[43-240] DR. JOHN LEWIS MASTERS, b Sept. 23, 1859; d May 24, 1916; s Jacob H. and Maria L. (Smith) Masters [43-102]; m Aug. 17, 1887, ELIZABETH FLORA URMSTON, b Sept. 6, 1860; dau Joseph Urmston. Eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist; Indianapolis, Ind. [Paul Masters.]
Children (8):
John Lewis Masters was born on the farm in Indiana in the house which his grandfather oceupied when he migrated to Indiana from Pennsylvania about 1835. While a boy his parents moved to Brookville, Franklin County, Ind., where the father followed the trade of blacksmithing for some years, and later engaged in the manufacture of buggies and carriages. During the boyhood days of Dr. Masters he spent much of his spare time outside of school in his father’s shop. He showed marked mechanical ability and was expected to follow an occupation which would have to do with mechanics. However, after graduating from high school he taught in the public schools for four years, during the third year of which he began the reading of medicine with a physician in whose house he lived.
Dr. Masters graduated from the Louisville, Ky., Medical College in 1885, with the honors of his class. After serving a year’s interneship in the City Hospital he engaged in general practice of medicine at New London, Ohio. In 1892 he spent a year in New York doing postgraduate work in medicine, specializing in the eye, ear, nose and throat. Returning to Indiana in 1893 he specialized in the treat~ment of the eye, ear, nose and throat and built up a large practice. In 1903 he spent a year in Germany doing postgraduate work in the University of Berlin. It is stated that Dr. Masters’ success in his profession was doubtless chiefly due to his untiring, deeply conscientious interest in every case that came before him. He had no “second best” effort. Every patient regarded him as his personal friend as well .as his medical adviser. His best efforts were always given to the practice of his profession and the welfare of his patients.
In 1894 Dr. Masters became identified with the faculty of the ‘‘Old Central College of Physicians and Surgeons of Indianapolis.”” He was also professor of Otology and the eye and ear, serving as treasurer of the college for some time in addition. After his return from Europe he became connected
with the Indiana University School of Medicine, and had the title of Clinical Professor of Otology, but failing health prevented him from engaging in this work very actively. For many years he was on the staff of the City Dispensary and the City Hospital, but on account of ill health he was obliged to abandon this work also.
In addition to his professional interests Dr. Masters operated a large farm near the city of Indianapolis where he was successful in producing good crops and fine stock. Never seeking public recognition, but rather shrinking from publicity he was a hard worker and devoted his spare time to extensive reading, not only in his professional line but current literature. He was a member and trustee of the Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church for many years.
Having come into possession of one of the first editions of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelders, Dr. Masters started a correspondence with some of his kin-folk in the East and after he had established this connection he made two trips to Montgomery County to trace out his ancestry and meet a number of his relatives. Having located the grave of his immigrant ancestor, Gregorius Meister, Dr. Masters came East in September, 1915, to make arrangements to erect an appropriate marker on the grave of his ancestor and also to attend the Memorial Day services of the Schwenkfelders. It is worthy to note that in the preceding year Dr. Masters had intended to attend these exercises, but important appointments prevented him from doing so, and he spent the afternoon of September 24 on his farm where he met with a serious accident that almost proved fatal. Having successfully recovered from this accident he determined that if his life were spared for another year he would break all appointments and be sure to attend these services. Time has shown that it was a wise decision for his life was not spared sufficiently long to attend further services of this kind. After Dr. Masters came into possession of his copy of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelders he became very much interested in tracing out the various members of the Meschter family and had collected quite a great deal of information, especially on the families that had migrated to Indiana and the middle west. All this material he offered to place at the disposal of the Editor. In addition to this, upon ascertaining that the Editor’s personal copy of the Record had been stolen Dr. Masters promptly forwarded his own personal copy with all his annotations for use in preparing the new book.
His sudden death prevented the consummation of his desire to complete the data regarding the Meschter family. The Editor is pleased to state that his son, Mr. Paul L. Masters, very kindly assisted in copying and classifying the material left by his father, all of which were put at the disposal of the Editor, and he hereby desires to give Mr. Masters credit for his valuable assistance in compiling the data concerning the various members of the Meschter (Master) family.