The Autobiography of Edward Jarvis: Part II

There came, at this time, a light from another and remote quarter. His classmate and lifelong friend, Mr. Hosmer, went to Louisville to preach through the winter of 1835-36. While there he found many families from New England. They said they were contented in that strange land except in time of sickness, and then they felt the want of a Yankee Doctor with whose habits and sympathies they were familiar. They wished such a physician would come and live among them. Mr. H. advised them to try to get Dr. Jarvis, of Concord, Mass., to remove to Louisville. A correspondence arose between some of the Louisville people and Dr. J., some of them visited him and, after much consultation, and with many doubts and anxieties, and after the loss of the McLean Asylum, he concluded to leave Concord and try his fortune anew in the West. It was a painful matter to him to leave New England, with all its privileges and blessings, with all its pleasant associations and the friends of his life; and go among strangers and find new customs, new manners and ideas of life. But it seemed best, and so he decided, and spent the winter in making arrangements, getting letters and settling up his affairs in Concord. REMOVAL March 20th, 1837, Dr. J. took stage at 7 o'clock in the morning for Boston. The next morning he took railroad for Providence, and in the afternoon, the steamboat for New York where he remained one day, /83/ and then went to Philadelphia where he found many friends and stayed five days. Then he took railroad and canal to Pittsburgh where he remained with his friend Daniel Stone and Sarah, his sister, four days. Then he took steamboat for Marietta and stayed there four days with friends; and went next to Cincinnati and stayed there three days, and as long in Madison, Indiana, and at length reached Louisville early in April. This was his first appearance in the West. He found friends in all these places who showed him much kindness and prepared the way for his life in Louisville. He wished to become as familiar with the West as possible before he began on his new life there. These friends gave him much instruction, and furnished him with many letters to their friends in Louisville. Moreover he went with a heavy heart. Although he had received …