseasoned nuts. Instead, he thought, they would 
stand under the rattling shower of burs and nuts and perhaps 
not dare to eat a tempting morsel for fear of indigestion. Here 
too, were great ropes of the wild grape vines twisting and climb- 
ing as when he was a boy. The old ones were dead he knew, 
but the new ones nobly performed the same task, although to 
him the difference was great. He heard in his mind the 
sound of childish talk and laughter that would ring through the 
woods in a short time. For soon the great clusters would be 
fully ripe and he longed to be a witness to the jolly scene. 
Wandering on he found some old trees that he knew well. 
As he leaned against those giant oaks, they seemed like old 
friends standing there to bid him welcome, and also to remind 
him of the days when he climbed high among their branches, 
in order to have a fine view of the surrounding country. 
Still further onward he reached the spring that had been so 
carefully walled up by his father's directions. Beside it was a 
glass, from which he drank again and again, of the crystal pure 
water that bubbled up in bright abundance, at the foot of the 
hill and over-flowed the spring. The water was just as pure 
and sweet as it was in his youth, and just as refreshing as on 
those hot summer days of yore, when, tired out with play, he 
would lie down under the spreading foliage and drink eagerly 
of the cool, sparkling beverage. He stooped and picked some 
minerals from the brook, lifted some lovely, green moss from 
its stony bed, purloined a beautiful, red-streaked water turtle 
from its home near the spring, plucked a few wild plants to 
carry to his city yard, and then with the falling leaves crackling 
under his feet and whispering of by-gone days, he turned to 
the road once more. 
Thoughtfully he journeyed onward, looking on the familiar 
landmarks, and taking pictures of them, but realizing all the 
while, that while in many respects they were as in childhood, 
yet all were different. Thus recalling T. B. Read's- 
Between broad fields of wheat and corn 
Is the lowly home where I was born. 
The peach tree leans against the wall, 
The wood-bine wanders over all. 
There is the shaded doorway still, 
But a stranger's foot has cross'd the sill. 
37 CHAPTER XII. 
DR. JAMES was a member of the Masonic Order, having 
passed through all the chairs of the Perkin's Lodge of 
Pennsylvania, and was therefore Past Master of that 
Lodge. He was also a member of the Grand Lodge of Penn- 
sylvania, and held the post of Chairman of the Masonic 
Veteran Association of Philadelphia. This association enter- 
tained the Masonic Veteran Association of New York. At 
that time there was a fine collation served and the speech 
making, toasts and general conversation were very consistent 
with the dignity of the members who, having attained their 
majority in Masonry, had arrived at the gracious dignity 
of veterans. Dr. James delivered the welcoming address, 
which in a few words expressed the fraternal fellowship and 
genial hospitality of brother and friend to the honored guests. 
When time permitted and the subject was agreeable, Dr. James 
was a brilliant speaker and aroused enthusiasm in his audience. 
At this time he was particularly pleased that he was the one to 
greet and welcome the New York Association, who had ex- 
tended graceful courtesy to the Association of Philadelphia on 
a previous occasion. He was therefore in the mood to be most 
hearty. Having laid business cares aside he was the devoted 
entertainer, though he by no means asserted himself before 
brethren who were equally delighted to have such guests. 
Dr. James was a member of Columbia H. R. A. Chapter and 
of the Corinthian Chasseur Commandery of Philadelphia. 
This Commandery makes a fine appearance when on parade, 
and Dr. James on such occasions proved himself to be a fine 
horseman. 
In addition to belonging to the various Masonic Orders, Dr. 
James was a member of the Sons of the Revolution, Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania, American Academy of Political and 
Social Science, American Association for the Advancement 
of Science, American Public Health Association, Academy of 
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute, His- 
torical and Ethnological Society, Sitka, Alaska; the Union 
38 League, Phila., The Horticultural Society, Anglers' Associ- 
ation, Society of American Authors, The Spring Garden In- 
stitute, Young Men's Christian Association, and many others. 
From the above list one may well judge of the varied inter- 
ests of this prominent physician and author. For a period of 
thirty-five years he was a trustee of the Spring Garden Insti- 
tute, whose welfare and interests were very dear to him. 
39 CHAPTER XIII. 
IN one of the earlier chapters, mention was made of Dr. 
James's wonderfully successful treatment while physician 
in the Northern Home for Friendless Children, of a disease 
of the eye, known to the medical profession as Opthalmia. 
Feeling intense sympathy for all those suffering from any cause 
whatever, he had, perhaps, the greatest amount of sympathy 
for those afflicted with diseases of the eye. This was caused, no 
doubt, by the fact that he most fully realized what a terrible 
loss those suffered who were so afflicted. 
Recognizing the great need of a suitable place where phy- 
sicians of his school could send their patients who stood in need 
of surgical or special treatment, which can only be secured in 
hospitals, Dr. James established a private hospital in his own 
home on Green Street for their use. The demands made upon 
the necessarily limited space were so great that he secured the 
large double house next his own and thus enlarged the facili- 
ties. When, however, the Homoeopaths founded more and 
larger hospitals, his own was used almost exclusively by his own 
patients. 
In his professional work Dr. James came in contact with 
many who were suffering with diseases of the eye, many of whom 
were so situated that they could not be properly treated at home 
and could not afford to go to hospitals for relief. Time and again 
he took them to his own hospital and here they received the 
same careful attention as those who paid for his services. In 
many cases, the doctor found that even after he had treated 
them and given them prescriptions for their glasses, they were 
unable to pay for the latter. Here again his kindness and gen- 
erosity were shown for he paid for having the prescriptions filled 
out of his own pocket. 
These acts of his soon became known and many a sufferer went 
to him for relief. We all know that the cost of glasses is no 
small item and certainly to those whose earnings are small the 
necessary sum of money is very great. The constantly increas- 
ing appeal for such deserving help became so great, that Dr. 
James interested some of his wealthy patients in this cause and 
thus secured additional funds. But even this proved in time 
insufficient for the increased demands. It was then that the 
40 idea of conducting a clinic for eye and ear diseases in his hospi- 
tal was formed. 
As soon as the necessary arrangements could be made, the 
clinics were held every Thursday and Saturday afternoon in the 
Bushrod James Ear and Eye Institute. Here, aided by a corps 
of physicians who were making such diseases their special 
study, thousands of cases were treated. When the need for 
treatment in the hospital presented itself, the sufferer was 
admitted without pay. The question of how to provide the 
money for glasses for those who could not even afford to pay a 
small sum toward them, resulted in the establishing of a Clinic 
Auxiliary. This Auxiliary was composed of ladies who were 
patients of Dr. James. Their object was to provide the money 
with which to purchase glasses when needed. 
Busy as the doctor was these clinics always found him ready. 
One day a friend remarked to Dr. James that he wondered how 
he could stand this extra work. "Work?" the doctor said, "I 
call it a pleasure. You don't know how thankful I feel when 
a grateful patient, after wearing a pair of glasses for the first 
time, says to me, 'Why doctor I never knew before how 
beautiful the sky looked on a star-lit night.'" 
A boy of about thirteen years of age was hit in the eye, 
causing serious injury. The parents took their child to phy- 
sicians for treatment. At last they were told that their son 
would not only lose the sight in that eye but in course of a 
few years the other eye would become afflicted through sym- 
pathy, and total blindness result. The parents, naturally, 
were almost frantic with grief. They were poor and there was 
no one to support the boy when he grew up. Dr. James heard 
of the case through a patient, and sent word to the parents to 
bring the child to him. They did so. After months of per- 
sonal care and attention the parents were told that, unless there 
were another accident, the injured eye would remain as it was, 
and the well eye be normal. Imagine the thankfulness of those 
people and what gratitude they expressed when the doctor re- 
fused any money, remarking that he was only too glad to be of 
help to the boy. That boy is a man today holding his own in 
the great army of wage earners. 
What a source of pleasure it must be for a man to look back 
over such a record of usefulness to mankind. As in every char- 
ity there are found ungrateful recipients, so it was in this clinic. 
Time and again people who had been benefited by the most del- 
41 icate operations and careful treatment, accepted all as a matter 
of course and never once said even, " Thank you, " to any of the 
physicians to whom they owed their restored or benefited vision. 
Such instances are known to all whose work is among mankind. 
Dr. James often spoke of these clinic patients as his children 
and he said that they were very near and dear to him. Shortly 
before his death he commenced alterations on the house at the 
southeast corner of Eighteenth and Mt. Vernon Streets, fitting 
it up as a hospital for private patients. The building then in 
use, on Green Street, for that purpose, was to be used for clinic 
cases and a room was to be set apart on the first floor, for a 
Children's Library, thus hoping to give pleasure to those who 
came to the clinics. This great charitable work was interrupted 
for a time by his death. But the good work is to be continued, 
for by his will his estate was given to the City of Philadelphia, 
in trust, for the maintenance of these institutions. The Provi- 
dent Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia was made ex- 
ecutor of his estate. The city has accepted this gift and the 
noble work established by Dr. James will be resumed. 
During the summer preceding his death, Dr. James went for a 
rest to York Harbor, Maine, and other New England resorts. 
While here he contracted a severe cold, and, owing to a sys- 
tem run down by over work, the cold grew worse and pneu- 
monia developed. He rallied and as soon as he could be safely 
moved he was brought home. Instead of taking the needed 
rest he so often prescribed for others, he returned to his duties 
sooner than was expedient. The early winter was a trying one, 
and unable to stand the strain, he collapsed and was compelled 
to remain in his room. In spite of all the remedies known to 
skilled physicians, and careful nursing he grew gradually 
weaker, and on the fifth of January, 1903, he quietly sank to 
his eternal rest. 
The funeral took place on the Saturday following. Promi- 
nent men from near and far, as well as those of lesser fame at- 
tended the ceremonies on that day. Followed by a host of 
those who desired to honor his memory, his body was placed in 
its resting place in Monument Cemetery. Here the impressive 
rites of the Masonic Order of which he was so loyal a member 
took place. 
The marble monument marking his grave, bears underneath 
his name, the brief but appropriate inscription- 
Physician, Author, Philanthropist. 
42