David Walker Basham, M. D., surgeon of St. Francis Hospital, Wichita, and one of the leading members of the medical fraternity, was born in Clifton Mills, a village in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, Nov. 6, 1854. He is descended of old Revolutionary ancestry. The first American ancestor of this family was Peter Basham, a French Huguenot who left his native country during the bloody reign of King Charles during the religious persecutions in France. He located in Westmoreland county, Virginia, in 1650, and became the father of eight children—Peter, Elijah, Rawley, Chinn, Mollie, Betty, Susan, and Katharine. For over 260 years members of the Basham family have been prominent in affairs. Elijah Basham first married Katharine Baltonberg, whose father was a captain of the King's Guards. His second wife was Hannah Cartlich and his third Sarah Hume, a direct descendant of the emigrant, Lord George Hume. To this last marriage two children were born—Robert Hume and Sarah McKay. Robert married Caroline Virginia Rector. The Rectors came to Virginia from Germany in 1714 with a colony of German Protestants. They settled in Spottsylvania county, being the first of this nationality who afterwards settled Germantown. Alfred Rector, Virginia's father, married into the Grigsby family, which had long been distinguished in Scotland and England. Rev. James Grigsby, a member of this illustrious family, came to Virginia as a young man and became the president of William and Mary College. Alfred Rector was one of the wealthiest men in Fauquier county, Virginia, a member of Congress and filled many other offices of trust. Nine children were born to Robert Hume and Virginia Basham, viz.: Sallie Roberta, Virginia Josephine, Robert Neville, Katharine, Alfred Rector, Mary Peyton, Elizabeth, Margaret Baylis and Samuel Malcolm.

Dr. Basham's father was Nathan Claybourne Basham, planter and business man, who was born in Bedford county, Virginia, Jan. 14, 1828. When only a small boy his parents, David and Polly Ann (McCoy) Basham, removed to Kentucky, and there he spent his life. The Doctor's mother was Helen Josephine Haddock, born at Lebanon, Ky., Sept. 1, 1836. Her parents, John Herod and Amelia (Walker) Haddock, were natives of Virginia. John H. Haddock was a physician. Nathan C. Basham died in 1863, but was survived by his wife until Aug. 8, 1882, when she too passed away. Dr. Basham was reared in his native state until twelve years of age, when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Harrisonville, Mo. Thus his early education was acquired in Kentucky, but he continued to pursue his studies in Missouri, and while still a young man began the study of medicine, graduating at the Kansas City (Mo.) Medical College with the class of 1884. For a time he practiced at Rich Hill, Mo., but desiring still further study in his profession entered the medical department of the University of New York, where he received a degree in 1890. For a time he practiced at Harrisonville, Mo., then practiced and studied in Philadelphia, Pa. From Philadelphia he went to Europe and spent some time studying in Paris, France. On his return to the United States, in 1895, he located at Neal, Kan., and from there came to Wichita in 1902. Dr. Basham is deeply interested in his profession and spends some time each year in post-graduate work in New York and Philadelphia. He is one of the leading surgeons in Kansas, devoting his time to that branch of medicine; is a member of the staff of St. Francis Hospital, and has fine offices in the Schweiter Building, where he cares for his large private practice.

On Aug. 16, 1901, he married Catharine Genevieve, daughter of Francis and Honora Daily, formerly of Eureka, Kan., who were living in Montana at the time of the marriage. Three sons have been born to them—David Walker, Jr., born in 1907; Francis Claybourne, born in 1910, and John Herod, born Nov. 11, 1911.

The Doctor is a member of the Sedgwick County Medical Society, the Kansas State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the Western Surgical Association, the Chamber of Commerce, Commercial, Country and Riverside clubs of Wichita. He is also a Scottish Rite Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine.