|
A. FRED WATTS, physician and surgeon
at Creston, was born in Western Kansas, but his people for two
generations lived in Iowa and were pioneers in Mahaska County.
His grandfather, John Watts, was a native of Iowa and was
a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war. He was one
of the first members of the school board in his section of
Mahaska County. Doctor Watts' maternal grandfather was John
Miller, who died during the Civil war. Morris W. Watts, the
father of A. Fred Watts, was born in Mahaska County, Iowa, and
married at Barnes City, this state, Miss Anna M. Miller, a
native of Frankfort, Indiana. From Iowa they went to Western
Kansas and are still living, at Payette, Idaho. Morris Watts
has been a farmer all his life. He is a Democrat in politics
and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. There
were seven children in the family: Walter, of Payette, Idaho;
Cora, wife of A. W. Christian, a farmer; A. Fred; Myra, wife
of Albert Cloward, a fruit farmer; Bessie and Katie, both
widows; and Lizzie, wife of Albert Harland, a farmer.
A. Fred Watts was born at Norton, Kansas, December 28, 1884,
and had some of his early schooling there in country
districts. He attended high school at Payette, Idaho, and
returned east for his liberal and professional training. He
was a student at Drake University at Des Moines and in 1916
graduated in medicine from the University of Iowa. Doctor
Watts for two and a half years was an interne in the
children's department of the University of Iowa Hospital.
During the World war he went to the Medical Officers Training
School at Fort Riley, Kansas, and was retained at the Base
Hospital until the latter part of August, 1918, serving with
the rank of first lieutenant.
Doctor Watts in January,
1920, entered upon his work in private practice at Creston. He
has a general practice, and is increasingly well known for his
abilities as a children's physician. He is a member of the
Union County, Iowa State and American Medical Associations and
belongs to the Phi Rho Sigma college fraternity. He is also a
member of the Masonic fraternity, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the American Legion, and the Creston Golf Club.
Doctor Watts married in February, 1922, Clara B. Gibler,
who was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended school there
and finished her high school work at Red Oak, Iowa. She
completed her nurses training course in the Mercy Hospital at
Creston. They have one daughter, Elizabeth Anne Watts, born
January 9, 1923.
|
