Dr. Dillwyn Parrish Pancoast was born on March 11, 1836, in Mullica Hill, Harrison Township, NJ, to Israel Pancoast, a farmer, and his wife, Sarah Ann Lippincott. As of October 1850, he had at least two older brothers, Stacy and Keasby Pancoast, and a sister, Mary Anne.
He pursued his education at Marietta Academy, graduating in 1853, and continued his studies at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, earning his degree in 1856. He then apprenticed under Dr. Alfred Smith in Yardley, PA, before completing his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in March 1859. Dr. Pancoast initially practiced medicine in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, until 1863, when he joined the Union Army. He served until December 1865 before resuming his medical practice in Pennsylvania. In 1869, he relocated to Camden.
By 1870, he was living in Camden’s Middle Ward, lodging with Mr. and Mrs. Henry Powell. Also residing there was Albert Story, who later became a furniture businessman, with his family eventually owning a home at 919 Broadway.
By 1880, Dr. Pancoast had married Harriet Mason. They lived at 519 South 5th Street, where he practiced medicine and operated a pharmacy. The couple had two sons, William and Stacy Pancoast.
On August 12, 1887, Cooper Hospital was dedicated, with Dr. Pancoast serving as one of the four original attending physicians alongside Dr. H. Genet Taylor, Dr. Alexander M. Mecray, and Dr. William A. Davis. The original surgeons were Drs. E. L. B. Godfrey, O.P. Cross, Dowling Benjamin, and J.F. Walsh, while Dr. Joseph H. Willis was the first pathologist, and Dr. Harry B. Jarrett served as the first Resident Physician.
By 1888-1889, according to the Camden City Directory, Dr. Pancoast and his family had moved to 521 South 5th Street. Around this time, he hired Grant Elmer Kirk to work in his pharmacy. The following year, Kirk moved to Camden’s Eighth Ward, near Broadway and Ferry Avenue, and began working for Dr. John Donges. Kirk later graduated from medical school in 1891, married Dr. Donges’ daughter Miriam, and practiced medicine on Broadway for about 30 years.
Dr. Dillwyn Parrish Pancoast passed away in Camden on November 4, 1899. Throughout his career, he was an active member of the Camden County Medical Society, serving as its president in 1879, as well as the Camden City Medical Society. He also served on the Board of Managers of the Camden City Dispensary and was a member of the Cooper Medical Club.
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The Cooper Hospital (via Camden County Medical Society)
Note: This content comes from the book Camden County Medical Society, 1846-1956 The founding of a hospital for the care of the sick and injured in the Camden area had long been a project in the mind of Dr. Richard M. Cooper, who practiced medicine in this vicinity for over thirty years. He died in…
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