Photo: Clearing sidewalks on North Main Street

Dr. Charles Earl Lownsbury (spelled with a w instead of a u as the present Lounsbury family here does) practiced medicine here for ten years until his sudden death in 1897.

Dr. and Mrs, Lownsbury had two children, born in Lacona. Charles Earl Lownsbury (always called Charlie) and Dana Louise. In preparing her paper on local doctors some years ago, Pauline Tanner wrote to the daughter, then Mrs. Winshurst of Albany, who replied.: “I have been told many things about my father and hoped in many way I could be like him. One can only imagine the miles he covered by horse and buggy. Mother said he wore out a team of horses in six months. Charlie’s playmate in Lacona was Louise Hydorn (Nutting) so when I came along, I had to be named Louise. So I am Dana Louise.”

It seems very evident Dr. Lownsbury was an excellent Doctor and had a great love for people. While talking to the late Gilson Wart, Art’s father, Pauline Tanner learned Mr. Wart had great faith in Dr. Lownsbury’s medical ability and he made this remark “Gee, I wish I could get a-hold of him today!” The Doctor was an ardent Democrat, a member of the Masons, the Maccabbees and the Elks. He was chief of Lacona Fire Company the year of his death. Wilbur Wilcox told Pauline he and the Doctor joined the Lacona Fire Department on the same evening, February 3, 1874.

In1894 President Grover Cleveland named Dr. Lownsbury as one of the board of pension examining physicians of the county, a political appointment. It was on March 16, 1897 after he returned home by train from a meeting in Oswego that he was suddenly taken ill and died within a few hours.