The Minor Family of Somerset

Albert Zadock tillotson taught school in Ridgeville and Camden O
hio while hestudied law with his uncle, Charles A. Metcalf. Al
bert was admitted to the bar in 1893. He practice law in Oberli
n for over forty three years.
The following announcement appered in the Oberlin papers to mar
k the official openingof the new combined law office of Alber a
nd his uncle Charles.
NEW LAW FIRM
Our late fellow townsmen (sic) C. A. Metcalf, Esq., now of Elyri
a, has entered in a law partnership with A. Z. Tillotson, Esq.
, of our city, under the name of Metcalf and Tillotson. Mr. Met
calf will remain in Elyria while Mr. Tillotson will conduct th
e Oberlin office. The Elyria and OBerlin offices willbe connec
ted by telephone this week, giving ample facilities for communic
ations by wire between them.
Mr. Metcal will be at the Oberlin office ThursDayforenoons unti
l furnter notice. Mr. Tillostson has resigned his office as Jus
tice of the Peace and Police Justice, and will devote his entir
e attentionto practice as attorney-at-law. He has made a goo
d record as a magistrate and his retirment is to be regretted.
Albert listed his services in the business directory published i
n The Oberlin News which usually appeared on the frontpage of t
he paper. This directory typically listed attorneys, dentists
, druggists, draymen, music teachers, and livery stables. For e
xample Albert'sentry for FriDay, November 11, 1898 reads as fol
lows:
Attorneys
A.Z. Tillotson, Attorney and Counselor-at-law. Notary Public, a
nd special attorney in the pension department. Office over No 1
9 West College Street, Oberlin, Ohio.Prompt attention given t
o all law business, collections, and pensions. Telephone numbe
r office 11, residence 67.
Albert actively participated in the community, his Church, and i
n professional organizations. He worked to improveconditions fo
r everyone in Oberlin. For exampel, Albert was outraged when h
e leared that patients were being turned away from the local hos
pital for lack of space. He penned the following strong plea fo
r a new hospital. The article appeared in The Oberlin News fo
r December 1, 1909.
A PLEA FOR NEW HOSPITAL
Present Building Not Adequate To The Demands.
May patients have been turned away for lack of accommodations.
The needs of a new hospital for Oberlinare presenting strong ar
guments for an enlargement of the present plant. Thewriter ha
s learned that eighteen would-be patients have been refused entr
ance into oberlin hospital, on account of lack of accommodations
, since August1. The present building has only six rooms, whic
h accommodates nine beds.There are six nurses, who could car
e for twenty-five patients if conditions were favorable.
During the past year there have been ninety-seven patients treat
ed in the hospital, of whom thirty-five were surgical cases, an
d sixty-twomedical. Three were treated in the contagious hospit
al.
The equipment has proven far to inadequate for the demands mad
e upon it.
The present arrangement for a building is very expensive from a
n economical standpoint. The rent of the house is $33.33 per mo
nth. The board of managers (sic) are compelled to rent a room o
utside for the nurses' use at $7.00 per month, and the collegep
ays $25.00 per month for the contagious hospital. This sum woul
d pay interest on $13,000 which would be saved if the associatio
n owned its hospital.
The college furnished twenty-eight per cent of the patients th
e past year, which sows that the town furnished seventy-two pe
r cent of the patients. There is a strong demand for a trainin
g school for nurses in Oberlin on account of the educational adv
antages here, and experience has taught us that nurses are har
d to get, and if we have such a school we will have our own help
. Itis impracticable to start such a school under the presen
t accommodations.
Wht we need is a modern, well equipped hospital,