Dr. John Bejamin Morgan

I never got to know my paternal grandfather John Benjamin Morgan because he died before I was born. My son is named for him. The following highlights from the Kinmundy, IL newspaper tells you a bit about my grandfather.

Sept. 23, 1943: A home front casualty in the war in which 3 of his sons are serving in the Army, Dr. John B. MORGAN, vice chief of staff and director of urology at St. John’s Hospital died of a heart ailment early today at his home in Lakewood, Ohio. He had arisen early to perform an operation when he suffered the attack.

Dr. MORGAN attended the St. Louis University School of Medicine and went to Cleveland, Ohio about 33 years ago to intern at St. John’s Hospital. Since the absence of so many doctors in the armed forces has meant double time work for those at home, relatives said Dr. MORGAN had been working day and night. Surviving him besides his wife, the former Bertha AMERSBACH, and his parents of Kinmundy, are 4 sons, Lieut. John MORGAN, with Army Air Forces in England; Lieut. James MORGAN stationed in South Carolina; Cpl. Andrew MORGAN of Pasadena; and David, is 14.

Dr. MORGAN was a Kinmundy boy and was born on a farm 8 miles northwest of here on Oct. 5, 1887. He was the eldest of 10 children, the son of Wesley H. and Cora DOOLEN MORGAN. He attended school in Mont Rose, Colo., and resided with his uncle John and Mary MORGAN. Later he attended Kinmundy High School from which he graduated in 1906. He received his degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1910. He specialized in Ohio in urology and in 1937 went to Czechoslovakia to take a special training in this subject.

On Jan. 7, 1914, he married Miss Bertha AMERSBACH of Cleveland and they were the parents of 4 boys. Ben was a great doctor and a skilled surgeon. Services were held from the St. Luke’s Church with interment in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Note: Lieut. James Morgan is my dad - son of  great man and a great man in his own right. (Below photo of the four boys and Bertha maybe around 1953 or later - David, Andrew, Bertha, John and James)

Sept. 9, 1943: Our community received a shock Tuesday when the news reached here that Dr. John B. MORGAN (we knew him as Ben), had died that morning from a heart attack at his home in Cleveland, Ohio. Services will be held in Cleveland with interment made there. Dr. Ben was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W.H. MORGAN of this city, and was here on a brief visit with his parents last week.

June 2, 1910: Kinmundy Boys Honored: J. Ben MORGAN and Harry CRAIG, both of this city, who have been in St. Louis the past four years studying medicine, have successfully passed the examinations and are graduating; Ben from the St. Louis University of Medicine on Tuesday May 31, and Harry from the Washington University June 9. A few days ago, the St. Louis City Hospital gave a very rigid examination to the graduates of the different schools in the city, and these two boys were among the number to pass and gain places in the hospital, which Harry expects to accept. These examinations given by the City Hospital are so thorough that only a small percent of the applicants pass it, and our boys are above the average in their studies to gain these honors. Ben has been offered a position in St. John’s Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, as House Physician, which he expects to accept about July 1^st. There are 68 members in his class of which he has the honor of being Secretary. These two young men have both worked faithfully for the honors they are receiving and both are to be complimented upon their success.