"COUNTIES OF MORGAN, MONROE & BROWN, INDIANA. HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL."
CHARLES BLANCHARD, EDITOR. CHICAGO: F. A. BATTEY & CO. PUBLISHERS. 1884.
F. A. BATTEY. F. W. TEPPLE
BROWN TOWNSHIP AND MOORESVILLE
PAGE 233
BENJAMIN HENRY PERCE, M.D., prominent physician and surgeon of Mooresville,
Ind., is eldest of five children of Prosper and Mary O. (Robinson) Perce,
natives of New York and New Hampshire, and of English and Scotch-Irish
extraction respectively, was born in St. Joseph County, Mich., June 27,
1838. His father having died in 1854, leaving the family in somewhat
straitened circumstances, the subject of this sketch was thrown early in
life upon his own resources. He had acquired some knowledge of sign writing
and ornamental painting, and did considerable work in that line, by which he
accumulated a small sum of money, the most of which he liberally gave to his
mother and young sister, and with $3 in his pocket and his extra wearing
apparel rolled up in an old silk handkerchief, young Perce left the place of
his nativity, and took up his marching search of a livelihood. Trudging
onward, stopping occasionally to saw wood for bread, he arrive finally at
the crossing of the New Albany & L. S. R. R. Footsore, tired, hungry and
discouraged, he thrust his cane into the sand and allowed its falling to
decide the course of his further travel. It bent its head to the south, and
in the year 1857, after sleeping in fence corners and feasting off dry
crackers alone as sable night spread her wings over hill and dale, our
subject landed at Greencastle, Ind., the sole possessor of but 25 cents. He
retired without supper and began work before breakfast, so that when dinner
arrived--a good one to which he was kindly invited--the manner in which he
attacked the eatables, made the eyes of his generous host and hostess stand
out from very wonder. He alternated the two succeeding years between
Greencastle and Plainfield in following this trade, and in the spring of
1859, came to Mooresville, and a year afterward formed a partnership with a
Mr. Mitchell in the manufacture of carriages and buggies, which enterprise
failed in the following year. As "journeyman," he followed his old trade at
different places up to the summer of 1862, when he raised a company
preparatory to entering the army, and drilled it, but declined a commission
as its commander in favor of Capt. Peoples. In August of this year, he
entered as a Corporal in Company E, Twelfth Indiana Volunteer Infantry,and
served up to June, 1865. In July, 1864, at Marietta, Ga., he received a
sunstroke which resulted in the destruction of his right eye. In October,
1864, he was placed upon detached duty as Hospital Steward in the
provisional division of the Army of the Tennessee, going from there to
Washington the same capacity in the Auger General Hospital, and here
received his final discharge. Dr. Perce is a self-educated man, having
attended school but about eighteen months of his early life. His first
ideas of medicine were acquired while in the army, and in the winter of
1872-73 he took a course of lectures at the Indiana Medical College, where
the following winter he held the office of Prosector of the Chair of
Anatomy. At the end of this session he graduated as Doctor of Medicine, and
in February, 1879, took Ad Eundem degree at the Medical College of Indiana.
In the spring of 1873, he began the practice of medicine at Mooresville,
and, growing rapidly into popularity, he to-day (December, 1883), ranks
among the foremost in his profession. May 14, 1867, he was married at
Mooresville to Eunice Ann, daughter of Jacob and Jemima Coombs. By this
marriage he had born to him two children--Henry (deceased in infancy), and
Elsie Gertrude. The mother of these children died September 18, 1874, and
in April, 1876, the Doctor married at Plainfield, Ind., his present wife,
Elvira, daughter of Simon and Martha Hornaday. Two children, Edith
(deceased in infancy) and Mary, have crowned this union. The Doctor is a
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, belongs to the I. O. O.
F., is a Master Mason, a Knight of Honor; has filled most all the official
chairs in these societies and is at present Examiner of the one last named.
In Masonry and Odd Fellowship, he belongs to the Grand Lodges of the State.
He is a member of both county and State Medical societies, of the first of
which he has been twice President. He is in the enjoyment of a lucrative
position, owns a handsome property, is proud of his profession,and justly so
of his successes; he votes the Republican ticket.
Data Entry Volunteer: Diana Flynn "ivie@tima.com"
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