Fremont N. Rowan
PIONEER OF COUNTY DIES
Dr. Fremont N. Rowan Passes Away on Friday Afternoon.
In the passing, yesterday afternoon, of DR. FREMONT N. ROWAN, death removed
another of the strong personalities that bind the modern DeKalb to its past.
The aged veterinarian died early yesterday afternoon after an illness of several
weeks. He has been in poor health for some months past but his last illness
started about a month ago. A little over a week ago he was taken to the Glidden
hospital in the hope that surgery would alleviate something of his trouble and
make him more comfortable. He was apparently making a fair recovery when he
took a turn for the worse Thursday night and failed steadily until the end.
He was born nearly 83 years ago in DeKalb County, which has always been his
home. He will be buried Monday afternoon in the cemetery plot at Kirkland,
which was a part of the farm on which he was born.
Born in Kirkland.
He was born June 3 1856, on a farm near what is now Kirkland. His parents were Stephen and Emmaine Rowan who came to Illinois from the east in the early forties. His father, Stephen Rowan and Mr. Kirk were two of the first settlers in this area and the two laid out the village of Kirkland. The parents made the trip from the east on lake ships and came the rest of the way from Chicago by wagon.
Dr. Rowan received his early education in the country schools of his home
community and then went to Battle Creek, Mich., for his high school course. In
1885 he went to Toronto, Ontario for the first years work in the college of
veterinary surgery and after some practical work as was required he finished his
course in Chicago.
Employed by Ellwood.
After several years of practice at Kirkland he was engaged by the late I.L.
Ellwood to have charge of the veterinary work for his huge horse business and
was in the employ of Mr. Ellwood for 22 years until the latter disposed of his
stock interests. In those years the Ellwood horse business was a gigantic
affair. He has as high as 1,400 head of fancy stock in this county and had
horses in most of the states of the Union beside. Dr. Rowan traveled
extensively for him through the middle northwest. In addition to the Ellwood
business he maintained a large private practice of his own and was regarded as
one of the best practitioners in the middle west. He had the distinction of
being the first veterinarian to administer the tuberculin test to cattle in this
state, inoculating the large herd of some 200 head on the H.B. Gurler farm.
Was State Official.
For some 48 years he was an assistant state veterinarian. During the famous
epidemic of foot and mouth disease, about the turn of the century, he had a
prominent part in the fight, being in full charge in McDonough and Fulton as
well as Cook counties.
He was married at Hampshire on September 26, 1888, to Miss. Nettie Smith, who survives him. For many years they lived in the Ellwood house at the intersection of North First street and Sycamore road, until they built their beautiful home on Augusta avenue. About a year ago they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. One daughter was born to them. She is Mrs. Helen Ainsworth, whose home is in Cedar Rapids, Ia., but has been with her father since his illness last fall. There are two grandchildren, Joe and Ellse Ainsworth, both of whom are now attending college at Ames, Ia. He had three brothers, Frank, Harley, and Fred, who preceded him in death, and one sister, Mrs. Emma Wing, of Pasadena, Cal. Glenn Rowan, of Toledo, Oh., is a nephew. Mr. Rowan was a member of the Masonic fraternity and was a Knight Templar, being affiliated with Tebala Temple at Rockford for many years.
Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock from the home on
Augusta avenue. The remains will be at the Wirtz funeral home until Monday
morning and friends will be welcome there. The funeral will be in charge of
Rev. Frank M. Webster of Geneva, formerly pastor of the DeKalb Congregational
church. Burial will be in Kirkland.
Source: DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Saturday, March 25, 1939