Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Building, People

Location

330 1/2 E Main St, Palmyra, NY 14522, USA

Lat/Long

43.06351, -77.22866

Grant Recipient

Historic Palmyra

Dr. Harriet Adams was born in England on August 18^th, 1828, and passed away in Palmyra, NY on March 27^th, 1886 (Findagrave.com; US Census 1860). Dr. Adams is listed as living in Palmyra, NY in 1850, and likely emigrated at some point before then (US Census 1850). The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania listed her as a matriculated student from 1855-1858, and announced her graduation with a Degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1859. Her thesis subject was listed as “Digestion”. The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was founded by progressive physicians in the Philadelphia region in 1850 and following a series of mergers, in 2002 the college became part of what is now known as Drexel University College of Medicine (“History of the Institution”, Drexel University Legacy Center).

After graduating, Dr. Adams practiced in Palmyra, NY for over 30 years, according to her obituary (Democrat and Chronicle, March 31, 1886). An advertisement from 1873 lists her office at 36 Main St in Palmyra, and today that address is now 330 E Main St., where the marker is placed. She described herself as a “homeopathic physician and surgeon” in The Wayne County Journal (July 10, 1873).

Dr. Adams passed away after an illness of seven months, reportedly resulting from a carriage accident. Following a post-mortem exam, it was reported that she had been suffering from a brain tumor. There are multiple conflicting accounts of her illness and cause of death, but generally her obituaries agree that she had been ill for seven months before passing away. Her obituary in the Democrat and Chronicle said that she would be greatly missed by the community, and by fellow medical professionals (1886).