Dr Joseph Ellwood Painter

United States Navy Surgeon. He was the fifth of nine children born to Samuel Marshall Painter and Ann Vickers Painter. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1864, and joined the Union Army, serving at the United States Army Hospitals in York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

He was commissioned as an Acting Assistant Surgeon in the United States Navy on August 5, 1870. Assigned to the United States Asiatic Squadron, he was in direct charge of the medical supplies of the United States Naval Hospital in Japan, first at Yokohoma, then when it was moved to Nagasaksi. He commanded the hospital for six years, from 1872 until his death there on March 15, 1878.

His father, Samuel Marshall Painter, was a prominent West Chester businessman who also was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, helping escaped slaves retain their freedom. Three of his brothers served in the Union Cause, one brother, William T. Painter, was brevetted Brigadier General.

Another brother, Uriah Hunt Painter, was an war correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and was present on the 1st Bull Run and Gettysburg Battlefield.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jul 31 2020, 5:15:18 UTC