Dr. John Campbell
Dr. John Campbell is, on his father's side, of Scotch-Irish descent. His grandfather, William Campbell, came to this country shortly after the Revolutionary War, and settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania, a section of the country largely populated by Presbyterians from the North of Ireland and Scotland. They have been commonly known as "Scotch-Irish," presumably from the fact that their ancestry, and it may also be added, their Presbyterianism, both were derived from Scotland. William Campbell was a member of Chartier's Presbyterian Church, the pastor of which was Dr. John McMillan, a very celebrated divine of those days and the founder of Jefferson College. The father of Dr. John Campbell, named John Campbell, lived on the old farm until 1846, when he moved with his family to Adams County, Ohio, near Youngsville, where one son, Richard Campbell, and two daughters now reside. Dr. John Campbell was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1828, entered Jefferson College in 1843 and graduated in 1847, receiving the degree of A. B.., and later the degree of M. A. He then came to Adams County, taught school and studied medicine with Dr. Coleman in West Union in 1851 and 1852. He practiced medicine at Tranquility until the commencement of the Civil War. In 1861, he united with Captain John T. Wilson in recruiting Company E, of the 70th Regiment and was commissioned as First Lieutenant of the company, becoming, in process of time, Captain of Company I, of the same regiment, serving from October 1, 1861, to November 4, 1864. He afterwards practiced medicine at West Union until 1870, when he removed to Delhi, Ohio, where he continued in the practice of his profession until 1885. He was then appointed Medical Referee in the Bureau of Pensions, and removed to Washington, D. C. On the change of administration in 1889, he resigned and obtained an appointment as Inspector of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of New York. This he continues to hold and has charge of the district composed of the States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, with headquarters at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he now lives. The maternal grandfather of Dr. Campbell was James Perry, of Shenandoah County, Virginia, who was born in that state and whose family had been settled there in Colonial times. The history of the family on this side of the house is very incomplete, but we know that some members of his maternal grandmother's family (Feeley) served in the Revolutionary War, and one of them, Captain Timothy Feeley, received from the Government a large grant of land in what afterwards became Highland County, Ohio, for his services.
Dr. Campbell was first married to Hattie Whitacre, daughter of Amos Whitacre, of Loudon County, Virginia, who at her death left a son, Amos Campbell, now a respected citizen living near Youngsville On October 13, 1869, he was married to Esther A. Cockerill, daughter of General J. R. Cockerill. They have had one son and two daughters. One of the daughters, Mabel, died in infancy. The other, Helen M. Campbell, is their only child. The son, Joseph Randolph Campbell, an Ensign in the United States Navy, died of typhoid fever during the recent War with Spain. A separate sketch of him will be found herein.
Dr. John Campbell might have gone into the Civil War as a surgeon, but this he declined to do, and went in as a line officer in the famous company raised by the Hon. John T. Wilson. The record of the 70th O. V. I. will show what valiant service he performed for his country. Dr. Campbell has always been noted for his modest and unassuming manners and his diffident disposition, but he never failed in any duty before him and has always filled the important public positions held by him with the highest credit to himself and with great satisfaction to all concerned. He is a man of the highest integrity and commands the confidence and enjoys the highest respect of all who know him.
From History of Adams County, Ohio from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time - by Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers - West Union, Ohio - Published by E. B. Stivers - 1900