Title	Best, John E.
Description	John Ellison Best was born in McHenry County, Illinois to Michael and Hannah Best on October 31, 1843. His parents came to the area from Canada in 1840 and settled near Woodstock. John attended public schools, followed by a course at Todd Seminary in Woodstock. At the age of 19, he enlisted as a private in the 95th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Soon after joining, he contracted dysentery and was hospitalized for many months. He was honorably discharged with a medical disability in 1863. After his army experience, he entered Rush Medical College and graduated in 1870. He came to Arlington Heights in March of that year to begin his medical practice. On December 23, 1867, John Best married Celestia Taylor. Together they had two children, Emma and Bruce. Emma was born in 1873 and died in her sixteenth year. Bruce, born in 1876, went to Rush Medical College and joined his father’s medical practice after graduation. Mrs. Celestia Best passed away in 1895. After the death of his first wife, John Best married Nellie Noyes on August 5, 1896. Miss Noyes was born October 21, 1856. She came to Arlington Heights with her parents when she was 15 years old. In the 1880s, she was teaching at the Arlington Heights public school. Nellie was a founder of the public library and devoted much of her time to philanthropic organizations after the death of her husband. Dr. John E. Best died in 1906 after a five week illness and was buried in Arlington Heights-Wheeling Township Cemetery. His funeral was the largest Arlington Heights had seen up to that time. It was estimated that about 1600 people attended the funeral. This item is part of the collection of the Arlington Heights Historical Society (http://www.ahmuseum.org).
Subject	Physicians
Keywords	doctors
Proper Names	Best, John E.; Noyes, Nellie; Best, Nellie Noyes; Best, Bruce T.; Best, Emma; Best, Nellie
Organization	Rush Medical College
Participant	Arlington Heights Memorial Library with materials owned by the Arlington Heights Historical Society
Contributing Institution	Arlington Heights Memorial Library with materials owned by the Arlington Heights Historical Society
Date	Circa 1880
Type	Photograph
Format	Paper
City	Arlington Heights
State	Illinois
Country	United States
Decade	1880s (1880-1889)
Copyright	Notice: This material may be protected by U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U. S. Code). May not be reproduced without permission from the Arlington Heights Historical Society.
AcquisitionData	Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), 100 DPI, 8-bit color (256 colors)
DateCataloged	2009-08-04
PlaceKept	Located at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, AHHS Collection, Arlington Heights Historical Society Archives
Language	English
Audience	Intended for genealogists and local history researchers.
Collection Name	Arlington Heights People and Places