Crawford Williamson Long (1815 - 1878)

Born 1 Nov 1815 in Danielsville, Madison, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Caroline (Swain) Long — married 11 Aug 1842 in Jackson, Georgia, United States

Descendants

Died 16 Jun 1878 at age 62 in Georgia, United States

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Biography

Crawford Long is Notable.

Crawford Long was born in Appalachia, in Georgia.

Crawford Long was a Georgian.

He claimed to have been the first doctor to have used ether as an anaesthetic in surgery

Crawford was born in 1815. He is the son of James Long and Elizabeth Ware. He was named after his father's friend and colleague, Georgia statesman William H. Crawford. He attended college at the University of Georgia and medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. He is credited with the discovery of sulfuric ether as an anesthetic for surgeries. He married Mary Caroline Swain on 11 August 1842 in Georgia.^{[1] [2]}

Dr. Long died of heart failure while tending to a patient on 19 June 1878. He was buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, United States.^[3]

Legacy

• Long County, Georgia is named in Dr. Long's honor.
• One of two Georgia representatives in the National Statuary Hall.
• 1940: 2-cent postage stamp in the USPS Famous American Scientists collection.

Census Records

• In the 1860 census at age 44, he was in Athens, Clarke, Georgia.^[4]
• In the 1870 census at age 54, he was listed as a physician and living in Athens, Clarke, Georgia.^[5]

Disputed Claims

He was not the first to demonstrate the use of ether in public, and had not written up any accounts of using it in private before William Morton made his own claims. Long wrote about it:
A controversy soon ensued between Messrs. Jackson, Morton and Wells, in regard to who was entitled to the honor of being the discoverer of the anaesthetic powers of ether, and a considerable time elapsed before I was able to ascertain the exact period when their first operations were performed. Ascertaining this fact, through negligence I have now permitted a much longer time to elapse than I designed, or than my professional friends with whom I consulted advised; but as no account has been published, (so far as I have been able to ascertain), of the inhalation of ether being used to prevent pain in surgical operations as early as March 1842. My friends think I would be doing myself injustice, not to notify my brethren of the medical profession of my priority of the use of ether by inhalation in surgical practice^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Georgia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1754-1850"
   Original data: Dodd, Jordan, comp.. Georgia Marriages to 1850. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Georgia
   Ancestry Record 2085 #37165 (accessed 29 October 2023)
   Crawford W Long marriage to Mary Caroline Swain on 11 Aug 1842 in Georgia.
2. ↑ Georgia Marriages, 1808-1967, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWHF-1T5 : 11 January 2020), Crawford W. Long, 1842.
3. ↑ Burial: "U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current"
   Original data: Find a Grave. Find a Grave®. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi; URL: Find A Grave: Memorial #7311270
   Ancestry Record 60525 #12576970 (accessed 29 October 2023)
   Dr Crawford Williamson Long burial (died on 19 Jun 1878) in Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, United States of America. Born on 1 Nov 1815.
4. ↑ 1860 Census: "1860 United States Federal Census"
   The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Athens, Clarke, Georgia; Roll: M653_116; Page: 1018; Family History Library Film: 803116
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7667 #10903614 (accessed 29 October 2023)
   Crawford W Long (44), M, in Athens, Clarke, Georgia. Born in Georgia.
5. ↑ 1870 Census: "1870 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1870; Census Place: Athens, Clarke, Georgia; Roll: M593_143; Page: 377B
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7163 #765473 (accessed 29 October 2023)
   Crawford W Long (54), Physician, in Athens, Clarke, Georgia. Born in Georgia.
6. ↑ Crawford W. Long's First Publication concerning His Use of Ether for Anesthesia, JLR Medical Group. N.p., n.d. Web. March 2, 2017.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Crawford Long
• Wikidata: Item Q248037, en:Wikipedia
• FamilySearch Person: KHVV-WV2 for census records and children's vital records.

Deposition Testimony

Dr. C. W. Long-deposition, a summary:

Dr. Crawford W. Long was deposed regarding the estate of John Williamson Jr. of Jackson County. Vouchers in court records show that he, and/or his cousin, John D. Long visited John Williamson's home at least five times in his last illness; Oct. 15, 17, 19, 21, & 22($35-total). John Williamson Jr. died October 25, 1849. His will, which favored the widow and his younger children, was quickly challenged by several older sons, and sons-in-laws(James B. Nabors et al). Dr. Long was questioned regarding John's mental capacity to make the document which was dated October 18th. Dr. C. W. Long's deposition was found among thousands of "loose papers"(Jackson County Court Records)at the Hargrett Library, main library, University of Georgia, Athens GA. It consisted of six pages; including interrogatories(both direct and cross)and Dr. Long's responses. The pages were not well organized-so I have chosen to give only a brief summary-with quotes [punctuation added; strike-outs, ommissions & insertions as interpreted].

The deposition was commissioned on Jan 1, 1850, by Judge Charles Witt of Inferior Court(sitting for Ordinary purposes)and Dr. Long was questioned Jan 8, 1850, by Middleton Witt and P. F. Hinton. Dr. Long and John D. Long were likely deposed a second time after the case moved to Jackson County Superior Court. A 73-page transcript of the local trial is found in the Georgia State Archives- Georgia Supreme Court file("Williamson vs Nabors")October Term 1853. There is very brief testimony from both of them. On October 17, 1849, both doctors attended John Williamson Jr. at his home. J. D. Long was asked to stay the night, but declined. Crawford came later, and stayed all night. ______________________________________________________

To direct questioning, concerning his visitation, Dr. Long replied:

"...that he attended as a physician, I was there on the 17th October at night, stayed until next morning with him. On the night of the 17th he had sufficent mind to answer questions rationally but was not able to sustain a connected conversation for any length of time and did not appear capable of confining his mind to any subject for any length of time, his recollection seemed most affected, after stating a particular symptom, he would in a few minutes refer to the same symptom as one which he had not previous(ly)mentioned to me. I remained with him until nine o'clock on(the)morning of(the)18th. His mind was in better condition in(the)morning than it was the night before". He further stated: "...I do not believe that he was capable of transacting any business requiring much effort of mind". ______________________

To cross questioning, he replied:

"...on(the)night of 17th of October last, I was at testator's, reached there about nine o'clock. I lay down between eleven & twelve o'clock & rose up about sun-up in morning". He continued: "...the testator on(the)night of 17th requested me to give him something to prevent him from having another chill, the testator gave his reason that he believed he would not be able to stand another chill.[Dr. J. D. Long testified that Crawford administered quinine that night] He continued: "On morning(of)the 18th, he informed me he wished to get ready enough to have some writing done, he did not state what kind of writing he wished done & he said nothing about what disposition he had made or intended making of his property". To the question of John Jr. asking him, "to go see & attend to his sick negroes(because)his wife was nearly run down", Dr. Long replied, "I have no recollection of testator ever telling any such thing". As to how long he remained with John Jr., he answered: "...I believe I remained with testator in(the)house from(an)hour to(an)hour and quarter, some of the sick negroes came in the house for me to examine them, (I)have no recollection of the testator saying anything to me about the sick negroes at(the)time".

When asked: "Did or not testator, when the family announced that breakfast was ready, tell you to go into the kitchen to breakfast & to help your-self", Dr. Long replied: "I do not recollect of the testator saying anything at that time". To another inquiry he replied: "The testator knew me and others that was about him". To whether John Jr. was "...able to get up & down without help"- he answered: "I did not see him out of the bed". And to this very direct question: "When you went to leave, did, or not, Micajah Williamson tell you that testator intended having his will made that day & ask you your opinion as to the state of his mind? If yea, did you or not tell him that he was in his right mind! & did this conversation not occur as you were going to the gate?" Dr. Long replied: "I have no recollection of any such conversation occuring". When asked about his association with John Jr., he answered: "I have met with testator occasionally during ten years past. I visited his family twice professionally previous to his last sickness and have stopped at his house several times, when passing, and testator has visited my shop occasionally".

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