William Henry Letterman
Encyclopedia
William Henry "Willie" Letterman was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. (August 12, 1832 - May 23, 1881) He was the co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi
Fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
.
He is the younger brother of Jonathan K. Letterman who is known as the Father of Battlefield Medicine. His system enabled thousands of wounded men to be recovered and treated during the American Civil War
.
epidemic broke out in the area and William and his friend, Charles Page Thomas Moore
, spent long nights caring for a sick friend. Letterman and Moore grew to appreciate their service, and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals. On the night of February 19, 1852, the brotherhood of Phi Kappa Psi
was born.
would be advantageous, so in the spring of 1878 he made a two months tour to that state.
In November, 1878, with his wife and baby daughter, Laura, he left Missouri for Dallas, Texas
, and then went to Stephenville, Texas
by stage coach. He stopped at the Texas Hotel and the following day he hired a carriage and arrived at Duffau, Erath County
, that afternoon.
At Duffau there were some mineral wells
, and he had been told that the railroad would be built through Duffau, westward. However, the railroad was constructed through Hico
and Stephenville. When he went to Texas, he carried letters of introduction signed by many prominent men of the East.
He helped organize a county medical association and also a district medical association in Stephenville, and he was elected the first president. He was a member of the Northwest Texas Medical and Surgical Society. He was examined and given a certificate to practice by M. S. Crow, M.D., chairman of the board of medical examiners, Erath County, Texas
, and this was recorded on the twenty-seventh of November, 1878, at the office in Stephenville by W. H. Fooshea.
His health grew worse, and he was advised to make a trip to the Gulf
. In a covered wagon, with his brother Ritchie as driver and with his wife and two children riding nearby in a buggy, he set out from Duffau on May 15, 1881. Because he grew worse daily, all were compelled to return within a week. Before he turned back, he stayed for a short while at the home of a friend in what is now downtown Austin. The historical site is presently part of 6th street's bar district. While the upstairs loft where Letterman spent his last days has held many merchants during the last century, it is currently a bar named Peckerheads. A small shrine in Letterman's honor exists there today. He died on May 23, 1881, and was buried in the cemetery at Duffau.
The Revered Mrs. Hugart conducted services at the church, and Mr. Franks conducted the Masonic service. Mrs. Letterman sold a riding pony, which her husband had given her, and had a monument placed at his grave. This monument still stands. Shortly after Dr. Letterman’s death, his widow and children returned to the home of Mrs. Letterman’s father, Professor Slaughter, in Missouri.
The last lines Dr. Letterman wrote were these:
Dear Sir (Prof. Slaughter)
Today I am used up right sharp—does not express my case too strong. At all events after careful advice, I leave tomorrow, closing the housing and go direct to the Gulf at the mouth of Rio Grande del Norte. This is 400 miles from here. We go through Lampas, thence to Austin, then to the mouth of River, then we rest for 2 or 3 weeks rolling in salt water, then we make a bee line for San Antonio, Laredo, and return home if well. If not well, keep agoing. I will close. Your next, if this is answered, you will direct to Austin. Good-by."
Love to all,
W. H. Letterman
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
Fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....
.
Education
William graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington and Jefferson College) and then went on to receive his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in 1856, where he was president of his graduating class.Family
His father was the physician to the town of Canonsburg and died early in William's life.He is the younger brother of Jonathan K. Letterman who is known as the Father of Battlefield Medicine. His system enabled thousands of wounded men to be recovered and treated during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Phi Kappa Psi
William and his mother were living just a few houses away from Jefferson College. In the winter of 1850-1851, a typhoid feverTyphoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
epidemic broke out in the area and William and his friend, Charles Page Thomas Moore
Charles Page Thomas Moore
Charles Page Thomas Moore was a co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was born in Virginia in a portion of the state along the Ohio River now located in West Virginia...
, spent long nights caring for a sick friend. Letterman and Moore grew to appreciate their service, and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals. On the night of February 19, 1852, the brotherhood of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
was born.
Freemason
On January 17, 1868, William received his Freemasons (Masons) apprentice degree from Concordia Lodge #13 in Baltimore, Maryland. He also helped to organize the Masonic Lodge, in Duffau, Texas.Life and Death
In the late fall of 1875, William Henry Letterman went to Prairie Home, Missouri, because of continued poor health and remained there for about three years. Then he decided the climate in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
would be advantageous, so in the spring of 1878 he made a two months tour to that state.
In November, 1878, with his wife and baby daughter, Laura, he left Missouri for Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, and then went to Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,921 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1856, it is home to Tarleton State University. Stephenville is among several communities that calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the...
by stage coach. He stopped at the Texas Hotel and the following day he hired a carriage and arrived at Duffau, Erath County
Erath County, Texas
Erath County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 33,001. It is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Stephenville....
, that afternoon.
At Duffau there were some mineral wells
Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells can refer to:*Mineral Wells, Texas*Mineral Wells, West Virginia...
, and he had been told that the railroad would be built through Duffau, westward. However, the railroad was constructed through Hico
Hico, Texas
Hico is a small city located in Hamilton County in Central Texas. The population was 1,341 at the 2000 census. The town motto is "Where Everybody Is Somebody!" The county seat is Hamilton some twenty miles to the south on United States Highway 281....
and Stephenville. When he went to Texas, he carried letters of introduction signed by many prominent men of the East.
He helped organize a county medical association and also a district medical association in Stephenville, and he was elected the first president. He was a member of the Northwest Texas Medical and Surgical Society. He was examined and given a certificate to practice by M. S. Crow, M.D., chairman of the board of medical examiners, Erath County, Texas
Erath County, Texas
Erath County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 33,001. It is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Stephenville....
, and this was recorded on the twenty-seventh of November, 1878, at the office in Stephenville by W. H. Fooshea.
His health grew worse, and he was advised to make a trip to the Gulf
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. In a covered wagon, with his brother Ritchie as driver and with his wife and two children riding nearby in a buggy, he set out from Duffau on May 15, 1881. Because he grew worse daily, all were compelled to return within a week. Before he turned back, he stayed for a short while at the home of a friend in what is now downtown Austin. The historical site is presently part of 6th street's bar district. While the upstairs loft where Letterman spent his last days has held many merchants during the last century, it is currently a bar named Peckerheads. A small shrine in Letterman's honor exists there today. He died on May 23, 1881, and was buried in the cemetery at Duffau.
The Revered Mrs. Hugart conducted services at the church, and Mr. Franks conducted the Masonic service. Mrs. Letterman sold a riding pony, which her husband had given her, and had a monument placed at his grave. This monument still stands. Shortly after Dr. Letterman’s death, his widow and children returned to the home of Mrs. Letterman’s father, Professor Slaughter, in Missouri.
The last lines Dr. Letterman wrote were these:
Dear Sir (Prof. Slaughter)
Today I am used up right sharp—does not express my case too strong. At all events after careful advice, I leave tomorrow, closing the housing and go direct to the Gulf at the mouth of Rio Grande del Norte. This is 400 miles from here. We go through Lampas, thence to Austin, then to the mouth of River, then we rest for 2 or 3 weeks rolling in salt water, then we make a bee line for San Antonio, Laredo, and return home if well. If not well, keep agoing. I will close. Your next, if this is answered, you will direct to Austin. Good-by."
Love to all,
W. H. Letterman