William M. Watts papers, circa 1910s-1980
Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Watts, William M., Dr.
- Abstract:
- William M. Watts (1885-1980) was born on February 15, 1885 in Lodi, Texas to Perry and Jane Watts. After earning a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Watts practiced medicine at hospitals in Houston, Texas and Fresno, California before opening the first hospital for African Americans in Oakland, California in 1926 at 3437 Harlan Street in North Oakland. The William M. Watts papers include photographs, patient and account ledger, license applications, newspapers clippings, funeral program, and one edition of the Jackson County Medical Journal.
- Extent:
- .5 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Language:
- Languages represented in the collection: English
- Preferred citation:
-
William M. Watts papers, MS 37, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The William M. Watts papers include photographs, patient ledger, license applications, newspapers clippings, funeral program, and one edition of the Jackson County Medical Journal. The bulk of the papers are 25 photographs of Dr. William M. Watts; portraits and social events of Watts' friends and family; group photographs taken of staff outside of Watts’ hospitals in Oakland, California, Houston, Texas, and Marshall, Texas in the 1910-1920s; and exterior photographs of the church in Lodi, Texas where Watts' was a pastor.
The papers also include a 600 page patient and account ledger kept for Watts Sanitarium in Houston, Texas and Sheppards-Watts Hospital in Marshall, Texas. The ledger includes patients' names and addresses, brief descriptions of ailments and treatments performed by Dr. Watts, and charges paid for medical services. The ledger also includes an account ledger of the sanitarium's costs for automobile maintenance, nurses' salaries, and laundry service.
- Biographical / historical:
-
William M. Watts (1885-1980) was born on February 15, 1885 in Lodi, Texas to Perry and Jane Watts. After earning a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Watts practiced medicine at hospitals in Houston, Texas and Fresno, California before opening the first hospital for African Americans in Oakland, California in 1926 at 3437 Harlan Street in North Oakland. While in Oakland, Watts contributed to Western American, a local African American newspaper, the medical advice column “How to Keep Well.” The hospital closed due to financial troubles in 1927, and Watts returned to Marshall, Texas to operate the Sheppard-Watts Hospital following the death of his brother. Watts continued to practice as a physician until his retirement in the late 1960s.
- Acquisition information:
- Donated to the Northern California Center for Afro-American History Life by Katie Mae Watts and Marjorie Caffee, 1992.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Sean Heyliger, 05/15/2013.
- Arrangement:
-
Series I. Photographs Series II. Patient and accounts ledger Series III. Assorted printed material
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.
Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.
- Terms of access:
-
Permission to publish from the William M. Watts Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
- Preferred citation:
-
William M. Watts papers, MS 37, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
659 14th StreetOakland, CA 94612, US
- Contact:
- (510) 637-0198