Bessie
(Holmes) Iden
(1873-1958)
Bessie E. (Holmes) Iden was born
on May 22, 1873 in
Brownsville, Licking County, OH, the daughter of Lemuel
and Emily (Minor) Holmes. Her husband was an early physician in our family,
serving for a half-century in the medical field.
Bessie grew up in Brownsville. There, at the age of 26, she married Oliver L. Iden, M.D. The ceremony took place on May 1, 1899, shortly after his graduation from the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati.
The couple moved to nearby Somerset, Perry County, OH, where Oliver practiced medicine for 15 years. While in Somerset, the couple had two sons: Oliver Holmes Iden (1904-1982) and Lloyd Iden (1905-1951).
Prior to marriage, sometime in the early 1890s, Oliver spent time in New Mexico and Arizona working on the railroads to earn income for his medical education. He was ill with tuberculosis at the time, and as he saw his mother and sister die of the disease, he feared he too would succumb unless he moved to a dry, warm climate. He kept a diary of his southwestern travels.
In 1914, the Idens relocated again to Chillicothe, Ross County, OH, where Oliver maintained his medical practice for another 35 years, until his death. Bessie was a member of the Walnut Street Methodist Church and the Order of the Eastern Star. Their home was located at 37 South Hickory Street.
Bessie only stood five feet tall, while Oliver was six feet in height. Even in her 70s and 80s, recalled a granddaughter, she was a pretty woman whose complexion did not wrinkle. Her most outstanding characteristic was the deep blue eye color.
The Idens are said to have been influenced by the prevalent attitudes during the Civil War, where Oliver's father had served as a Union Army soldier and fought at Gettysburg. They believed in the teachings of the church ("The purpose of life is to know God and to enjoy Him forever.") and in providing duty, honor and service to mankind. They made these ideas the cornerstones of their lives and taught them to their children and grandchildren.
While in college, Oliver had studied the "newer" philosophies and rejected them for his own life. Therefore, time was to be spent wisely, either on one's education or to make things better for others. They occasionally allowed themselves diversions such as card playing, golfing, movies, parties and vacations, but did not drink alcoholic beverages. When they reached the end of their lives, they had every reason to look back with pride -- they had done their best.
Chillicothe's busy Paint Street about the time the Idens moved there
In Bessie's day, no proper married lady had a "career," but she helped her husband by answering the telephone, scheduling appointments and keeping the books, especially in the early days of the practice. Even in the 1940s, when she was in her 70s, she would always answer the phone if the secretary was unable, and tell the patient exactly what time the doctor would return. If necessary, she would try to ease the pain or fear of the patient (or oftentimes the patient's mother). Both Bessie and "Ol" valued all people equally, and encouraged all others to prepare for and seek to fulfill whatever life dreams they had.
Bessie and Oliver had a piano in their home, but never sang or played, as they were always busy running the medical practice. Their sons, however, learned a love of music while on summer vacations at their grandparents' home in Brownsville, a value passed down in the generations.
Oliver
at one point served as president of the Ross County
Medical Society. In his later years, he became almost obsessed with the
idea of building a fine new, modern hospital in Chillicothe to replace the one
seen at right. He wanted rural families to receive "big city" care
that would save many lives. He had a life-long idea that if one wanted something
badly, but had no funding for it, one began immediately to raise the money,
little by little. He and his colleagues went to all of the service clubs in
Chillicothe sharing his vision, and gave generously to the fund. While Oliver
never saw the fulfillment of his dream, the new hospital became reality more
than a decade after his death, with the establishment of the Adena
Health System serving a wide range of residents from Columbus south to the
Ohio River.
Oliver passed away on Feb. 6, 1949.
Bessie outlived Oliver by nine years. At age 85, she died on Oct. 7, 1958. They are interred together in a mausoleum adjacent to Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe.
Son Holmes married Eugenia Noble in 1934 and had two sons -- John Holmes Iden and Frank Iden. Eugenia was a 1930 graduate of Oberlin College and a onetime high school teacher in the Chillicothe area.
Son Lloyd married Grace Warner in 1932 and had three children -- Elizabeth Iden, Oliver Iden and George Iden.
Grandson John Iden (1938-2003) reached world fame as the company pianist with the Cincinnati Ballet for more than four decades. Said the New York Times, John had a "unique style and quick wit" and "played with many of the ballet world's greatest -- including Dame Alicia Markova, C.B.E., O.B.E., Sir Anton Dolin, Alexander Danilova, Tatiana Grantzeba, Frederick Franklin, Gelsey Kirkland, Suzanne Farrell and Sulamith Messerer of the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow." Added the Cincinnati Enquirer:
For 25 years, he also accompanied dancers in regional auditions for Joffrey Ballet and Harid Conservatory... He received the Vaganova medal from the Leningrad Kirov Ballet Company and also earned a medal from the British Ballet Organization, given by former Cincinnati Ballet Artistic Director Nigel Burgoine. He was also the Lorrence and Barbara Kellar Chair recipient for the Cincinnati Ballet."
Click here for more about the Cincinnati Ballet's history. For more information, contact granddaughter Elizabeth (Iden) Cory.
Copyright © 2004-2006 Mark A. Miner