Dr. John G. Pfrimmer Ledger, 1809-1825

Description:	Dr. John George Pfrimmer (1762-1825) used this small book as a ledger to record information of his medical practice in Harrison County, Indiana, during the early 1800s. In it he logs the names of patients, dates seen, their ailments, medicine and treatments provided, and the cost charged. Entries on the first page date from 1809 to 1815, with the remainder of the book covering 1815 to August 1825. Pfrimmer died on September 5, 1825. Pfrimmer wrote in his native German, and the book has not been translated or transcribed at this date. An entry at the back of the book is written in English and provides a recipe for a type of pill made from arrowroot to treat obstruction of the bowels. Johan (John) George Pfrimmer was born in 1762 in the German-speaking Alsace province of France. He studied medicine while still in his teens and became a physician and surgeon. He entered the French Navy and reportedly served under General de Grasse at the Battle of Yorktown. In Switzerland in 1784, he married Elizabeth Senn, daughter of a Swiss silk merchant. They emigrated to the United States in 1788 and settled in Pennsylvania, where Pfrimmer became a founding member of the United Brethren Church. He became a minister and moved with his family to Harrison County, Indiana, in 1808. They established a farm near the newly founded town of Corydon. Here Pfrimmer organized the first United Brethren Church in Indiana, which became known as Pfrimmer’s Chapel, and in 1820 formed the first Sunday school in the state. He went on to establish several more churches in Harrison and surrounding counties. Pfrimmer also served as a judge, was a farmer and a miller, and continued to work as a practicing physician. He died September 5, 1825 and is buried in Pfrimmer’s Chapel Cemetery.
Origin:	1809-1825
Source:	http://cdm17251.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p17251coll47/id/83
Collection:	Dr. John G. Pfrimmer ledger, 1809-1825
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Copyright:	This image may be printed or downloaded by individuals, schools or libraries for study, research or classroom teaching without permission. For other uses contact: genealogy@hcpl.lib.in.us
Subjects:	medical care physicians medical patients medicine

Further information on this record can be found at its source.