Bio: Barber, Joseph M. D. (1864 - 19??)

Contact: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Barber, Demouth, Taughter, Webb, Hammond

---Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913.

Barber, Joseph M. D. (24 March 1864 - 19??)

JOSEPH BARBER, M. D., physician and surgeon at Marathon City, was born at Charlestown, Wis., March 24, 1864, and is a son of Joseph and Frances (Demouth) Barber. The father of Dr. Barber was born in New York and became a shipbuilder and when he came to Wisconsin located on a farm in Calumet County on which he lived for thirty two years, moving then to Clark County, where his death occurred in his seventy-second year. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and was buried with Masonic honors at Greenwood, Wis. He was also an Odd Fellow. A Republican in politics he had served in public offices both in Calumet and Clark counties. He and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was a native of New Jersey but was married in New York and died in Clark County, Wis., when aged seventy years.  

Dr. Joseph Barber was the fifth born in a family of eight children. One brother, who is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and of the University of Chicago, is a Presbyterian minister. Another brother, who is principal of the schools of Withee, Wis., has taught school for thirty-four years, and Dr. Barber had two sisters who taught school, all the family being intellectually gifted. After completing the public school course at Chilton, Wis., Joseph Barber spent one year in the University of Illinois and then entered the Kansas City Medical College, where he was graduated in the class of 1896. Prior to coming to Marathon City on April 7, 1906 Dr. Barber practiced at Greenwood, in Clark County, and one year at Collins, was health officer at Greenwood and for two years county coroner of Clark County, and while in Clark county served as the first president of the Metallic Screen Company. When he entered into practice at Marathon City he succeeded Dr. Taughter. On June 1, 1910, he remodeled the old city hall and has utilized it ever since as a drug store, the family residence being on N. Main street. He is examiner for the Germania Lodge, E. F. U., for the K. O. T. M., and for a number of insurance organizations, while his private practice extends eighteen miles both north and south of the village, sixteen miles west and eight miles east. He is an ex-member of the Wisconsin State Board of Health and belongs to county, state and national medical bodies.  

On September 1, 1899, Dr. Barber was married to Miss Ella Webb, of Galesville, Wis., a daughter of George and Mary (Hammond) Webb, the former of whom was born at Bedford, England, and the latter at Barndydum, England. Mrs. Barber is the youngest of their three children. Dr. and Mrs. Barber have one daughter, Mildred, who attends school. Dr. Barber belongs to the Methodist Episcopal and Mrs. Barber to the Presbyterian Church. She is secretary of the E. F. U., and belongs to the Rebekahs and in 1907 took the Grand Lodge of Ashland degrees of Assembly and Chivalry. Dr. Barber is a progressive Republican. At the time the handsome school building was erected at Marathon City he was chairman of the committee in securing the public school. He is a stockholder in the Marathon Telephone Company and in the Marathon Zigler Hamburg Company, and fraternally is identified with the M. W. of A., the E. F. U., the G. N. G., and has taken the Canton high degree of Odd Fellowship and is one of the committee of the Wisconsin Encampment.