Peggy Smith-Hake's
"Window to the Past"
Doctors of Iberia, Missouri
by Kelly Warman-Stallings
Published to "Window to the Past" website on 7 August 2022
​
“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there also is love of humanity.” Hippocrates
​
The profession of a physician dates back thousands of years and it takes a certain type of person to enter this type of vocation... one who is classified as caring, patient and available to others [day or night] throughout their lifetime. Iberia has been lucky to have had such physicians practice medicine in the small town for over 150 years.
​
The earliest doctors found in record are John H. Moore, who set up practice in Iberia in 1870 and J. W. Wade, who was attending patients in the mid-1880s. It is unknown how long Dr. J. W. Wade was in Iberia, but Dr. John Moore was there for a few decades.
​
DR. JOHN HARRY MOORE was born 4 July 1846 in Tennessee and came to Miller County in 1870. Dr. Moore was the son of Andrew J. and Sarah (Wright) Moore, who moved from Kentucky to Miller County in 1885. It is unknown where Moore set up his doctor office in the small town, but he practiced in Iberia for many years.
The following was written about him in Goodspeed's History of Miller County, Missouri (published 1889):
"John H. Moore spent his early life in Tennessee and Missouri, and after attaining a suitable age entered the Steelville Seminary, which institution he attended from 1860 to 1863. He read medicine under his father, and also under Dr. Gregory, of Washington, and during 1867-68 attended lectures in the McDowell College at St. Louis. He taught school one year, and in 1869 began practicing in Crawford County, and the following year moved to Iberia, where he has since followed his profession. Since 1879 he has been selling drugs and general merchandise."
​
Dr. Moore, the town's doctor and druggist, married Alice C. Fancher (1853-1934) in 1871 and they had two children: Estella (1874-1961) and Harry L. (deceased in 1889). Alice was the daughter of Catherine (Hurly) Fancher (1819-1865). The doctor was a devout Democrat and a member of the Congregational Church. It is unknown when Dr. John H. Moore retired, but he died on 21 March 1920 and is buried beside his wife (Alice) at the Iberia Cemetery.
​
DR. GEORGE RICHARDSON MACE was the son of George W. and Mahulda (Oglesby) Mace. He was born in Saline County, Illinois on 20 February 1854.
​
Dr. Mace left Illinois in 1885 with his wife, Ann Victoria (Fox) Mace (1858-1930), three children and they ventured into Missouri. This pioneer physician traveled to Iberia and put down permanent roots. Three more children would be born after they arrived in Miller County.
Goodspeed's History of Saline County, Illinois records the following about Dr. George Mace:
​
"GR Mace, Physician and surgeon, was born in Saline County, IL in 1854., one of a family of eight children of George W. and Mahulda A. (Ogelsby) Mace. The father born about 1819 in Virginia, moved with his parents to Alabama, and from there to Saline County, IL, where he attended 320 acres of land, on which he remained until 1885. He then sold out and went to Missouri. After his education in Ewing College, Franklin County, IL he entered, and in 1886 graduated from, the Medical College of Missouri, and since that time has been in constant practice. In 1878, he married Ann V, daughter of B.S. and Sarah Fox, born in 1858 in Hopkins County, KY. Their four children are Birt R., Roy, Everett, and Ella. In politics he is a republican, first voting for Hayes. He is a member of the IOOF and also of Saline County Medical Association. His wife is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church."
Dr. Mace's home/doctor office/drug store/grocery store was located on Main Street (where present-day Church of the Nazarene now stands). A doctor office was added to a portion of his home, which was the original Methodist church when he bought the property and renovated it for his living and medical needs. It has been recorded that Dr. Mace accepted farm produce in exchange for medical services. According to Dr. Mace's grandson, Maurice E. Mace (1922-2018), his grandfather "seldom received money for his services".
Dr. Mace married Ann Victoria Fox around 1878 in Saline County, Illinois and they had six children: Bert R. (1878-1957), Ella (1881-1955), Roy (1883-1958), Everett (1885-1967), Claude (1888-1976) and Elmer M. (1890-1972). Dr. Mace retired his medical practice in 1930. Dr. George Richardson Mace, who was the longest serving physician in Iberia with 45 years of service, died on 17 September 1937 and is buried beside his wife (Victoria) in the Crocker Cemetery.
​
DR. WILLIAM A. VON GREMP was born in Maries County, Missouri on 22 June 1869. He was the son of Karl L. Gremp von Freudenstine and Eliza J. (Copeland) von Gremp.
The exact location of his medical practice is uncertain, but he came to Iberia around 1898. He was offering his medical services to the local residents during the same time period that Dr. George Duncan was practicing medicine. Dr. von Gremp was also a traveling doctor that visited patients in Maries and Pulaski Counties.
​
The following news article excerpt was printed in the Iberia Sentinel, July 1933:
Dr. von Gremp was united in marriage around 1894 to Emaline "Emily" Pickering (1871-1899) from Cole County, Missouri. They had two sons: Walter (1895-1973) and Earl (1899-1899)​. Annie M. Johnston (1881-1970) became the doctor's second wife in 1900. Annie was the daughter of George Johnston, who was an early pioneer of Iberia. They had four children: Zella (1904-1988); Bluford (1907-1991); Vivian (1910-2001); James (1919-2005).
​
Dr. William von Gremp was a member of the Congregational Church in Iberia. Fraternally, he was a Mason, a member of the #410 local order. In the Summer of 1933, Dr. von Gremp became ill. Dr. Duncan [Iberia] and Dr. Mallett [Crocker] were called in, but von Gremp passed away from a blood clot in the artery before Mallett arrived. Dr. William A. von Gremp died on 15 Jul 1933 and is buried next to his second wife (Annie) in Iberia Cemetery. His first wife (Emily) was buried in Vienna (Maries County).
​
"Dr. von Gremp was born in Maries County, Missouri, June 22, 1869. His parents were of German ancestry, evidently belonging to the nobility. He received his early education in the public schools of Weaubleu and Columbia, Missouri. He continued his education at the University of Missouri and in 1893 completed his medical course at the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons which conferred upon him the degree of M.D. He first located for practice at Dixon, Mo. About 1898 he entered upon practice at Iberia where he has since remained with the exception of a few years. He was first married to Miss Emily Pickering who died at an early age. To this union was born his son, Walter, who is a captain in the United States Army and is at present stationed in northern Michigan."
DR. GEORGE WASHINGTON DUNCAN, son of James and Sarah (Wilson) Duncan, was born 28 Oct 1879 in Miller County. He was the next physician to offer his osteopathic services in Iberia.
Dr. Duncan set up his practice around 1910. His office was located on the top floor of the historic Duncan Furniture Store building off Lombar Ave (present day Highway 42). The following news article, most likely printed in the Iberia Sentinel, announced his death:
Dr. G. W. Duncan Dies of Pneumonia
​
Dr. G. W. Duncan who has practiced medicine at Iberia 32 years, died at St. Mary's Hospital in Jefferson City Sunday morning at 4:15 of Pnuemonia, following a stroke that he suffered several weeks ago. (November 2, 1941). Doctor Duncan was a graduate of Washington University Medical college. For many years he was a Republican leader in Miller County. He is survived by his wife, also three children--Byron and Maurice Duncan, students at the Kansas City Osteopathic College and Mrs. Otis (Dorothy) James. W. M. Duncan, of south of Meta is a brother. Funeral services were held at the Iberia Junior College Auditorium Tuesday afternoon. (Handwritten date of Nov 6, 1941 for newspaper)
Dr. George Duncan married Myrtle V. Ramsey (1883-1977) in 1903 and they had three children: Dorothy (1906-2000); Byron (1908-1957); Maurice (1919-1982). Myrtle (Ramsey) Duncan was born in Brumley (Miller County) and was the daughter of Richard L. and Mary E (Capps) Ramsey.
Dr. Duncan remained an Iberia native throughout his lifetime, serving the residents of Iberia and surrounding areas for over three decades. Dr. George Washington Duncan died on 2 November 1941. He is buried beside his wife (Myrtle) in the Iberia cemetery.
DR. WILLIAM ARTHUR GOULD was born in Clayton, St. Louis County, Missouri on 11 Jul 1914; he was the son of Albert and Margaret (Kemp) Gould. Dr. Gould was the second longest serving physician in Iberia and set up his office in 1938. He studied for his profession at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and did his internship in Kirksville, as well.
​
Dr. Marshall Humphreys [Tuscumbia], whom Gould attended college with, invited him to come to Miller County to open a practice in Iberia where a great need for medical care was present. For the next 40 years, Dr. Gould provided medical services for the residents of Iberia and surrounding communities.
Not only did William Gould provide general medical care for his patients, but he also became involved in local community affairs. He served as mayor (1941-1957) and was responsible for having the roads paved and a water system built in Iberia. In 1957 he became the president of the school board and served that position for many years. Gould was also a very active member in the Baptist church and civic groups.
​
Dr. Gould related a story about the first couple of days on the job:
​
“I opened my office on June 22, 1938. Two days later, I had my first patient. He had been burned in a wheat field in Kansas and came in to see me at night. I dressed his wounds with about a pound of yellow oxide of mercury. There were no shades on the window and when we left the office, the street had people lined up who had been watching to see what the new doctor was going to do,” he laughed.
Not long after graduating college, William Gould married Hilda I. Couch in 1938. She also attended Kirksville College and obtained her nursing license in 1938. She became a valuable asset to the townsfolk of Iberia, assisting her husband in many areas of medicine, including delivering babies when the doctor was out on house calls. It is recorded that Dr. Gould delivered around 930 babies during his career. (Note: I was one of those babies, being born in the doctor's office in 1960.)
​
The Goulds had two children: Terry and William. Dr. Gould semi-retired from his medical practice in 1978 after 40 years. The following year Gould officially retired when a new doctor (Roberts) arrived in town. Dr. William Arthur Gould died in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri on 27 May 1995 and is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Springfield. Hilda was laid to rest beside him in 2014.
​​
DR. CARL S. ROBERTS, JR., who took the medical reins from Dr. Gould, was born in Leon County, Florida in 1931. He was the son of Carl Roberts, Sr. and Sybil (Huey) Roberts. His formative years were spent in Florida. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 1953.
He joined the Army (1953-1955) where he was trained as a lab technician and parasitologist. In 1956 he enrolled in the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa and did his internship at Flint, Michigan. After graduating in 1960, Dr. Roberts travelled to Kirksville, Missouri to take the state board exam, though he did not stay in Missouri during this era. For the next 18 years he practiced medicine in Belleview, Florida.
In 1979, Dr. Roberts, who was looking for a fresh start, decided to explore the opportunities in Missouri. His first stop was in Waynesville, Missouri. There he spoke with Dr. DeWitt, who informed him that Iberia was in need of a physician. Dr. Gould, who personally interviewed Roberts, was in the process of retiring. Dr. Roberts was highly approved by Dr. Gould and, soon after, the new doctor took over Gould's practice on Thompson Street.
Later, Dr. Roberts would transform the old theater into his doctor office before finally establishing his practice in the old Perkins Chevrolet building. Between 1983-1989, Dr. Roberts temporarily set up office in Belle, Missouri, but returned to Iberia six years later and there he remained until retirement. His last doctor office was set up in the old pool hall/cafe on Main Street.
​
Dr. Roberts married twice during his lifetime. He and his first wife had three children. He and his second wife, Linda F. Holeyfield, were married in Winfield, Missouri in October of 1981 and they had one child. Dr. Roberts acquired two step-children, whom he considers his own, through his second marriage. Linda (Holeyfield) Roberts is a native of Iberia; her family was early pioneers in the area. Linda Roberts is quoted as saying:
​
"It has been a great pleasure to treat the families of mid Missouri. He [Dr. Roberts] has treated many patients who brought their children to him and then their grandchildren as well. This is the beauty of the small-town doctor because some illnesses are prevalent in some families. Knowing the generations helps sometimes in discovering the problem. Some of his little patients wouldn't leave without giving him a hug. Some of the older ones did too! All were very appreciative. He has a deep regard for each patient and can still remember what their chronic conditions are... "
​
A few weeks before his stroke in 2017, Dr. Roberts made his last house call - something almost unheard of in the 21st century! Even though he retired in 2017, Dr. Roberts still treated a few patients at his home from time to time, as well. He completely and officially retired his medical services in January of 2022. Dr. Carl S. Roberts, Jr. was the last permanent "small-town" doctor in Iberia.
​
Other Doctors in Iberia
​
There have been a few other doctors that practiced medicine in the small town, but not a lot of information is available to complete a full story. The following pioneer physicians also set up doctor offices in Iberia...
​
DR. EVAN LELAND SHORT (6 Dec. 1815 - 10 Feb. 1901)
​
This pioneer doctor was an ancestor of Wilbert Aust (1891-1979), a lifelong Iberia resident. Peggy Smith Hake interviewed Mr. Aust in the 1970s and the following story was related to her: “Dr. Evan Short came to the Iberia area and he set up a Drug Store and his medical office and he called the town Iberia because he had just come up to Missouri from New Iberia, Louisiana. Dr. Short had a son named John who was also a doctor; a second son called Rueben who was a lawyer and a preacher, and a third son named Isaac (Ike) who was a prosperous farmer.” Whether this doctor actually gave Iberia its name will remain a mystery, as no written record can be found on the town's origins. Dr. Evan Short was the son of Rueben and Levina (Owens) Short.
Dr. Short married Nancy Ann Jones (1824-1892) around 1843. They had seven children: William Rueben (1844-1919), Levina Didama (1846-1917), John Latimore (1853-1913), Mary Jane (1856-1933), Issac Newton (1858-1935), Willis Leland (1863-1951) and Lincoln Blodget (1866-1930). It is very probable this doctor practiced medicine during the mid-1800s and retired sometime during the late 1800s. Dr. Evan Leland Short and his wife (Nancy) are buried in the Livingston Cemetery (Miller County).
​
DR. J. W. WADE (28 Oct. 1839 - 24 Jan. 1905)
According to Peggy Smith Hake, this pioneer physician was attending patients in Iberia in the mid-1880s. Dr. J. W. Wade's name can be found in old courthouse records in Tuscumbia, but not much else is known about this doctor.
On 6 August 1892, the Miller County Medical Society was formed at Tuscumbia. The medical practitioners present at the time included the following doctors: ____ Anthony, Stuart L. Baysinger, John L. Conner, Samuel P. Hickman, Douglas H. Kouns (Coroner of Miller County), ____ McKee, John B. Norwood and Westwood W. Norwood. It is interesting to note that none of the doctors from Iberia attended this meeting. It is speculated that Dr. Wade was not in the Iberia area very long. Per Find-A-Grave record, Dr. J. W. Wade is buried beside his wife [?] - A. W. Wade - in the northern section of the county in Olean Cemetery.
​
Since the mid-1800s there has been a doctor in Iberia until recently. The Iberia Clinic, an affiliate of Lake Regional Health System, was opened in May of 2009. “Before, Iberia residents had to go 25 miles in any direction for even the most basic healthcare needs,” Lake Regional CEO Mike Henze said [in 2009]. The doctors installed were Dr. Clem Haggerty (2009-2020) and Dr. Robert E. Mason (2009-2019), who were considered "temporary" doctors. They are currently the last doctors to practice medicine in Iberia.
​
Lake Regional Health System CEO Mike Henze, center, cuts the ribbon
for the new Iberia Clinic the hospital opened in the Iberia community.
Dr. Mason and Dr. Haggerty on the right.
Photo Credit: Ginny Duffield
In honor of Dr. William A. Gould, one of the longest practicing physicians in Iberia, the clinic has placed a display in the patient reception area which contains medical items and other memorabilia that belonged to Dr. Gould when he practiced in Iberia.
​
Since 2020, Chelsie Deardeuff, FNP (Nurse Practitioner), who joined the staff in 2017, has been the medical provider at the clinic for the townsfolks of Iberia and the surrounding communities.
From the mid-1800s to the early-2000s, the longevity of doctors who put down roots and set up their medical practices in Iberia is incredibly honorable! These were men of renowned help to the small community. These doctors endured many long hours and made house calls - sometimes in harsh and unbearable conditions - to meet the medical needs of their patients... even unto the 21st century! Not many small towns across Missouri can boast such a feat.
​