Albert BOOMER
Delhi, Delaware Co, IA Physician
Moved to Iowa prior to 1856 from Bonus, Boone Co, IL.
Assistant Surgeon Iowa 27th Infantry Division
Commissioned: Sept. 16, 1862 ..Resigned 22AUG1964
Iowa Biographical Dictionary 1878
(Courtesy of Randy Eutsler)
Albert Boomer M.D.
Delhi

The father of Albert Boomer, the subject of this sketch, was Allen Boomer; he was a sailor in his early life, but at the time of Albert's birth, on the 3rd of October, 1823,
was in the employ of the United States Government on the Grenadier Island in the St. Lawrence river, guarding the frontier from smugglers. He was of English descent; his
father participated in the revolutionary struggle, and he himself was engaged in the War of 1812. The mother of our subject was Paulina (Snow) Boomer, of German ancestry. Allen Boomer, with his family, left the island, and settled on a farm in Jefferson County, New York, when Albert was five years of age, and about 1839 immigrated to Boone County, Illinois, and settled on Garden Prairie, six miles East of Belvidere. Prior to his nineteenth year Albert recieved little schooling, at no period more than four months in a year, at the ordinary common schools, He had, however, a great fondness for study, and finally obtained the consent of his father to attend an academy, if he would support himself. Willing to make almost any sacrifice for the sake of gratifying his thirst for knowledge, in company with another young man of similar tastes and aspirations, he erected on the outskirts of Belvidere a rude hut six by twelve feet, with a fireplace in one end and a bed in the other, and boarded himself there and attended the academy for nine months. He recieved some provisions from home, and with but little outlay, except for tuition and text-books, made very satisfactory progress.
He taught during the next winter, and attended school the summer following; then for about three years he worked on the farm in summer and attended the academy in winters.
While thus engaged he emplayed some of his spare moments in reading medical books, and, becoming interested in the medical science, about 1849 began to give the subject his
chief attention. He read first in the office of Dr. D. H. Whitney, and afterward with Dr. Lake, both of Belvidere.

In the spring of 1853 he graduated from Rush Medical College, Chicago, and during that same year established himself in practice at Delhi, Delaware County, Iowa. At first, in connection with his professional business, he conducted a drug store; but in about five years traded this for land, a portion of which is now the large and beautiful farm on which he now resides, one and a quarter miles north of Delhi village.

In 1862 Dr. Boomer was appointed assistant surgeon in the 27th regiment Iowa Infantry, under command of Colonel Gilbert, and served in that capacity with great faithfulness until near the close of the war. Part of the time he had full charge of the regiment, Surgeon Sanborn having medical charge of the brigade, and from exposure and over-work, became impaired in health, and was compelled to leave the army. He returned to Delhi, as he and his comrades supposed, to die. His greatest truble was the chronic diarrhea, which clung to him for four years, and indeed was never fully let him.

Since his return from the army Dr. Boomer has lived on his farm, and latterly has tried by degrees to retire from the medical practice, but his old neighbors, whose family
physician, in some cases, he has been for more than twenty years, are reluctant to dispense with his valuable services, when he is at home.

Aside from his professional duties, he has been honored with postions of honor and trust. He was for two years he was a memebr of the lower house of the state legislature,
and for six years a member of the state senate. During his senatorial term in the fourteenth and fifteenth general assemblies he was a prominent member, and took a very
decided stand on the temperance question, being a strong prohibitionist.

Dr. Boomer has been a Republican since the party was organized, and a member of the Methodist church for more than thirty years.

On the 4th of July, 1846, he was married to Miss Charlotte A Brownell, of Boone County, Illinois, and by her has ten children, three of whom are now living, and three
having died in infancy and childhood of diptheria, under particularly melancholy circumstances. Dr. Boomer delayed joining his regiment in 182 to bury two of these children, and the day after he left, obeying petemorary orders from military headquarters, the third, the youngest lamb of the fold, closed his eyes in death. Three smitten in 3 consecutive weeks, the mother went the third time to the cemetery, and with no husband present on whom to lean, but with the divine spirit to comfort and strengthen her. It was a dark hour, but ashe bore her burden with heroic firmness and true christian resignation. The eldest living child of the family is the wife of Dr. George H. Fuller,
surgeond by governmental appointment at the Indian Agency, Ross Fork, Idaho Territory.

Dr. Boomer is a well read man, of independant thought, and has very string convictions of his responsobility as citizen, never wavering in the discharge of his duty in any of the relations of life. He despises a political schemer or a mere policy man of any class.