Robert Alexander Stewart

ROBERT ALEXANDER STEWART, M. D. With an acknowledged position as a skillful physician and surgeon at Russell, Doctor Stewart is a man of great personal ability and has thoroughly deserved all the success that he has won in his profession.

Doctor Stewart has spent most of his life in Western Kansas, but was born at New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, August 31, 1867. He is of Scotch ancestry. His grandfather, Samuel Stewart, was born in New York State, served in the War of 1812, and in pioneer times settled on a farm in Southern Michigan. He died before Doctor Stewart was born. Charles Stewart, father of the Doctor, was born at Coldwater, Michigan, in 1830. Coldwater was at that time a pioneer settlement in Southern Michigan. He grew up there and in early manhood moved to Morning Sun, Iowa, but soon afterward went to Clarksburg, Pennsylvania, where he married and lived a short time. Later he returned to Michigan and in June, 1878, arrived in Kansas and was a pioneer homesteader in Clay County. He took up 160 acres and improved it and developed it as a farm. In 1893 he sold the farm and after that lived retired. He died at Puyallup, Washington, in October, 1918. He was a Covenanter in religion. His wife, Jane Gray, was born in Clarksburg, Pennsylvania, in 1833, and died at Russell, Kansas, in 1909. They had a family of ten children: Arabella, who died in infancy; Mary Ellen, wife of S. L. Ross, a real estate and loan broker at Puyallup, Washington; Nancy Amelia, who died in Clay County, Kansas, in 1888, wife of H. H. Robinson, now living retired at Russell; James Gray, a farmer in Jefferson County, Kansas; Robert A.; Luella Jane, who died in infancy; Sarah Elizabeth, unmarried and living with her sister Mrs. Ross at Puyallup, Washington; William J., a farmer and stockman at Grinnell, Kansas; Margaret M., who married H. S. Spence, a railroad engineer formerly of Kansas City, Missouri, but now living at El Paso, Texas; and Andrew Melville, who died in infancy.

Doctor Stewart was about ten years old when his parents moved out to Kansas. He attended the common schools and from the age of ten years chose to be dependent entirely upon his own energies for what he could make of his life and a career. He worked as a farm hand and later took up farming on his own account at the age of twenty-three. In the meantime he had perfected his education by study under private tutors and by private reading. He finally entered the Kansas Medical College at Topeka, where he graduated M. D. in 1899. During his professional career he has been a constant student, having taken a post-graduate course in the Chicago Post Graduate College in 1905.

Doctor Stewart began practice in 1899 at Dorrance, Kansas, remained there two years, then for six years was located at Idana, and in 1907 took up his work at Russell, where he has enjoyed a large general medical and surgical practice. For the past seven years he has also been district surgeon of the Union Pacific Railway. His offices are in the Cook Building. He is now serving his fourth term as county coroner and has also been county health officer. He is a republican, a member of the Presbyterian Church and is affiliated with Russell Camp of the Modern Woodmen of America, Russell Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Russell Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs and Knights and Ladies of Security.

In 1901, at Dorrance, Kansas, Doctor Stewart married Miss Mary E. Machin, daughter of John and Mary E. (Arney) Machin. Her mother lives in Russell and her father, now deceased, was in the real estate business and also a stockman. Doctor and Mrs. Stewart are the parents of four children: Anna Gladys, born March 11, 1902, a senior in the Russell High School; Edward Dean, born in December, 1904. a student in the public schools; Raymond Clare, born in July, 1906, also attending school; and John Robert, born in November, 1912, and recently began his education in the local schools.

Pages 2101-2102.