Dr. William Hyser
​
​The Surgeon and The Soldier

William Hyser attended Geneva Medical College in New York from 1849-1850 at the same time as Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in America to obtain an M.D. degree.

Captain William Hyser served in the 6th Michigan Cavalry under the command of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer.

What do we know about Dr. William Hyser, the man who built his home in 1852 that has now become the Hyser Rivers Museum?

We have just a few facts about him that we can be sure of, and only one photo.
If you can add to this story, especially with photos, please let us know!

William Hyser's Early Life

• William Hyser was born in Herkimer County, New York State, on September 11, 1826, the last of eight children.
• He was baptized on Christmas Day.
• His parents, Henerici (Henry) Heiser and Magdalena (Lehna) Schmittin, were descendants of German immigrants who arrived in the 1700s.
• The family lived in a farm house on Shells Bush Road just down the road from “D” School, where it’s presumed William attended.
• They had 35 acres of farmed land, 16 cattle, 4 horses, 16 sheep, and 14 hogs. The family made 138 yards of various types of cloth.
• William Hyser attended Geneva Medical School in Geneva, New York, in 1848 with the now famous Elizabeth Blackstone, the first woman to graduate with a medical degree in the United States.
• He transferred to the University of Buffalo Medical College, opened just 4 years earlier, and graduated in 1850. He was 23 years old.
• He married Janette Sanders on May 4, 1851 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had four children: Herman (1853-1939), Jennie (1862-1957), Frances “Frank” (1867-1940), and Albert (1870—1953). None of the Hyser children had children of their own.

William Hyser's Military Career

• William Hyser enlisted during the Civil War, commissioned as a Captain. He served twice as a Captain in the 6 Michigan Cavalry, first as Captain of Co. F, from October 1862 until injuries sustained in the cavalry fight at Hanover on June 30, 1863, in the Gettysburg campaign compelled his discharge for disability in October 1863.
  
• After recuperating for six months, he obtained a new commission from the Governor of Michigan, again in the 6" Michigan, this time as Captain of Co. D, which he commanded from March 23, 1864, until discharged for the second time on March 23, 1865.
• In addition to his injuries at Hanover, suffered in the fall of his horse, he was rendered deafin one ear from the close explosion of a Confederate shell in the fighting at Trevilian Station.
• Dr. Hyser returned from battle to serve Plainfield Village until his death from cancer in 1909. He and his family are buried in Oakwood Cemetery.