William Wickham Welch was born in Norfolk, Connecticut. His grandfather, Hopestill Welch, blacksmith in Norfolk, had thirteen children, of whom the third was Benjamin Welch. Benjamin studied medicine under the village doctor, Ephraim Guiteau; married his daughter, Louisa; and practised medicine in Norfolk for sixty years. After the death of his first wife he married Elizabeth Loveland. There were ten children, of whom five sons and three daughters survived. The five sons, all physicians, were Asa G. Welch of Lee, Massachussets, Benjamin of Litchfield and Salisbury, Connecticut, James W. of Winsted, Connecticut, William Wickham of Norfolk, and John Hopestill of New Hartford and Norfolk, Connecticut.
Education
William Wickham Welch, the fourth son, was graduated from the Yale Medical School in 1839.
Career
He began the practice of medicine in Norfolk while his father, who died in 1849, was still active. His life was devoted to the practice of his profession in Norfolk and the surrounding country. After spending much of the day in his office with patients, he would set out at night in his horsedrawn buggy to visit the sick at whatever distance they lived. He was much in advance of his time in many ways, and very successful in his methods of treatment and the control of nursing. The importance of fresh air impressed him greatly. It is related that when late at night he saw, in passing, the house of one of his patients, windows closed, although he had left orders for abundant fresh air, he would stop his horse, remove the whole window, and carry it home with him. He was especially interested in the treatment of hydrophobia and the bites of venomous reptiles. It does not appear that surgery played any large part in his practice, but he was undoubtedly ready in any emergency. Long after his death his memory continued to be treasured in and about Norfolk. Welch was a member of the state House of Representatives (1848 - 50), served in the state Senate in 1851 and 1852, and was elected by the American Party to Congress (1855 - 57). After that he resumed the practice of medicine but was again a member of the state House of Representatives in 1869 and 1881. He was president of the Norfolk Leather Company, one of the incorporators of the Connecticut-Western Railroad and the Norfolk Savings Bank, and with his brother, John Hopestill, engaged in the knitting business in Norfolk. He died in Norfolk, survived by his wife and children, and was buried in the family plot in the Norfolk cemetery.
Achievements
His professional work for fifty years won him the affection of everyone, and he was honored and beloved not only in the sickroom but as a companion and fellow townsman. A drinking fountain for horses was erected in the village in his memory with the inscription, Fons sum solati talis et ipse fuit.
Interests
He was greatly interested in horses and dogs. One or two of his horses were famous, perhaps especially for their endurance throughout his long drives at night. His Dalmatian followed under the buggy until it grew so old that it had to be taken on the seat, where it was intolerant of any intrusion.
Connections
On November 7, 1845, he married Emeline Collin of Hillsdale, N. Y. , and by her had a daughter and a son, William Henry. His wife died in 1850 when the son was only six months old. On May 2, 1866, he married Emily Sedgwick of Cornwall, Connecticut, sister of Gen. John Sedgwick.
