The medical profession has a number of able representatives in the city of Mount Vernon, among whom is the well known and successful physician and surgeon whose name furnishes the caption of this sketch. Although younger than the majority of his compeers Doctor Poole rmde commendable progress in his chosen calling and now commands a very extensive practice which has been as successful fiancially as professionally and which is steadily growing in magnitude and importance. He is a native of Jefferson County, Illinois, and the fourth of a family of five children whose parents. W. H. and Amelia Poole, were born in Tennessee and Illinois respectively, but who have spent their married life in Mount Vernon, where the father located in the year 186O. W. H. Poole learned the trade of wagon making when a young man and soon afterward locating in Mount Vernon started the first wagon making shop in Jefferson county, which he operated for a number of years with encouraging financial results. An efficient mechcanic who always took great pride in his work, his vehicles early acquired such a reputation for excellence that his establishment was taxed to its utmost capacity to meet the demand for them and for many years his wagons had an extensive sale throughout Jefferson county and were preferred to any other on the market. As evidence of his skill and superior workmanship a number of the Poole wagons are still to be found in various parts of the county and although subjected to the usual rough usage of the farm and highway during the last thirty-five or forty years are still in good condition and bid fair to answer the purposes intended for many years longer. The maiden name of Mrs. W. H. Poole was Amelia Davidson. Her parents, Hardin and Asynith Davidson, were natives of Ohio, but in an early day moved to Jefferson county, Illinois, locating at Mount Vernon, where they reared a large family of fourteen children, the majority of whom grew to maturity and became well settled in life. Mrs. Poole, who is a native of Mount Vernon, has borne her husband five children, as follows: Fannie E., Gertrude M., Edith B., Dr. Charles J., of this review, and Ida B.

William Poole, the Doctor's grandfather, was a Tennessean by birth and a cooper by trade. He was of Irish extraction, and is remembered as a good mechanic and a man of great industry and energy whose influence made for the material advancement of his community and the moral good of those with whom he came into contact. He had nine sons, all of whom adopted his own trade, and became good workmen and respected citizens. William Poole came to Illinois a few years after his son, W. H., settled in Jefferson county and spent the remainder of his days in Mount Vernon, where his death occurred in 1890. Several of the doctor's ancestors were noted for longevity, his great-grandmother, Mrs. Davis, having lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and seven years; she had a sister who was ninety-eight years old at the time of her death and other members of the family were past the allotted three score and ten milestone before called to the other world.

Dr. Charles Judson Poole was born June 27, 1874, in Mount Vernon, Illinois, and received his preliminary education in the schools of his native city, graduating from the high school in the year 1893. Having decided to devote his life to the noble and humane work of alleviating the suffering of his fellow mortals, he began the study of medicine shortly after finishing his literary education, and in 1896 entered the Medical College at St. Louis, where he prosecuted his studies until completing the prescribed course, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in the year 1900. Immediately following his graduation he located at the town of Shiller, where he remained one year, at the expiration of which jime he chose the larger and more inviting city of Mount Vernon in which to exercise his professional talents. His subsequent career in this field fully realized bis expectations and won for him a conspicuous place among the successful physicians and surgeons of Jefferson county. Doctor Poole is a close student of medical science and has kept in touch with the latest advancement in his profession, being familiar with the recent discoveries in medicine and skillful in applying what he considers efficacious to the treatment of diseases. He combines many of the characteristics of the ideal family physician, including the pleasing personality and the faculty of gaining the confidence not only of patients hut of their friends, also, without which some of the ablest medical men frequently fail to effect cures.

As already indicated his career since locating in the city of his birth has been emmently satisfactory and he now numbers among his patients not a few of his erstwhile boyhood friends and companions and many others who had reached years of maturity when he was but a lad in kilts and knickers.

Doctor Poole avails himself of every opportunity to keep abreast of the times in all matters relating to his chosen calling and to this end holds membership with the Jefferson County Medical Society Southern Illinois Medical Association, the State Medical Association and the American Medical Association, being familiar with the deliberations of these bodies and a regular attendant of those of a local character and a participant in the discussions of the same. He is also identified with several secret fraternal organizations among which are the ancient and honorable orders of Masonry, Knights of Pythias, Red Men, Woodmen, Royal Neighbors, Mystic Workers, Ben Hur and the Knights and Ladies of Security.

Although devoted to his profession the doctor manifests an abiding interest in public and political matters and lends his assistance and influence to all worthy enterprises for the good of his city and the social intellectual and moral welfare of his fellow men.

He is a Republican and for some years has been one of the leading workers of his party in Jefferson county, being at this time a member of the County Central Committee and a judicious and trusted adviser in political councils as well as an active and successful campaigner. Aside from representing his ward in the City Council he has held no elective office nor does he permit aspiration to public position interfere with his professional duties, being first of all a physician and making everything else subordinate thereto.

Doctor Poole was married August 13, 1899, to Miss Grace Daniel, daughter of H. P. Daniel, of Waltonville, the father a pioneer citizen of that town and an ex-soldier of the great Civil war.

Doctor and Mrs. Poole are highily esteemed in the social life of Mount Vernon and have many warm friends both in the city and country. They are Baptists in their religious belief and influential members of the church in Mount Vernon, contributing liberally to the material support of the organization and taking an interest in furthering its good work in the community. One child has been born to them, a daughter by the name of Maeryta M., whose date of birth fell on the 25th of April, 1900.

SOURCE:Walls History of Jefferson County, Il
By John A. Wall - 1909

Submitted by: Misty Flannigan Dec 1997