My Second Great Uncle, Captain William Charles Chilson, M.D.

Since I inherited his pistol, I=ve always been curious to learn more about my second great uncle, William Charles Chilson.  And, since he didn=t leave any descendants to do it, I decided to do a little research and write up the story of his life.

Willie, as he was known as a child, was born on the 6^th of August 1876 in New Lancaster, Miami Co., Kansas.  His parents were Joseph Chilson and Mary Elizabeth Cook.  He was the sixth child in a family of eight children that included my great grandmother, Mary Alice Chilson.  When he was about ten years old the family moved to Fallbrook, San Diego Co., California.  He completed his childhood in Fallbrook and then went off to college.

In 1902, he graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, Tolland Medical College.  In one later record, he describes himself as an Allopath.  This seems to have been a term for a doctor in general practice.  His mother died before his graduation but I can just imagine how proud his father was of this achievement!

He was still in San Francisco in 1904, where I found him on the voter registration list and also in the newspaper.  He was a witness in a murder case.  He was a doctor on the staff of St. Luke=s Hospital and he gave testimony as to the cause of death of a man who was murdered.

Sometime after this and before 1907, he moved to Goldfield, Esmeralda Co., Nevada to practice medicine in what was then an active gold mining town.  I haven=t been able to pin down the dates but I think he was there for about two years.

On the 28^th of November 1907, he was married to Jane Ethel AJennie@ Thompson in Oakland, Alameda Co., California.  He was listed on the marriage license as a resident of Goldfield, Nevada and she was listed as a resident of San Jose, California.  The witnesses were his father, Joseph Chilson, and her father, George Willard Thompson.

I find he and Jennie living in Tulare, Tulare Co., California in 1910.  They are in a boarding house which gives me the impression that they hadn=t been there long enough to have found a place to live.  I believe they were in Alameda Co., where they were married, for a time before moving to Tulare.   According to the American Medical Association, he was licensed to practice in Alameda Co. and in Tulare Co.  In 1911, he is listed in the Tulare Mercantile Guide as a physician and surgeon.  Also, in 1911, there was a mention in the newspaper that Jane was on vacation with her husband in San Francisco.

By 1915, he had moved again and was practicing medicine in Visalia, Tulare Co. at 125 2 Kern St.  Jane is listed at their home address, 253 So. F St.  During the period 1913 to 1916, there are several Agossip column@ entries regarding various trips that she made to visit her sister, Mrs. Rowen Irwin, in Bakersfield, California.

On September 1, 1918, William Charles Chilson reported to Camp Fremont to serve in the Medical Corps during WWI.  Camp Fremont was located on a large piece of vacant land in the vicinity of the cities of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.  Camp Fremont no longer exists.  In fact, it was closed shortly after WWI.  Most of the land was auctioned off.  The base hospital, however, is still in use as a Veteran=s Administration Hospital.  That is where he was prepared for the Medical Corp.  He served for a year and, according to the records of the American Medical Association, he was discharged on 4 September 1919, having served as a Captain in M.R.C., U.S. Army, overseas.

 

Now I come to the sad part of the story.  Dr. William Charles Chilson, died in a Fresno, San Joaquin Co., California, Hotel on the 9^th of March 1920.  His cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot to the heart with suicidal intent.  He left notes for his wife and his friend.  The newspaper alluded to his having been in a sanatorium.  That could mean several things regarding physical or mental health.  Since this was only six months after he returned from the war, I can=t help wondering if it was what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  I doubt if we will ever know.  I have the pistol with which he killed himself.  It was given to my father by some member of the family.

He is buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, Santa Clara Co., California, as Captain William C. Chilson.His wife Jane died 22 May 1952 and is buried next to him in the same cemetery, as are her parents.Whatever was haunting him at the time of his death, I pray he is now resting in peace.