Medical History

Dr. Eliza Ann Grier was born in 1862 into slavery in Atlanta. After the end of Slavery, Dr. Grier became a teacher and went to school at Fisk University. Despite this, she had the goal of becoming a doctor, so in 1890, she wrote to the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania asking for admission and assistance with tuition. The dean of the school admitted her into the college under the condition that in-between each year of Medical training, she would spend a year off picking cotton. Dr. Grier determined to become a doctor, agreed to this deal. It took her 7 years, however in 1897 she got her degree and graduated. In 1901, she returned to Thomasville and opened up her Residency with a focus on Women and Children. She became the first African American doctor in Thomasville.

The African American Registered Nurses Program was the first in Thomasville for African American Women, It consisted of three years of training, and afterwards the Women could seek jobs at any Archbold Hospital.

This is the license that allowed Dr. M.H. Cobb to practice medicine in the State of Georgia and is dated on March 7th, 1898

This photo is the graduating class of Central Tennessee College in the medical, dental, and pharmaceutical departments in the years of 1896 through 1897. Dr. M.H. Cobb is pictured on the fourth row from the bottom to the right of the center.

Dr. Charles Alphonse Bell was an African American Doctor from Paducah, Kentucky, this book belonged to him and is entitled Diseases of Children, German Edition and was printed in 1884.

Dr. Martin Luther Walton is Thomasville, Georgia’s First African American Dentist and a community leader who participated in many different community activities and volunteered at Douglass High School as a coach.

Dr. John A. Davis-James was the first African American Physician at John D. Archbold Hospital, he began his career as "an Intern in the colored division of the hospital in 1928." Additionally, he was the son of a mail carrier and was born in Guyana

Ms. Fannie Mae Hadley is a registered nurse who studied at Freedom Hospital in 1948, and she was award the professional certificate to practice as a registered nurse by the University of the State of New York. She was awarded her B.S. in nursing from Columbia University and spent over 30 years of her life as a dedicated nurse.

Dr. Linda Walden is an outstanding Woman from Cairo, Georgia. She was the first African American Woman to graduate from the Southwest Georgia Family Practice Resident Program at the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia. She then went on to open up her own Family Medical center and became the first African American Women to practice Medicine in Cairo, Georgia and all of Grady County.

Dr. William A.J. Mosely was an outstanding doctor and maintained his medical practice in Thomasville, Georgia from 1913 to 1920.

Dr. William A.J. Mosely Medicinae Docturis Cert. from the late 1800s/early 1900s.

Dr. Joseph Howard Griffin was the first African American Surgeon from Southwest Georgia and a pioneer for ownership for African American Hospitals. After serving in World War 1 as a Captain to the U.S. Army Medical Corp, Dr. Joseph Howard Griffin was honorably discharged, and he began his medical career in Bainbridge, Georgia. He first opened the Johnson Memorial Hospital which had 18 beds in the 1930s. Eventually in the 1950s, he opened The Griffin Hospital and Clinic housed 50 beds and was the largest privately owned Hospital for African Americans in Georgia.

Dr. Hiram Sanders was the first African American in Thomasville, Georgia to receive a Doctorate Degree in Pharmacy in 1956 from Howard University in Washington D.C.

John H. Hopkins was the first African American Baby born at Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville, Georgia. He was born on November 30th, 1926, and in this photo John H. Hopkins is sitting on his mother’s lap (on the left).

This Nursing Cap belonged to Christine Jackson Hadley, and was presented to her during a Capping Ceremony, where she was a Vocational nursing Student attending Yuba City College. Pictured with the hat, is matching nursing shoes.

This news clipping discusses how Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville, Georgia, has hired a total of 97 African American employees who are “doing a fine job” on various aspects of running and working at a hospital.

This Dentist book, Essentials of Oral Surgery, 4th edition, belonged to the 2nd African Dentist in Thomasville, Georgia, Dr. Sidney Joshua Redden. Dr. Redden was a Douglass High School Graduate from 1941.

This photo depicts an African American owned drug store and proprietor from Thomasville, Georgia in the year 1909. His shop was located on West Jackson Street, in the Black Owned Business district known as “The Bottom.”