My Genealogy Hound

DR. ISAAC NEWTON GARD, physician and surgeon, Greenville; is the oldest continuous resident physician and surgeon of Darke Co.; he was a native of Butler Co., Ohio; born March 20, 1811, and was a son of Stephen and Rachel (Pearce) Gard, both natives of New Jersey, who emigrated to Ohio about the beginning of the present century; Stephen Gard was a Baptist minister, and organized nearly all of the early churches in the Miami Valley, among which was the First Baptist Church at Dayton, and the First Baptist Church of Trenton, Butler Co., over which he presided for a period of upward of half a century; he was twice married; his first wife was the mother of the subject of our sketch, she died in Butler Co., April 1, 1816, aged 36 years; the Rev. Stephen Gard died Aug. 14,1839; Isaac N. Gard obtained his general education in the common schools, and received his preparatory education at the Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and graduated from the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati, 1831; he then commenced the practice of medicine in Butler Co., and in 1834, located in Greenville, where he has since successfully followed his profession for nearly fifty years; in the early days of the Doctor’s locating here the practice of medicine was a work of labor and hardship, the country being sparsely settled, and his practice extending over half a degree of latitude and longitude, the roads being nearly impassable, save by horseback; and in this manner the Doctor made his visits, dispensing his medicine from his saddle-bags; he organized the first medical society of Darke Co., and for many years was President of the same; he also organized the first agricultural society of Darke Co., and was also President of this for several years; he has had many offices of honor and trust thrust upon him, among which we mention the presidency of the Greenville & Miami, now Dayton & Union Railroad, during its construction; in 1841, was elected and represented the counties of Miami, Darke, Mercer and Shelby in the State Legislature; in 1858-59, he represented the counties of Miami, Darke and Shelby in the State Senate; in 1861 or 1862, he was appointed by the Governor of Ohio as one of the Trustees of the State Lunatic Asylum at Dayton, which office he filled some sixteen years; he has almost continually held some office or position of trust, and has in every instance performed his duty with credit to himself and satisfaction to the public. Upon the 6th of January, 1835, he was united in marriage with Lucy Tod, who was born in Kentucky March 20, 1816. They were the parents of five children, viz.: Henrietta T., born April 6, 1837, died Aug. 16, 1839; Charles T., born Sept. 30, 1840, died Jan. 4, 1864; Catherine E., Feb. 16, 1843; Mary, March 11, 1850, and Stephen, Jan. 11, 1854.