Dr. George Willis Hartman (1872-1965)

George Willis Hartman was Grandma Hartman's third child -- and third son.

(Photo: seated - Elizabeth
"Grandma" Hartman; standing (left to right) - Mary Elizabeth Hartman, Willis Hartman, George Willis Hartman, Jr., circa 1915)

Uncle Willis, as he was known to most family members, was born on June 6, 1872, to George and Elizabeth Hartman. When he entered the world, his older brothers Stewart and Rufus were ages 7 and 2.5, respectively.

In 1898, Uncle Willis graduated from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. The commencement speech was published in The Hahnemann Monthly in June. The speaker commended the graduates for their chosen profession but reminded them that it would not be easy: "The cry of the weak and suffering, from disease or accident; of the helpless infant, of the old and decrepit, must be responded to at any cost." Of course, a physician would see some tough times, but it was a sad foreshadow of what would come in Uncle Willis' personal life.

One year later, on June 6, 1899, Willis married Mary E. Yeagy. The wedding announcement was in that day's edition of The Compiler (although there appears to have been an error as she is listed as "Marie Yeagy").

Mary and Uncle Willis had 6 children together. Sadly, four of the children died as infants. The two children who survived were Mary Elizabeth and George Willis, Jr.

Unfortunately, tragedy was no stranger to Uncle Willis. His wife Mary passed away on May 4, 1914, when she was 37 years old and one month shy of their 15th wedding anniversary.

On July 6, 1916, Willis married the head nurse of the Hartman Private Santiarium, Fanny C. Livingston. His brother Stewart conducted the ceremony.

Then, just 6 years after the death of his first wife, Uncle Willis faced another loss. At age 15, Willis, Jr. was "stricken with an illness which puzzled several specialists who labored vainly to save his life." He passed away on June 28, 1920.

Uncle Willis also lost his second wife to whom he had been married 34 years. Fanny died on July 13, 1950.

Obivously, Uncle Willis was not going to give up on love. He married Jean Thompson on September 13, 1951. She would be the one to outlive Willis -- by 6.5 years.

Willis and Mary's daughter Elizabeth lived until she was 71 years old. She married Theodore C. Seybold in 1946, when she was 43. They had no children, and therefore, the G. Willis Hartman line of the family ended with Elizabeth.

It was apparent that Uncle Willis got the longevity gene from his mother, Grandma Hartman. He lived until he was 92 years old! He passed away on November 4, 1965, and his obituary ran in The Gettysburg Times the following day.