The following information is provided by contributor Eugene R. Walthall:
The following is from "Kansas and Kansans", pages 2178-2179:
John Daniel Walthall, who for thirty five years practiced as a physician and surgeon in the Paola community, led a life of wonderful activity and service, and for that his memory deserves to be cherished not only by the generation to which he belonged but by those who came after.
He was born on a farm near Fontana, Miami County, Kansas, November 21, 1859, son of Samuel and Martha (Day) Walthall, who came to Kansas from Kentucky and were married in Miami County. Doctor Walthall was the oldest of a family of three sons and one daughter. His parents were hard working farmers. His father was a man of easy going disposition, and from his mother he inherited much of his tireless energy and lofty spirit. At a very early age he was doing the heavy work of a farm hand at twelve dollars a month. He cultivated every opportunity to acquire knowledge, and he always acknowledged a great debt to two men who had the spirit of real educators, both crippled in body. At the age of seventeen he began teaching and taught for three years in the southern part of Miami County. The profession which most appealed to him was that of medicine, but the obstacles he had to overcome involved not only the necessity of earning his own living and all the expenses of his schooling, but also supplementing his own rather meager educational foundation. He began the study of medicine under Doctor Haldeman at Paola, and finally entered the medical department of the University of Michigan. After examination he was admitted to the second year in the medical college, and he carried his studies with great credit in spite of the fact that he was paying his way by outside work. Subsequently he gained the favor of one of the instructors and became a nurse in the blind ward of a hospital. When he left medical college he had unusual experience and equipment as an oculist. On graduating he located at Broseley, Missouri, near the Kansas border, remained there a year, and for one year practiced at Lane, Kansas, where he took charge of the smallpox pest house and earned the gratitude of the entire community by the courage with which he handled the situation. Many of the friends he gained at Boseley and at Lane sought him out after locating at Paola, where he practiced for thirty-five years before retiring. His last professional work was done during the great influenza epidemic during the World war when he resumed his professional career for that temporary emergency. He was a member of the County, State and American Medical Associations, and was always a Republican in politics.
Doctor Walthall was not only an earnest and very capable and high-minded physician, but a very successful business man, and everything he touched seemed to prosper. One of his first investments was the purchase of the Commercial Hotel at Paola. He also bought and supervised the operation of several farms. He had a restless energy that kept him working for the satisfaction that work and activity bring, rather than the mere material rewards. For many years he was one of the most liberal members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Paola. Doctor Walthall's death was a well remembered tragedy. He was killed when an automobile truck in which he was riding back to Paola from one of his farms near Osawatomie plunged against the wall of a bridge. He was severely crushed and died a few hours later in a hospital at Osawatomie.
Doctor Walthall married in 1884, Miss Flora McMillan, of Fontana, Kansas. She died in 1898, leaving a son, Damon O., then eight years old. Doctor Walthall gave his son the best possible home and school advantages, and he graduated from the University of Michigan and is now an able pediatrician at Kansas City. Doctor Daman Walthall married Dorothy Wiggins and has a son, Charles Damon Walthall, born March 11, 1924. The late Doctor Walthall married for his second wife Miss Etta Hillis, who was born at Paola, daughter of Oliver H. Hillis. She had been a teacher in the schools of Kansas City. Mrs. Walthall and a daughter survive him.
Supplementing this brief outline of biographical facts there will be used as the concluding words of the sketch the following tribute from Doctor Walthall's minister at Paola:
"John Daniel Walthall brought into the laboratory of life an unusual blend of heredity. In this inheritance the qualities of abounding energy and keen mentality combined with a vivid imagination and a clear sense of practical values.
"These qualities received the spur and stimulus of an environment of hardship, and in the solvent of sixty-six years of life they combined to make the chemistry of his character.
"He was a man of fair dreams, of untiring energy, of burning enthusiasm, of rare judgment, of keen business ability and of constructive work.
The Methodist Church of Paola is the climax of his latest dream, and when death came his mind was still glowing with visions of new tasks.
"No small and restful future, but only the landscape of infinity and the reaches of Eternity can satisfy the eager mind and hurrying spirit of this restless man."
The following is from "Kansas and Kansans", pages 2178-2179:
John Daniel Walthall, who for thirty five years practiced as a physician and surgeon in the Paola community, led a life of wonderful activity and service, and for that his memory deserves to be cherished not only by the generation to which he belonged but by those who came after.
He was born on a farm near Fontana, Miami County, Kansas, November 21, 1859, son of Samuel and Martha (Day) Walthall, who came to Kansas from Kentucky and were married in Miami County. Doctor Walthall was the oldest of a family of three sons and one daughter. His parents were hard working farmers. His father was a man of easy going disposition, and from his mother he inherited much of his tireless energy and lofty spirit. At a very early age he was doing the heavy work of a farm hand at twelve dollars a month. He cultivated every opportunity to acquire knowledge, and he always acknowledged a great debt to two men who had the spirit of real educators, both crippled in body. At the age of seventeen he began teaching and taught for three years in the southern part of Miami County. The profession which most appealed to him was that of medicine, but the obstacles he had to overcome involved not only the necessity of earning his own living and all the expenses of his schooling, but also supplementing his own rather meager educational foundation. He began the study of medicine under Doctor Haldeman at Paola, and finally entered the medical department of the University of Michigan. After examination he was admitted to the second year in the medical college, and he carried his studies with great credit in spite of the fact that he was paying his way by outside work. Subsequently he gained the favor of one of the instructors and became a nurse in the blind ward of a hospital. When he left medical college he had unusual experience and equipment as an oculist. On graduating he located at Broseley, Missouri, near the Kansas border, remained there a year, and for one year practiced at Lane, Kansas, where he took charge of the smallpox pest house and earned the gratitude of the entire community by the courage with which he handled the situation. Many of the friends he gained at Boseley and at Lane sought him out after locating at Paola, where he practiced for thirty-five years before retiring. His last professional work was done during the great influenza epidemic during the World war when he resumed his professional career for that temporary emergency. He was a member of the County, State and American Medical Associations, and was always a Republican in politics.
Doctor Walthall was not only an earnest and very capable and high-minded physician, but a very successful business man, and everything he touched seemed to prosper. One of his first investments was the purchase of the Commercial Hotel at Paola. He also bought and supervised the operation of several farms. He had a restless energy that kept him working for the satisfaction that work and activity bring, rather than the mere material rewards. For many years he was one of the most liberal members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Paola. Doctor Walthall's death was a well remembered tragedy. He was killed when an automobile truck in which he was riding back to Paola from one of his farms near Osawatomie plunged against the wall of a bridge. He was severely crushed and died a few hours later in a hospital at Osawatomie.
Doctor Walthall married in 1884, Miss Flora McMillan, of Fontana, Kansas. She died in 1898, leaving a son, Damon O., then eight years old. Doctor Walthall gave his son the best possible home and school advantages, and he graduated from the University of Michigan and is now an able pediatrician at Kansas City. Doctor Daman Walthall married Dorothy Wiggins and has a son, Charles Damon Walthall, born March 11, 1924. The late Doctor Walthall married for his second wife Miss Etta Hillis, who was born at Paola, daughter of Oliver H. Hillis. She had been a teacher in the schools of Kansas City. Mrs. Walthall and a daughter survive him.
Supplementing this brief outline of biographical facts there will be used as the concluding words of the sketch the following tribute from Doctor Walthall's minister at Paola:
"John Daniel Walthall brought into the laboratory of life an unusual blend of heredity. In this inheritance the qualities of abounding energy and keen mentality combined with a vivid imagination and a clear sense of practical values.
"These qualities received the spur and stimulus of an environment of hardship, and in the solvent of sixty-six years of life they combined to make the chemistry of his character.
"He was a man of fair dreams, of untiring energy, of burning enthusiasm, of rare judgment, of keen business ability and of constructive work.
The Methodist Church of Paola is the climax of his latest dream, and when death came his mind was still glowing with visions of new tasks.
"No small and restful future, but only the landscape of infinity and the reaches of Eternity can satisfy the eager mind and hurrying spirit of this restless man."
The following information is provided by contributor Eugene R. Walthall:
The following is from "Kansas and Kansans", pages 2178-2179:
John Daniel Walthall, who for thirty five years practiced as a physician and surgeon in the Paola community, led a life of wonderful activity and service, and for that his memory deserves to be cherished not only by the generation to which he belonged but by those who came after.
He was born on a farm near Fontana, Miami County, Kansas, November 21, 1859, son of Samuel and Martha (Day) Walthall, who came to Kansas from Kentucky and were married in Miami County. Doctor Walthall was the oldest of a family of three sons and one daughter. His parents were hard working farmers. His father was a man of easy going disposition, and from his mother he inherited much of his tireless energy and lofty spirit. At a very early age he was doing the heavy work of a farm hand at twelve dollars a month. He cultivated every opportunity to acquire knowledge, and he always acknowledged a great debt to two men who had the spirit of real educators, both crippled in body. At the age of seventeen he began teaching and taught for three years in the southern part of Miami County. The profession which most appealed to him was that of medicine, but the obstacles he had to overcome involved not only the necessity of earning his own living and all the expenses of his schooling, but also supplementing his own rather meager educational foundation. He began the study of medicine under Doctor Haldeman at Paola, and finally entered the medical department of the University of Michigan. After examination he was admitted to the second year in the medical college, and he carried his studies with great credit in spite of the fact that he was paying his way by outside work. Subsequently he gained the favor of one of the instructors and became a nurse in the blind ward of a hospital. When he left medical college he had unusual experience and equipment as an oculist. On graduating he located at Broseley, Missouri, near the Kansas border, remained there a year, and for one year practiced at Lane, Kansas, where he took charge of the smallpox pest house and earned the gratitude of the entire community by the courage with which he handled the situation. Many of the friends he gained at Boseley and at Lane sought him out after locating at Paola, where he practiced for thirty-five years before retiring. His last professional work was done during the great influenza epidemic during the World war when he resumed his professional career for that temporary emergency. He was a member of the County, State and American Medical Associations, and was always a Republican in politics.
Doctor Walthall was not only an earnest and very capable and high-minded physician, but a very successful business man, and everything he touched seemed to prosper. One of his first investments was the purchase of the Commercial Hotel at Paola. He also bought and supervised the operation of several farms. He had a restless energy that kept him working for the satisfaction that work and activity bring, rather than the mere material rewards. For many years he was one of the most liberal members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Paola. Doctor Walthall's death was a well remembered tragedy. He was killed when an automobile truck in which he was riding back to Paola from one of his farms near Osawatomie plunged against the wall of a bridge. He was severely crushed and died a few hours later in a hospital at Osawatomie.
Doctor Walthall married in 1884, Miss Flora McMillan, of Fontana, Kansas. She died in 1898, leaving a son, Damon O., then eight years old. Doctor Walthall gave his son the best possible home and school advantages, and he graduated from the University of Michigan and is now an able pediatrician at Kansas City. Doctor Daman Walthall married Dorothy Wiggins and has a son, Charles Damon Walthall, born March 11, 1924. The late Doctor Walthall married for his second wife Miss Etta Hillis, who was born at Paola, daughter of Oliver H. Hillis. She had been a teacher in the schools of Kansas City. Mrs. Walthall and a daughter survive him.
Supplementing this brief outline of biographical facts there will be used as the concluding words of the sketch the following tribute from Doctor Walthall's minister at Paola:
"John Daniel Walthall brought into the laboratory of life an unusual blend of heredity. In this inheritance the qualities of abounding energy and keen mentality combined with a vivid imagination and a clear sense of practical values.
"These qualities received the spur and stimulus of an environment of hardship, and in the solvent of sixty-six years of life they combined to make the chemistry of his character.
"He was a man of fair dreams, of untiring energy, of burning enthusiasm, of rare judgment, of keen business ability and of constructive work.
The Methodist Church of Paola is the climax of his latest dream, and when death came his mind was still glowing with visions of new tasks.
"No small and restful future, but only the landscape of infinity and the reaches of Eternity can satisfy the eager mind and hurrying spirit of this restless man."
The following is from "Kansas and Kansans", pages 2178-2179:
John Daniel Walthall, who for thirty five years practiced as a physician and surgeon in the Paola community, led a life of wonderful activity and service, and for that his memory deserves to be cherished not only by the generation to which he belonged but by those who came after.
He was born on a farm near Fontana, Miami County, Kansas, November 21, 1859, son of Samuel and Martha (Day) Walthall, who came to Kansas from Kentucky and were married in Miami County. Doctor Walthall was the oldest of a family of three sons and one daughter. His parents were hard working farmers. His father was a man of easy going disposition, and from his mother he inherited much of his tireless energy and lofty spirit. At a very early age he was doing the heavy work of a farm hand at twelve dollars a month. He cultivated every opportunity to acquire knowledge, and he always acknowledged a great debt to two men who had the spirit of real educators, both crippled in body. At the age of seventeen he began teaching and taught for three years in the southern part of Miami County. The profession which most appealed to him was that of medicine, but the obstacles he had to overcome involved not only the necessity of earning his own living and all the expenses of his schooling, but also supplementing his own rather meager educational foundation. He began the study of medicine under Doctor Haldeman at Paola, and finally entered the medical department of the University of Michigan. After examination he was admitted to the second year in the medical college, and he carried his studies with great credit in spite of the fact that he was paying his way by outside work. Subsequently he gained the favor of one of the instructors and became a nurse in the blind ward of a hospital. When he left medical college he had unusual experience and equipment as an oculist. On graduating he located at Broseley, Missouri, near the Kansas border, remained there a year, and for one year practiced at Lane, Kansas, where he took charge of the smallpox pest house and earned the gratitude of the entire community by the courage with which he handled the situation. Many of the friends he gained at Boseley and at Lane sought him out after locating at Paola, where he practiced for thirty-five years before retiring. His last professional work was done during the great influenza epidemic during the World war when he resumed his professional career for that temporary emergency. He was a member of the County, State and American Medical Associations, and was always a Republican in politics.
Doctor Walthall was not only an earnest and very capable and high-minded physician, but a very successful business man, and everything he touched seemed to prosper. One of his first investments was the purchase of the Commercial Hotel at Paola. He also bought and supervised the operation of several farms. He had a restless energy that kept him working for the satisfaction that work and activity bring, rather than the mere material rewards. For many years he was one of the most liberal members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Paola. Doctor Walthall's death was a well remembered tragedy. He was killed when an automobile truck in which he was riding back to Paola from one of his farms near Osawatomie plunged against the wall of a bridge. He was severely crushed and died a few hours later in a hospital at Osawatomie.
Doctor Walthall married in 1884, Miss Flora McMillan, of Fontana, Kansas. She died in 1898, leaving a son, Damon O., then eight years old. Doctor Walthall gave his son the best possible home and school advantages, and he graduated from the University of Michigan and is now an able pediatrician at Kansas City. Doctor Daman Walthall married Dorothy Wiggins and has a son, Charles Damon Walthall, born March 11, 1924. The late Doctor Walthall married for his second wife Miss Etta Hillis, who was born at Paola, daughter of Oliver H. Hillis. She had been a teacher in the schools of Kansas City. Mrs. Walthall and a daughter survive him.
Supplementing this brief outline of biographical facts there will be used as the concluding words of the sketch the following tribute from Doctor Walthall's minister at Paola:
"John Daniel Walthall brought into the laboratory of life an unusual blend of heredity. In this inheritance the qualities of abounding energy and keen mentality combined with a vivid imagination and a clear sense of practical values.
"These qualities received the spur and stimulus of an environment of hardship, and in the solvent of sixty-six years of life they combined to make the chemistry of his character.
"He was a man of fair dreams, of untiring energy, of burning enthusiasm, of rare judgment, of keen business ability and of constructive work.
The Methodist Church of Paola is the climax of his latest dream, and when death came his mind was still glowing with visions of new tasks.
"No small and restful future, but only the landscape of infinity and the reaches of Eternity can satisfy the eager mind and hurrying spirit of this restless man."
