Dr. Mahlon Schooley

Biography

Dr. Mahlon Schooley was born December 12, 1812 at Leesburg, Loudoun Co., Virginia to Samuel and Cecilia (Allen) Schooley and was raised in the Quaker Faith. He would leave the state of Virginia , as so many of the Quaker faith did at that time, and relocate to Ohio. Reaching his destination, he would live with his sister Elizabeth Terrell. Records show that from 1835-36 he taught at a small country school at Lexington, Highland County, Ohio.

Hearing of the opportunities available, he road a flatboat to Sangamon Bottom, Illinois. He would live with and come under the tutelage of a kindly Dr. Chandler, and would graduate from what was called "Brush College". After three years of working with Dr. Chandler, he was confident enough of his skills that he struck out on his own and moved his practice to Virginia, Illinois. Dr, Chandler highly recommended him to the community and he was soon a prominent member there, being ranked as one of the finest physicians and an outstanding citizen of Cass County/. Although he didn't have a diploma, he gained a thriving practice with his skills alone. He would later in life receive a medical degree from a Chicago Medical School.

February, 1841, Dr. Schooley married Catherine J. Gatton, the daughter of Thomas Gatton, a founder , merchant, farmer and leading citizen of Morgan, Co. Illinois. He brought his wife to Virginia, Illinois. and settled in a home there.  During this time Dr. Schooley worked tirelessly and expanded his practice to several surrounding counties and would become known for his public spirit.

Bitten by the "Gold Bug " in 1849, Dr. Schooley would pack up his dogs and guns and head for California to find his fortune. He stayed a year and was unsuccessful in his quest for gold so returned to his family and practice, never telling any stories of his gold hunting adventure. He would then become involved in the railroad. He would invest in and become the secretary of the Illinois River Railroad. This was a very profitable enterprise for him. He would become quite wealthy and would build a impressive mansion. By a series of mishaps and just bad luck he would lose this fortune. He sold his mansion and closed his office and relocated his family to a small farm in Mason County, Illinois, once again falling back on his medical profession to support his family.

His health was failing at this time due to a pulmonary disease. He was convinced he needed to  seek a healthier climate so moved his family to Harrisonville, Cass county, Missouri in 1865. Here he would practice medicine until his death on December 14th, 1877 at the age of 65. He was survived by his wife, three sons and one daughter. Two of his  children would die in infancy. Edward Chapman Schooley would die of consumption in October,1844, wife Catherine would die in April, 1897, and son Dr. William Schooley would die of consumption in October, 1897. I have no dates for son James Schooley and daughter Mary E. Owens, but they both resided in Missouri.

It is written of Mahlon Schooley that he was a fine specimen, standing six feet of strong build, black hair and eyes.( Some suspected some indian descent.). He was quite, honest and his passion in life was hunting. He was a Whig politically. As a doctor he was highly respected and was known to bark orders to the nurses much like a General directing his troops.

'''Source''':HISTORICAL SKETCHES :Virginia, Ill.: By: J. N. Gridley; Printed by the Enquirer:1907

* Link:http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/cass/1907bios/schooley.html

'''Source''':Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2: By Newton Bateman, Paul Selby, Charles Aesop Martin: Pg.765

* Link:https://books.google.com/books?id=5H8_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA765&lpg=PA765&d...

Added by D. Glenn/ 2015