Dr. S. E. Campbell

15 Oct 2021, last revised 04 May 2024

Dr. S. E. Campbell left us with one known embossed pharmacy bottle during his time in the Copper Country. This bottle was not featured in the bottle book Old Copper Country Bottles. Campbell was the second proprietor of a drug store established by W. B. Minthorn. Neither Minthorn nor Campbell specified a formal name for the drug store.

Minthorn apparently established the drug store in 1899 since his ad from Oct 1899 in The Daily Mining Gazette stated, "New Drug Store". He was listed in the 1899, 1901, and 1903 Polk directories with the location specified as Mason Block or 416 Quincy St., Hancock (11,12,13). In Sep 1903, Minthorn sold the drug store to Campbell and planned to move to Portland, Oregon (19).

Samuel Ensign Campbell was born on 03 Apr 1856 (17) in Harpersfield, NY (1) to parents born in New York (5). His family resided in Bovina, NY during his early life (2,3,4), which is where, at the age of 24, he was listed as an "apprentice to apothecary" on the 1880 U.S. Federal Census (5). He attended the Detroit Medical College and graduated in 1882 (1). The birth of his children, the last being in 1894, indicate that he was in Saginaw, MI before moving to the Copper Country (ancestry.com). He was listed as a physician in Hancock in the 1899 Polk directory (11) and the 1900 U.S. Federal Census (6). After practicing for about a year in Hancock, he was appointed as physician for the Winona and Wyandotte mines in Apr 1900 (18).

Upon purchasing the drug store, Campbell hired Charles D. Miller of Saginaw to manage the store (19,20) while he continued to reside in Winona (21). He then moved to Hancock in Aug 1904 to tend to his drug business and continue his practice (24,25). The 1905 directory listed Campbell as a druggist, with a drug store at 416 Quincy St., Hancock (7), which was on the south side of the street, halfway between Montezuma St. and Mesnard St.

In Jul 1907, Campbell sold the drug store to A. A. Metcalf (14). Metcalf was from Green Bay, WI and he conducted a drug store in Crystal Falls (14). Campbell planned to devote his time to his medical practice (14), but in Sep 1907, he visited Plymouth, MI where he intended to relocate in the future (8). He remained in Plymouth as a physician (9,10) until his death on 25 Dec 1925 at the age of 69 (1,17). With Campbell's short duration as a druggist in Hancock, we can date his bottle to 1903-1907.

The drug store continued after Campbell's departure. After three years of running the drug store (22), Metcalf sold it to the Schall Brothers of Grand Rapids in Aug 1909 (23). The 1912 directory then listed MacAllister's Drug Store with John E. MacAllister as proprietor (15). The 1916 directory listed Owl Drug Store with Charles L. Reed as proprietor (16). It is unknown when the store closed.

Citations

1. Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804-1929 [database on-line].
2. U.S. Census Bureau. 1860 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
3. State of New York. 1865 New York State Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
4. State of New York. 1875 New York State Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
5. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
6. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
7. R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Houghton County Directory 1905-06. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
8. anonymous. (1907, Sep 11). City brevities. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 8.
9. U.S. Census Bureau. 1910 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
10. U.S. Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
11. R. L. Polk & Co. 1899. Houghton County Directory 1899-1900. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
12. R. L. Polk & Co. 1901. Houghton County Directory 1901-02. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
13. R. L. Polk & Co. 1903. Houghton County Directory 1903-04. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
14. anonymous. (1907, Jul 16). Sells drug store. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 8.
15. R. L. Polk & Co. 1912. 1912 Calumet, Hancock, Houghton and Laurium Directory. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
16. R. L. Polk & Co. 1916. Houghton County Directory 1916-17. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
17. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Dr Samuel Ensign Campbell. findagrave.com/memorial/96074502/samuel-ensign-campbell
18. anonymous. (1900, Apr 30). New appointment as a mine physician. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
19. anonymous. (1903, Sep 21). Drug store changes hands. Hancock Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 8.
20. anonymous. (1903, Sep 23). New manager arrives. Hancock Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 8.
21. anonymous. (1904, Jan 28). South Range brevities. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.
22. anonymous. (1909, Aug 28). Sale of drug business. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
23. anonymous. (1909, Aug 30). Retires from drug business. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
24. anonymous. (1904, Aug 09). untitled. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 8.
25. anonymous. (1904, Aug 31). Change at Winona. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.