Mrs. M. Reed, M. D. Physician and Surgeon
Salmer Block
Vermillion, S. D.
The Volante. Volume XV, Number 1. October 2, 1901.
https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/volante/id/3048/rec/1
One little ad in the Volante sparks so many questions. A woman doctor in Vermillion in 1901? Who was she and where did she come from? Where did she go to medical school? What happened to her after she left Vermillion?
The ads for Dr. Reed ran in the Volante from October 1901 to June 1902.
In the 1900 United States Federal Census, there is a Nannie B. Reed whose profession is listed as Physician living in Vermillion. This has to be the same woman. But why is her name listed as Nannie when in the ad she is Mrs. M. Reed? The census states she is married but no additional household members. More questions! The census also tells us she was born in Iowa in February 1871, lived in Vermillion ward 2 and was 29.
Further research found that Nannie Reed died at the age of 33 on January 8, 1905 at her parents’ home. She is buried in Montgomery County, Iowa.
That is all I could find about Dr. Reed.
Another question that came about when researching these questions, is where is the Salmer Block in Vermillion? That question was a little easier to answer thanks to the Clay County Historical Society.
I also found the Salmer Block is now known as 2 East Main Street and McVicker Plaza. Many doctors had their offices on the second floor. More about the history of the building can be found at http://www.cchssd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Spring-2019.pdf
Click to access 2EMain_History_FINALc.pdf
Newspaper are a great resource for historical research. In an effort to help researchers, the University Libraries is resuming digital cataloging of the Volante. Volumes 1, 1887 through volume 19, 1906 are now available on the Digital Library of South Dakota. https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/volante/search/searchterm/Volante/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and/order/date/page/1
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