Jonathan Sellman MD
John Sellman, MD, was the first doctor, a contract surgeon from
1806 to 1817 at the Newport Barracks. He was born in Annapolis, Maryland
in 1764, came from a good family and received an excellent general education.
He entered the Army as a Surgeon's Mate and arrived at Fort Washington in
Cincinnati with General Wayne in 1793.
He resigned in 1794 and took up residence on Front Street between Sycamore and Broadway. He continued his practice until his death in 1827. For several years he was Surgeon at the Newport Barracks. This was many years after he resigned from the Army and show how highly his skill was valued by the government.
He was not a graduate in medicine but possessed, in a high degree, a natural talent for the practice of medicine. he was a staunch friend of the Medical College of Ohio, and in 1826, the latter institution conferred upon him the honorary degree "Doctor of Medicine".
In 1798, Susie Newton, an employee of John Sellman, stole scientific instruments from the doctor. While on trial, she claimed that Isaac Newton was her ancestor and a scientific mind ran in the family and she couldn't resist. However, she had pawned them and bought one gallon of applejack. She was fined $33.00 and received 28 lashes on her bare back at the public whipping post.
Dr. Sellman died in 1827 in Cincinnati.