Bio. of J. Frank Aldrich ~grandson of Chester W. & Sarah A. (Bailey) Aldrich
A Narrative History of The People of Iowa Volume IV 1931
J. FRANK ALDRICH, M. D. In the thirty-five years since he left medical
college Doctor Aldrich has had a constantly enlarging range of opportunity and
service in his chosen profession. He has been known as a conscientious and
devoted doctor among his private patients, and even more a steadfast friend of
the public welfare, a leader in public health work.
Doctor Aldrich, whose home is at Shenandoah, was born near Creston in Union
County, Iowa, January 24, 1873, son of Charles and Roxa (Caldwell) Aldrich.
His father was a prominent farmer and leader in agricultural affairs in
Southwestern Iowa. Charles Aldrich was born in Canada, in November, 1848, son of Chester W. and Sarah A. (Bailey) Aldrich. His parents were also natives of Canada. When Charles Aldrich was seven years of age his mother died. His
father married again, and in 1857 came to the United States and settled on a farm at Neponset, Illinois. He was a carpenter by trade. He lived to very advanced years. Charles Aldrich had a common school education. While his father was absent from home in the Civil war he looked after the farm, and in 1865 he also enlisted, but when it was discovered that he was only eighteen years of age he was sent home. He continued farm work four years, and then farmed on his own account for one year. In 1871 he came out to Iowa to take charge of a 200 acre farm owned by a man at Neponset, Illinois. This farm was near Creston, and he remained on it four years. In the meantime, in 1873, he
bought eighty acres in Fremont County, Iowa, and in 1875 moved to this place. His most successful years as an Iowa farmer were spent in Fremont County. His wife died in 1896 and later he moved to Shenandoah and for many years was a
member and part of the time president of the Shenandoah Fair Association. He was a Methodist and was affiliated with Shenandoah Lodge No. 1122, B. P. O. Elks. Charles Aldrich married Roxa Caldwell, of Batavia, Iowa, in 1872. They were the parents of a family of six children.
Dr. J. Frank Aldrich was three years of age when the family moved to Fremont County. He grew up on his father's farm there, attended the district schools and the Western Normal College at Shenandoah, graduating Bachelor of Science in 1891. He put in some time as a teacher and in the fall of 1894 entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, and during vacations also read medicine under Dr. T. L. Putnam at Shenandoah. He was graduated from Rush Medical College in 1897, and for seven years had a successful country practice at Murray, Iowa. In 1905 he moved to the larger city of Shenandoah, and for a time was associated in partnership with Doctor Putnam. Doctor Aldrich for a number of years has been an outstanding specialist in Southwestern Iowa in internal medicine. He was a leader in his profession in combatting the scourge of tuberculosis, and soon after locating at Shenandoah was instrumental in establishing a tent colony to provide open air treatment for tuberculosis patients. A large amount of credit is due him for the establishment of a state sanatorium for the care of tuberculosis patients. His work in this field made him known all over the United States. He acted as examiner for his district for the State Tuberculosis Sanatorium. Doctor Aldrich for the past ten years has been health officer of Shenandoah and is a member of the Social Welfare Board of
Page County, and for seven years has been secretary of the Page County Medical Society. He is also a member of the Iowa State, the Southwestern Iowa, Missouri Valley and American Medical Association. Fraternally he is affiliated
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Woodmen of the World, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is serving on the church board.
Doctor Aldrich married in 1897 Miss Fannie McGogy, of Shenandoah. They have three children. The son, Lester, who attended high school at Shenandoah, is now located at Park Ridge, Chicago, Illinois, and married Marjorie Hevelin,
of Clarinda, Iowa, and has two children, Jack Wesley and Charles Edward. The daughter Kathryn Aldrich is the wife of William Bishop, chemist for the Staley Products Company of Decatur, Illinois, and they have a son, William. The third child of Doctor and Mrs. Aldrich is Frances, attending the Junior High School at Shenandoah.
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