Transcript:Indiana, United States. Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties/B/Best, William P.

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William P. Best, M.D. (p 1044)

One of the able medical practitioners of Dublin, Wayne County, William P. Best, is a native of Fairfield, Franklin County and was born August 3, 1864. He is of English-German descent, his father's ancestors having immigrated to North Carolina, while his mother's people settled in Virginia. Our subject is the eldest of the three sons of Frank P. and Mary V. (Ogden) Best, the others being Frank M. and Henry T. For several years Frank P. Best owned and operated a gristmill in Fairfield, Indiana, and for a number of terms he served in the capacity of township trustee. He was a patriotic citizen, as were all his near relatives, and his brother, Milton, a Union soldier, was wounded while fighting for the preservation of his country at Chickamauga, and died from the injuries received on the battlefield.

Dr. Best and his two brothers received excellent educational advantages in the common schools of Fairfield, and all have since taken degrees, the latter two being Doctors of Philosophy. William P. Best was but seventeen years of age when he took charge of a school, and his winters for several years were passed in teaching. During this period he commenced the study of medicine, and in the fall of 1886 he matriculated in the Eclectic Medical Institute, at Cincinnati, Ohio. Being graduated with honor in that institution, in 1888 he established himself in practice at Mount Carmel, Indiana, and in the spring of 1893 he removed to Indianapolis. A few months later he came to Dublin, where he opened an office, and soon had won the confidence of the public. He was admitted to membership in the Indiana State Eclectic Medical Association the same year, is a permanent member of the National Eclectic Association of the United States, and of the Eclectic Alumni Association. He has pursued special courses of study at his alma mater and at the Pulte Medical College, in Cincinnati, and keeps thoroughly abreast of the times in everything pertaining to his profession.

Fraternally Dr. Best belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Knights of Pythias. In the summer of 1890 he had the pleasure of a voyage across the Atlantic and an extended trip through England. He visited the many notable points of interest there, making the acquaintance of places where his forefathers had dwelt, and gathering a store of knowledge and information concerning a variety of subjects.

The marriage of Dr. Best and Miss Harriet Dennett was solemnized at the home of her parents, John and Lucretia Dennett, of Brookville, Indiana, June 22, 1887. A son and a daughter have blessed their union, namely: Claud H., born September 23, 1889; and Marie A., born August 19, 1891.