Monday Is for Mothers: Timney P. Watts (1805 - 1863) - Probate Records, Part 3, Doctor Bills

In the probate file for my third great grandmother Timney P. (Watts) Phillips there are bills from two different physicians, Dr. Wesley Forbush Hodnett (1812-1900) whose services date to at least August 18, 1858, and continue through to Timney's death and Dr. William D. Hall whose earliest (unpaid) item was an small amount brought forward from 1862 and who attended Timney from May through September of 1863.

Timney's account with Dr. Hodnett details the medical treatment received by the inhabitants of a cotton plantation over a six year span.

Looking at the transcription, we can see that Dr. Hodnett treated both free and enslaved patients.

A.D. 1858. Mrs. Timney P. Phillips Dr. To W.F Hodnett          1.
August 18th   To Prescription & Medicine for Self*   1.50
Sept 30th   To Visit Prescrip & Meds for Frank M.**   2.
                                                                        $3.50
A.D.1859.
Feb'y. 11th    To Visit Prescrip & Meds for Self    2.
"       12th     "        "       "        "      "       "    2.
"       13th     "        "       "        " Lancing Abscess   2.50
"       14th     "  Call Visit Prescrip & Meds for Self   2. 
"       19th     "  Prescrip. & Powders Comp for N.W.***   1.50
March 21st   " Bleeding, Meds. Cath. Pills & Prescrips N.W.H****    2.
"           "      "       Alt. Ton. & Lax. Bitter, for n.w. Hariet    1.
June 17th     " Prescrip.Powders & Drops for N.W.     2.
July 1st        " Visit Prescrip & Meds for n.w. Luckey*****    2.
"      3rd         "        "       "        "      "       "    2.
"      7th         "        "       "        "      "       "    2.
Aug. 3rd      "  Presc. Lance Abscess & Liniment Comp. N.W.   2.
"     29th       " Visit Prescrip & Meds. lit. neg. girl     2.
Nov. 18th     "  Visit & Extracting Tooth for Miss Mollie M.   1.50
Dec. 12th      " Visit Prescrip & Meds. for n.g. Martha Ann   2.
"       15th       "      "       "        "      "       "    2.
"       20th       "      "       "        "      "       "    2.
"       22nd       "      "       "        "      "       "    2.
"         "           "      Cupping Temples Etc. for n.g. Martha A.   1.
                                                                        $40.50
A.D. 1860.
Jan'y 23rd    To Visit Prescrip. Meds. Blisters. n.g. M.A.   2.
Feb'y. 1st       " Vial Collyrium for n g Martha Ann   .50   
"       10th     "  Prescrip. and Meds N.W. Hariet at office   1.50
"       16th     "  Visit Prescrip & Meds. Martha Ann's Eyes   2.
May  28th     "      "       "        "      "    for Self  &c.   2.
"       21st     "  2 Visits Prescrips & Meds. Etc Self   4.
June 19th    "  Bot. Cane. water & Sal Amoniac    "   .50
"       21st     "  Cauterizing Ulcer on cornea (Eye) n.g. M.A.   1.50
July 4th        "      "          "      "      "       "       "       "    1.50
"     10th        "      "          "      "      "       "       "       "    1.50
                     (Carried over)                                               $57.50

A.D. 1860. Mrs. Timney P. Phillips Dr. To W.F Hodnett        2.
July  10th  To Amount Brot from page 1st -- $57.50
July  20th  To Cauterizing Ulcer on cornea M.A.'s Eye   1.50
"       20th    "        "               "     "       "       "       "    1.50
Oct.   2nd    " Visit Prescrip & Meds. for n.m. Doctor   2.
"       5th     "  8 Doses Sulph. Quinine for Do.    Do.******   1.
"       6th     "  Visit Prescrip & Meds. for n.m. Enoch   2.
Nov. 12th   " Extracting Tooth for N.M. Enoch   1.
Dec. 1st     "  Cauterizing Ulcer on Cornea M.A.'s Eye   1.50
"       10th    "        "               "     "       "       "       "    1.50
"       20th    "        "               "     "       "       "       "    1.50
                                                                        $71.00
A.D.1861. Mrs. Timney P. Phillips Dr. To Hodnett & Lofton*******
Feb'y. 18th  "  Cauterizing Opasity Cornea Martha Ann's E.   1.50
"       21st    "        "               "             "       "       "    1.50
March 16th " Extracting Tooth for Self ---  1.
Aug. 9th.    "Visit Presc & Meds. for Self ---  2.
"      10th    " 2 Visit Prescrips & Meds. "   "  ---    4.
"      11th    "   "     "          "             "      "   "  ---    4.    
Sept. 20th  " Visit Prescrips. & Meds. for 3 Negroes   3.50
"        21st  "    "        "           "     "       "    "     "           3.50
Oct.  3rd    "    "        "           "     "      for 2 N. Girls   2.50  
"       4th    "    "        "           "     "      for Anarka[?] & M.A.   2.50
"       5th    "    "        "           "     "       "       "                  "  ---   2.50
"       6th    " 2 Visit Prescrips & Meds. "     "                  "   ---  4.50
"      7th    " Call Visits Prescrips & Meds.  "       "        "   ---    2.50
"       8th   "    "        "           "     "       "       "                  "  ---   2.50
"       9th   "    "        "           "     "       "       "                  "  ---   2.50
"        "     " 1 Bot. Terebinth Mist. Comp for Do. "       "    1.
"     10th     "   Visit Prescrips. & Meds. 2 Girls & Old Doct.  3.50
"     11th    "        "         "           "     "          "               "    3.50 
"     12th    "        "         "           "     "          "               "    3.50 
"     13th    " Call Visits Prescrips. Etc. for  "               "    2.
"     14th    "    "       "    Box Mustard & Vial Drops &c "   2.
                                                                       $56.00

A.D. 1862. Mrs. Timney P. Phillips Dr. To W.F Hodnett        3.
June 8th   To Prescrip. Bleeding & Meds. n.s. Hariet   2.50
Sept. 30th  " Visit Prescrip & Meds for n.g. Martha Ann   1.50
                                                                       $4.00
A.D.1863.
April 2nd  To Extracting Tooth for n.w. Hariet   1.
June 30th   " Prescrip & Sund. Meds. for old Doct.    1.50
July 2nd     " Dose Salts and vial Vit.[?] Sol "   "   .75
"      4th      " Visit Prescrip. & Meds. for "   "   1.50
Aug. 5th    " Prescrip. and Vial Med. Etc. n.w. Hariet   1.25
"      23rd   " Visit & Consultation with Dr. Hall         11.
"      25th    " 2 Visits, Prescrips. Att. Etc. Self at night   5.
"      26th   " Sundry Visits  "       "       "      "  &c. in day   5.
"      27th   "    "            "      "       "       "      "  &c. in day   5.
"      28th   "    "            "     "       "       "      "  &c. in day   5.
"        "       "   1 Bot. Terebinth Mist. Comp for Self --- 1.
"       29th   " Visit, Prescrip. Etc. for Self --- 1.50
"      30th    "   "          "          "       "    "    --- 1.50
"       31st   " 2 Visits Prescrips. Etc. for Self --- 3.
"        "        "  Visit Prescrip. & Sun Meds. n.w. Hariet   2.
Sept. 1st    " 2 Visits Prescrips Etc. for Self --- 3.
"        2nd  "  "     "          "         "      "     "    --- 3.
                                                                       $56.00
To Acct. for the year 1861                              56.00
"      "       "    "     "    1860 & Previously -      71.00
                                                                       $183.00

Received of J.D. Phillips Administrator
on the estate Timney P. Phillips, One hundred
and eighty-three dollars in full payment of
the foregoing Account This Jan'y 8th 1867
W.F. Hotnett, M.D.

The State of Alabama
Macon County
Personally came before me
R.T. Davis, an acting
Justice of the Peace in and for the county and state
aforsd, W.F. Hotnett, who on oath says that the
foregoing Accts are just and correct. and that they
This January, 8th 1867.

Sworn to &&
R.T. Davis. J.P.

And here's the sworn statement of neighbor (and creditor as seen here) J.W. Webb that he believed Dr. Hodnett's bill is credible because he had witnessed the doctor's visits during the that time.

Here's my transcript of Mr. Webb's testimony:

State of Alabama
Macon County

Personally came before
me an acting Justice of the
Peace for the county and State aforesaid
J.W. Webb who being duly sworn says that he
was a frequent visitor and near neighbor of
Mrs. Timney P. Phillips during the time that the 
within account was made, and he frequently
saw Dr. W.F. Hodnett attending there as the family
physician that he knows the fact of his being the 
regular attending Physician during the time em-
braced in the within acct. and that he has exam-
ined this Acct. and believes it to be correct.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 12 day
of April 1867.

J.W. Webb

Sworn to &&
R.T. Davis. J.P.

What we can surmise from the above account is that my third great grandmother final illness had reached a point where Dr. Hodnett was called to consult with Dr. Hall who had been treating Timney since May, 1863. Since this post is already very long, I'll deal with his much shorter bill next time.

Note: All the images in this post are to be found at: Source: Ancestry.com. Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Alabama County, District and Probate Courts.

*"Self" in this context refers to Timney herself.
**Frank Morgan, one of the children living with her in the 1860 U.S. Census, his sister Mollie was also treated by Dr. Hodnett.
***"N.W." is the abbreviation for "negro woman" and usually the name of the indivvidual is given. "N.M." and "n.g." designate the patient as a "negro man" and "negro girl" respectively.
****This entry refers to Harriet, one of Timney's slaves. Here are the names of the four enslaved persons listed in the inventory of her estate:

*****Lucky, one of the enslaved persons Timney acquired from her second husband, was in her mid-60s by this time. (This partial list below of slaves in John P. Phillips' estate in 1852 also includes Harriet.)

******"Do." is the abbreviation for ditto used here instead of the more usual ".
*******I don't know who "Lofton" is.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.