It turns out my father’s ancestor, Dr. John Denny, was not a “real” doctor, a revelation I stumbled upon in yet another history of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. This particular account, penned by Emily C Blackmon and published in Philadelphia in 1873, sheds new light on his true profession.

John Denny, my 4th great-grandfather, was born in what is now Phillipstown, Duchess County, New York, although, at the time, the town was situated in Putnam County. His father was a Revolutionary War veteran and, I assume, a tenant Farmer in the Hudson River Valley, although he could have had a higher calling. I have a lead that John Denny joined the Pennsylvania militia during the War of 1812.

Delving deeper into Blackman’s book, we find a significant entry on page 200. It states, “John Denny made his way to the [Gibson, Pennsylvania] Township from Duchess County, New York in February 1814.”

On page 201, we learn that he was an innkeeper without mentioning him being a doctor.

Then, on page 210, there is a section titled “Physicians.” Here, we are told that Dr. Denny arrived in 1814 and that he and another doctor “were confined to specialties.” It then says, “It does not appear that a regular MD came to town until 1824 when Dr. William W Tyler advertised his arrival.” [italics added]

The only other mention of Dr. Denny is on page 202, where it mentions John’s daughter (Tamar) marrying my father’s great-great-grandfather, Corbet Pickering.

The question that I must find an answer to is, “If Dr. John Denny was not a real “MD” and was “confined to specialties,” then what kind of doctor was he? In 17th—and 18th-century America, traditional folk healers used herbal remedies, cupping, and leeching. I’m curious if that is what his profession was—perhaps running a hospital out of his inn.