Carpenter, Elijah W., 1778-1855.

Dr. Elijah Woodward Carpenter was born on September 7, 1778 in Brattleboro, Vermont. During his early years he attended the Brattleboro Academy and in 1811 began studying medicine with Dr. Cyrus Washburn of the neighboring town of Vernon. According to family legend, Dr. Washburn accompanied his pupil to the Medical Institution of Yale College. Carpenter attended the Medical School's inaugural series of lectures in 1813 given by Drs. Benjamin Silliman, Jonathan Knight, Eli Ives, Nathan Smith, and Jeremiah Day. The following year he attended a second set of lectures at Berkshire Medical Institution and received his M.D. from that school in 1814. He then opened a small practice in Bernardston, Massachusetts, and the surrounding towns, which he retained until his death. He was an officer in the Massachusetts Medical Society and served as president of the Franklin County Medical Society. From 1818 to 1829, he served as a surgeon's mate and then a surgeon in the State Militia. Carpenter died in 1855 leaving a wife, six sons and two daughters.