The collection has letters, journals, notes, and transcripts of journals that belonged to Newsom Jones Pittman.
Newsom Jones Pittman was born in Halifax County, North Carolina on 1818 August 9 to John and Catherine Jones Pittman. Following his father's death, Pittman sold one half of the family plantation to finance his education at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a doctorate of medicine in 1839, at the age of nineteen. He returned to North Carolina and became the first doctor of medicine in Rocky Mount, and later practiced in Tarboro. Over his career, Pittman served as both vice president and president of North Carolina Medical Society, surgeon to the Confederate Militia in New Bern, and the second North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners. In 1877, Pittman was the first vice president of the American Medical Association, and in 1881 was a delegate to the International Medical Congress in London from the AMA and a delegate to the British Medical Association. Pittman first married Mary Ann Streeter in 1858 and had two daughters: Kate, born 1859, and Minerva, born 1860. Following his wife's death, he married Mary Eliza (Battle) Dancy. Together, they would have two daughters: Eliza Battle, born 1868, and Cornelia Bradford, born 1874. Dr. Pittman died 1893 May 14 at the age of 74.
The collection has letters, journals, notes, and transcripts of journals that belonged to Newsom Jones Pittman. The letters include ones between Mary Eliza Battle, Pittman's second wife, and her mother. There is a textbook, "Syllabus of the Course Lectures on Materia Medica and Pharmacy", from Pittman's time at the University of Pennsylvania that includes his notes from the course. Additionally, there are Pittman's journals and transcripts of the journals from his study of medicine in and "grand tour" of Europe. His grandson's widow, Dr. Margaret White Battle, made the journals available for transcription prior to donating them.
1992 January 10: items that belonged to Newsom Jones Pittman. Gift of Dr. Margaret Battle.
Gift of Dr. Margaret Battle
Processing revised by Ashley Williams, 2015
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
English
Newsom Jones Pittman Papers (#500), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.