San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOSEPH S. WEST, M. D.
Among the strong and forceful
personalities who have lent their aid to medical science the name of Joseph S.
West stands out with peculiar clearness.
He was born at Argyle’s Landing, Currituck County, North Carolina, on
August 22, 1844, his youth being spent in the usual way, attending school and
helping to operate his father’s plantation; he then set about to learn engine
construction at the Tredegar Iron Works at Richmond, Virginia. In March, 1861, he entered the service of his
country in Company C under Captain W. Prescott, Tredegar Battalion, for the
purpose of defense of the Tredegar Iron Works.
On August 15, 1861, he joined the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, C. S.
A., under Captain Vickery, stationed at Sewell’s Point, on Hampton Roads,
Norfolk County, Virginia, for the defense of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Gosport Navy Yard; several naval battles were participated
in between the Confederate Virginia (Merrimac) and the U. S. ships Cumberland, Congress,
Roanoke, St. Lawrence, etc., and with the famous Monitor, the battles occurring
during March, 1862; he also participated during the Seven Days fight with
McClellan around Richmond, Virginia, remaining with the “Blues” until September
21, 1862, when he received a commission in the Confederate Navy as third assistant
engineer; he reported for duty to Commodore Josiah Tattnall, flag officer
commanding at Savannah, Georgia, on October 8 and two days later was assigned
to duty on board the C. S. Iron Clad Atlanta, Captain W. Blair, commander, as
third assistant engineer and on May 21, 1863, was promoted to second assistant
engineer. About June 17, 1863, the
Atlanta, then being commanded by Captain Webb, in Warsaw Sound, on the coast of
Georgia, engaged in battle with two monitors, the Weehawken and the Nahaut, and a wooden “double ender” gunboat. Going aground on a bar about three miles from
land, the Iron Clad finally surrendered, after losing several men. The men on board the ship were paroled and
sent ashore, and Mr. West with the officers was held a prisoner until October
16, 1864; meantime being shifted from Warsaw Sound, Georgia, to Hilton Head,
South Carolina, to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, to Philadelphia, to Fort Lafayette,
New York Harbor, and to Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, arriving there on July 4,
1863, where the prisoners remained until they were carried back to the James
River, Virginia, where they were exchanged at a landing called Verina, about City Point, General Grant coming aboard the
little river steamer on which they were detained and addressing them kindly and
assuring them of their exchange. The
prisoners were taken up to Richmond, Virginia, visiting the Secretary of the
Navy, who then took them over to President Jefferson Davis. Within the next few days, Mr. West went on
board the C. S. gunboat Hampton of the James River fleet, as chief engineer,
remaining with her until the evacuation of Richmond, with the other vessels of
the fleet guarding the river approach to Richmond. At the evacuation of Richmond, the fleet was
commanded by Rear Admiral Raphael Simms, late commander of the Alabama in her
battle with the Kearsarge; the shipping was destroyed
at Richmond and the soldiers marched inland as far as Greensboro, North
Carolina, where the most of them joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnson’s army, Mr. West
taking the rank as junior lieutenant, and on May 1, 1865, the army surrendered
to Gen. W. T. Sherman, Mr. West being then twenty years of age.
Returning home, Mr. West was
employed for a time as steam engineer; later he began reading medicine and attending
lectures at the Eclectic Medical Institute and at the Ohio Medical College,
both located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was graduated from the former institution
in 1874. Returning to his home at
Hickory Ground, Norfolk County, Virginia, Dr. West
began the practice of medicine and continued until March 4, 1878, when he
started for California, locating in Colusa, where he engaged in the practice of
his profession until his removal to Tracy in 1904. During Dr. West’s residence in Colusa, he
became very actively connected with the Methodist Church as choir leader,
member of the official board, and teacher in the Bible school for many years.
About 1894 Dr. West had the
misfortune to be injured in an accident, which within a few months necessitated
the amputation of his left leg, just below the hip, and by some mistake in the
care he received a poison was introduced
into his system which paralyzed the other limb as well as both arms and
hands. A man of only ordinary cast of
character would have surrendered at least his practice of his profession; but
in a wheelchair and carried by his son, he went back and forth to his office on
weekdays and to church on Sunday, where he always led the choir, and taught the
Bible class, and was easily the leading spirit in the church as well as in all
public matters and community affairs.
Along with his professional studies, Dr. West had mastered music in a
rare degree. He was also a student of
the Greek New Testament, and had some knowledge of Hebrew and was an able critic
and expositor of the Scriptures.
Early in 1904 the family located in
Tracy, where he became very active in a mercantile line and in the affairs of
the community. He was also the founder
of the confectionery and ice cream parlor on Central Avenue, which is now
conducted by his son, Warwick W. West, whose sketch appears in this work. In 1910, when the town of Tracy was
incorporated, Dr. West was among the most active, he served as secretary of the
Board of Trade for many years, upholding every movement of any merit for the
continued good of the community; he served as clerk of the original high school
board and was one of the energetic members of the board which organized the
West Side Union high school. Always a
strong advocate of irrigation, he worked and sacrificed much in the interest of
the first district started, though the successful completion of the system did
not come for many years, yet he lived to enjoy some of the results of his labor
and sacrifice. He was a member of the
board of trustees of the Tracy Methodist Church.
The marriage of Dr. West occurred in
the east and united him with Miss Anna Augusta Hasker,
a native of Virginia, and five sons and two daughters were born to them. Sidney V., M. D., of Cenco,
California, was in the late war; Raleigh C., D. D. S., of Oakland, California;
Marian M., now Mrs. R. G. Hyatt, an accomplished musician of Los Angeles,
California; Warwick W., merchant at Tracy, California, whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this work; Paul Ambrose, in business in Los Angeles. The two oldest children are deceased. Merriam died in Virginia in infancy and Paul
died when twelve years old at Colusa.
Mrs. West passed away in Tracy in 1910, while Dr. West passed away on
January 24, 1920. Fraternally he was an
honored member of the Colusa Lodge of Masons and Odd Fellows, and politically a
staunch Democrat. Dr. West lived to see
the going of “John Barleycorn” to the fights against which he had given heroic
service, and to see the end of the World War and the return of his two sons,
Capt. Sidney V., and Paul A., who served overseas, with the 182nd
and returned with the 91st Division; he fought in the Argonne and in
Flanders, and was badly gassed several times.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
437-438. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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