Dr. William Hewson and Dr. David Caldwell Hewson

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Two doctors, one family, one corner of Southeast Texas, and a story that runs deeper than most folks expect when they're just passing through Orange County. William and David Caldwell Hewson.

The marker puts them together, and that feels right, because their lives were woven tight. William came first. Born in Philadelphia in 1801, he married Mary Ann Bankson in 1821, and the two of them moved their family around for a good while before something pulled them toward Orange in the early 1850s.

Once he landed, William Hewson didn't sit still. He worked as a physician, opened a drugstore, and then, just to keep busy, opened Empire Mills, an early area sawmill. When Orange County organized in 1852, he stepped right into the middle of things, getting involved in construction of the county courthouse and serving as district clerk for several terms.

He also found time for agricultural and church activities. A man spread wide across a young county. He passed away in 1867.

Now his son, David Caldwell Hewson, was one of William and Mary's three sons, born in Pennsylvania in 1826. David married Hannah Bennett in 1847 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School the very next year. The couple moved to Louisiana, had three children, and eventually settled in Orange.

In the 1850s, David divorced Hannah and married Harriet Thomas, and together they had three more children. He worked as a physician and, after his father's death, ran the family drugstore. Then in 1862, David enlisted in the Confederate Army, working for a time as a medical examiner of conscripts.

He came back from the war and his practice prospered. He turned over the store to his son Benjamin, a pharmacist, keeping it in the family just like everything else. In 1884, the Southeast Texas Medical Society elected Dr.

David Caldwell Hewson as president. He died in 1896, and like his father before him, was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Father and son.

Two physicians in a long line of physicians. Pioneer doctors, the marker calls them, who made vital contributions to Orange's development. Buried in the same ground.

That's not just a family story. That's a county's story.

What the marker says

Two in a long line of physicians in their family, William and David Caldwell Hewson were significant figures in orange County. William was born in Philadelphia in 1801. in 1821, he married Mary Ann Bankson and they moved their family several times before settling in orange in the early 1850s. Dr. Hewson worked as a physician and opened a drugstore in Orange. He also opened Empire Mills, an early area sawmill, and after Orange County organized in 1852, he became involved in construction of the county courthouse and served as district clerk for several terms. Hewson also participated in agricultural and church activities before passing away in 1867. Dr. David Caldwell Hewson, one of William and Mary’s three sons, was born in Pennsylvania in 1826. He married Hannah Bennett in 1847 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School the next year. The couple moved to Louisiana and had three children before settling in Orange. In the 1850s, Dr. Hewson divorced Hannah and married Harriet Thomas, with whom he had three more children. He worked as a physician and also ran the family drugstore after his father’s death. Hewson enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1862, working for a time as a medical examiner of conscripts. Upon returning from war, his practice prospered and he turned over operation of the store to his son Benjamin, a pharmacist. In 1884, the Southeast Texas Medical Society elected Dr. Hewson as president. He died in 1896 and, like his father, was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Today, Drs. William and David C. Hewson are remembered as pioneer doctors who made vital contributions to Orange’s development.