Our History
Father-and-son country doctors and a village farmstead (and cats)…
Dr. Edwin C. “Doc” Remick and his father, Dr. Edwin Remick.
Over 200 Years of History
The Remick family settled in Tamworth over 200 years ago. Six generations of the same family worked the land of the farmstead, prospered, and were active in the town’s history. The last two generations of the Remick family produced country doctors: Dr. Edwin Remick (1866–1935) and Dr. Edwin Crafts Remick (1903–1993), each of which served the rural community where they were born and raised. Together they provided a combined 99 years of continual medical care for the residents of Tamworth and surrounding towns.
Before his death in 1993, Dr. Edwin Crafts “Doc” Remick created a foundation to preserve the family farmstead and history of the country doctor in a way that the public could directly learn from and enjoy. The Remick family’s 200-year-plus history in Tamworth gives us all a glimpse into how people farmed, worked and played in this idyllic landscape.
Country Doctors
Historically, country doctors practiced and lived in the same town, generally a rural community. Their patients were local townspeople and visitors to the town. A country doctor often tended to several generations of the same family and addressed a wide range of medical issues, encompassing a patient’s physical and emotional health and, in some instances, cradle to grave.
House calls were a major component of a rural doctor’s work. If it was impossible or not practical for patients to travel to the doctor, the doctor went to them. Frequently, doctors or nurses serving rural areas would stay for extended periods of time in the homes of patients who were critically ill or were waiting to deliver a baby.
Dr. Edwin C. Remick glides down Cleveland Hill Rd. toward the center of Tamworth Village. The farm grounds are visible in the background.
The Remick Family Tree
The Remick Family Tree, part of which is shown at left, is on permanent display in the “History of the Remick Farmstead: Family & Farm” exhibit in the Museum Center.
The chart’s historical information was gathered by Ronald “Ron” Remick, Jr., with assistance from Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, Joan Casarotto, and family members. The family tree is complete up to Ron’s father’s generation.
View the Remick Family Tree.
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The History of Cats at Remick
As photographs attest, while growing up in the Captain Enoch Remick House (Cleveland Hill Rd.), Edwin C. “Doc” Remick’s family kept house pets. As he grew, Doc’s love for cats followed him into adulthood and married life.
Doc Remick and his wife, Marion Miles Remick, adored cats and shared their home at 58 Cleveland Hill Rd. (now the Museum Center) with them for more than 50 years. Records do not document all their names; however, Siamese cats “Mei Ling” and “Chiang Kai Shek” lived here, as well as “Obie,” the last Remick cat. Whether enjoying Marion’s garden, sitting on shelves in the pharmacy at the doctor’s office or adventuring in the dairy and horse barns, these beloved companions brought Doc and Marion much joy.
