Practicing medicine in nineteenth century Shelby County as a woman required a boldness not possessed by many. However, one of these courageous women was Mary E. McCormick Hawver, the first female doctor in this area. Born on October 23, 1850, in Jackson Township, Mary was a graduate of Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, and of the Rush Medical School in Chicago.
However, when she and her physician husband first moved to Jackson Center, it was Dr. William Hawver who set up a practice while Dr. Mary E. Hawver became a school teacher there. Only after her husband died in 1896, did she continue the practice and use her own medical degree. For the next 35 years working until eight weeks before her death at the age of 80, she ably cared for patients in Jackson Center and the surrounding area.
Dr. Hawver known to all as “Aunt Molly” was devoted to treating children. She was also known as the “baby doctor.” She devoted her time, strength, and means to alleviating suffering. In addition to her medical practice, she served on the Jackson Center Board of Education where her goal was to upgrade the school system.
The community held her in the highest esteem, and she was known as one of the most unselfish of women, giving liberally of her time and service. About seven years before her death, she broke her arm and was unable to drive to her office. Consequently, the families of the patients she was serving would drive her there as there was simply no substitute for the care she provided.
On November 21, 1930, the day of “Aunt Molly’s” funeral, schools and businesses closed. People came from all over the area to pay tribute to the woman who had served the community so well. Her final resting place is in Glen Cemetery, Port Jefferson, Ohio.