Thursday, March 4, 1926

As noted a few days ago, we have a gap in Grandma's diaries for these first days of March, so I am filling in with some family history information that she wrote. She wrote the following about her grandfather, Isaac M. Campbell, who was also a physician, like her father.

"In the pioneer days, even the doctors in the small towns had to take care of their own manual chores so I am told that my grandfather was a very good cabinet maker and made part of his own furniture. The bed stand and the dresser that I have, however, had been made for them by Isaac Hanna, probably in the 1850's or 1860's. Also organized churches were scarce, so often neighbors would hold meetings in someone's home with one of them doing the preaching in case there was no circuit rider available. In such a case they found that grandfather, with his college education, could offer the prayer, and preach a sermon as well as the best of them. I have heard it said that he could attend at the birth of a person, take care of his physical and spiritual needs while he was living, and at the time of his death he could make his coffin and preach his funeral! It was also claimed by some that he possessed occult powers and could visualize patient's physical surroundings as well as his condition, and prescribe accordingly. This, however, was not mentioned by my father (Rolla) who did not tend to believe what he could not understand, though his brother Jesse took much stock in it."

I believe that one of my cousins has at least the bed stand mentioned here. It is a large, carved, heavy wood headboard.