| Sources |
- [S78] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume I, 1930-1954, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 27 Aug 1938.
W. C. Henderson obituary
- [S118] History of early Sevier County Doctors , Beulah Linn, (www.sevierlibrary.org/genealogy/doc/doc.htm).
Dr. Otha Horace Yarberry, Sr. was born Jan.15,1895, in Sevier County, Tn. He was the son of Dr. J.L. and Martha Ann Yarberry. His early education was received from the Sevier County elementary schools and Murphy Collegiate Institute. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree at Lincoln Memorial University, he entered the University of Tennessee Medical School at Memphis and graduated in 1921. He was honored with a special award for the highest scholarship for his four years of study at the University.
Dr. Yarberry came back to Sevier County and set up his medical practice where his father, Dr. J. L. Yarberry, had practiced before him. He took his internship at Knoxville General Hospital. Post-graduate work was done at Vanderbilt University where he studied surgery under the famous Dr. Barney Brooks, Chief of Surgery. He also studied at the New Orleans Postgraduate Medical Assembly, and at Harvard Medical University.
Dr. Yarberry and Stella Henderson were married in 1924. They had one son, Dr. Otha Horace Yarberry, Jr., who also graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical School at Memphis, and is now an anesthesiologist at East Tennessee Baptist Hospital in Knoxville.
In 1945, Dr. Yarberry built a hospital on Cedar Street in Sevierville, where he worked until his retirement. He lived during the era of house calls, and he was ready, day or night, in any kind of weather, to go to the aid of any patient who needed him even though he, at times, had to ride a mule or walk. His greatest interest lay in the care and treatment of those who were ill. His personality was such that he inspired trust and confidence in those he treated. He could always spare the time to talk about things of interest to his patients other than their health. He was truly a "family doctor".
Dr. Yarberry was a stockholder and director of the Sevier County Bank for many years. He gave his best thought, service, and knowledge of local people and economic conditions to the bank.
After Dr. Yarberry's retirement, the Hospital was acquired by Sevier County, renovated and it now houses the Sevier County Public Health Department and other agencies related to Health Care. It is now called the "Yarberry Memorial Building" and stands as a fitting and
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 28 Jan 2013.
CARROLL McMAHAN
Dr. Otha Horace Yarberry Sr.
The remodeled Yarberry Hospital currently houses the Sevier County Public Works offices.
On a humid summer afternoon in the early 1940s, family members and neighbors gathered at the home of Joseph Leak McMahan and Dixie Stover McMahan on Burden Hill to help “Miss Dixie” convert her dining room into a suitable site for Dr. H.O. Yarberry Sr. to perform an appendectomy.
The patient, Mary Parton, was not an immediate member of the McMahan family. Earlier that same day, Dr. Yarberry examined the young girl at her home and diagnosed she was suffering from appendicitis. He told the family to acquire a suitable place for surgery and he would return in the afternoon to operate on the girl.
Once the news spread throughout the small close-knit African-American community, the McMahan family offered their home, which was much larger than the Parton’s modest home.
For years Dr. Yarberry performed medical procedures in homes throughout the county, but this was not an ordinary case.
Mary was one of the 11 children of Henry and Alice Garrett Parton. Their mother was both speech and hearing impaired, as were all of the children except Mary.
Although she was capable of hearing, Mary had not developed adequate communications skills living with a family who communicated primarily with sign language.
When Mary enrolled in Pleasant View School she had trouble communicating with her classmates. Her teacher, Mary B. McMahan, somehow managed to acquire a place for Mary at the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville.
When little Mary returned home for summer vacation she was stricken with appendicitis and Dr. Yarberry was summoned.
When Yarberry arrived after lunch the McMahans’ yard was full of curious onlookers who watched silently as he entered the house with his black bag of medical instruments. After the procedure was successfully completed, the exhausted doctor walked out of the house and stretched out in the grass under a shade tree for awhile before re-entering to check on the patient. He stayed with the young girl most of the night and returned early the next morning and daily for several days to check on her progress.
While not a typical case, the care he provided the poor little black girl is an example of dilemmas often faced by physicians in the days of house calls.
Dr. Otha Horace Yarberry Sr. was born Jan. 15, 1895. He was a son of Dr. Jacob L. Yarberry and Martha Ann Atchley Yarberry. His father practiced medicine out of his home in the Allensville community, which was later flooded by Douglas Lake.
His father drove a horse-drawn buggy on house calls. During the influenza epidemic of 1918, the elder Dr. Yarberry is said to have worked day and night for several months attending to his patients throughout Sevier and Jefferson counties.
After attending Murphy College in Sevierville, Dr. Yarberry earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Lincoln Memorial University and entered the University of Tennessee Medical School, where he was honored with a special award for the highest scholarship when he graduated in 1921.
Following an internship at Knoxville General Hospital, Dr. Yarberry set up his medical practice in Sevierville. Later he studied surgery under the tutelage of the renowned Dr. Barney Brooks at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He also studied at New Orleans Medical Assembly and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Yarberry married Stella Henderson in 1924. Stella was a daughter of William Catlett Henderson and Maude McMahan Henderson. They had one son Otha Horace, Jr. who also studied at the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis and became an anesthesiologist.
Stella Henderson Yarberry inherited her family’s 800-acre farm on the north side of the French Broad River which includes the 1850 house where she was born.
The farm has a panoramic vista which encompasses an unparalleled view of the main ridge of the Great Smoky Mountains and the whole of the Little Pigeon River Valley. It remains in the Yarberry family.
After practicing in several offices in downtown Sevierville and more than two decades of house calls, Yarberry built a new hospital on Cedar Street in 1945. He acquired the property from E.W. “Cap” Paine and his wife, Juanita Massey Paine.
The old house was where Juanita Paine was raised. Ironically, her father, Dr. Z.D. Massey, was a popular doctor who practiced medicine in Sevierville for many years. Dr. Yarberry operated the hospital for 10 years before his retirement.
Interestingly, Dr. Yarberry built his hospital only one block from Broady’s Hospital, which opened in 1940. But both physicians seemed to have all the cases they could handle.
Although his greatest interest lay in the treatment of those who were ill, Dr. Yarberry was known to never get in a hurry.
Often when he made house calls he would take time from his busy schedule to converse with his patients and their families about subjects of mutual interest other than their health.
Yarberry was a stockholder and director of Sevier County Bank for many years. He gave his best thought, service and knowledge of local citizens and economic conditions to the bank.
Several years after Dr. Yarberry’s retirement Sevier County acquired the hospital building. After renovation it was used as the Sevier County Public Health Building until 2012.
Currently the building houses the Sevier County Public Works. The old hospital is now called the Yarberry Memorial Building and stands as a fitting tribute to one of the many well-respected physicians who served the needs of the sick in Sevier County before the days of big compartmentalized medical centers.
— Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments, please contact McMahan at 453-6411 or email to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or email to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1900.
name: Otha H Yarberry
titles & terms:
event: Census
event date: 1900
event place: ED 150 Civil District 15, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
birth date: Jan 1895
birthplace: Tennessee
relationship to head of household: Son
father's birthplace: Tennessee
mother's birthplace: Tennessee
race or color (standardized): White
gender: Male
marital status: Single
years married:
estimated marriage year:
mother how many children:
number living children:
immigration year:
page: 8
sheet letter: A
family number: 140
reference number: 49
film number: 1241596
digital folder number: 004118730
image number: 00263
Household Gender Age Birthplace
head Jacob L Yarberry M 40 Tennessee
wife Martha A Yarberry F 26 Tennessee
son John M Yarberry M 17 Tennessee
son George T Yarberry M 15 Mosoria
daughter Manda P Yarberry F 8 Tennessee
son Otha H Yarberry M 5 Tennessee
daughter Voley Yarberry F 4 Tennessee
daughter Catherine E Yarberry F 1 Tennessee
- [S112] Census, 1910.
name: Otha H Yarbery
birthplace: Tennessee
relationship to head of household: Son
residence: Civil District 15, Sevier, Tennessee
marital status: Single
race : White
gender: Male
immigration year:
father's birthplace: Tennessee
mother's birthplace: Tennessee
family number: 32
page number: 2
Household Gender Age Birthplace
self Jaccob L Yarbery M 50y Tennessee
wife Martha A Yarbery F 37y Tennessee
dau Maud P Yarbery F 17y Tennessee
son Otha H Yarbery M 15y Tennessee
dau Cathrene E Yarbery F 10y Tennessee
dau Ruth E Yarberry F 1y Tennessee
- [S121] Draft Registration.
name: Otha H Yarberry
event: Draft Registration
registration date year range: 1917-1918
event place: Sevier County, Tennessee, United States
gender: Male
birth date: 15 Jan 1895
birthplace: Sevier, Tennessee, United States
country of citizenship: United States
nara publication title: World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards
nara publication number: M1509
film number: 1877690
digital folder number: 005152492
image number: 04766
- [S112] Census, 1920.
Name: Atha H Yarberry
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1920
Event Place: Civil District 15, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Son
Birth Year (Estimated): 1896
Birthplace: Tennessee
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Jacob L Yarberry Head M 60 Tennessee
Martha A Yarberry Wife F 46 Tennessee
Maud P Yarberry Daughter F 27 Tennessee
Atha H Yarberry Son M 24 Tennessee
Cathern E Yarberry Daughter F 20 Tennessee
Ruth E Yarberry Daughter F 10 Tennessee
William L Yarberry Son M 8 Tennessee
Josie Yarberry Niece F 4 Tennessee
Clay Yarberry Nephew M 1 Tennessee
- [S112] Census, 1940.
name: Otha H Yarberry
titles & terms: Jr
event: Census
event year: 1940
event place: Sevierville, Civil District 5, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
gender: Male
age: 14
marital status: Single
race (original):
race (standardized): White
relationship to head of household (original):
relationship to head of household (standardized): Son
birthplace: Tennessee
estimated birth year: 1926
residence in 1935: Same Place
enumeration district number: 78-6
family number: 172
sheet number and letter: 9A
line number: 37
nara publication number: T627
nara roll number: 3933
digital folder number: 005461375
image number: 00163
Household Gender Age Birthplace
head Otha H Yarberry M 45 Tennessee
wife Stella H Yarberry F 37 Tennessee
son Otha H Yarberry M 14 Tennessee
- [S76] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume III, 1974-1986, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 31 Oct 1978.
Yarberry, Dr Otha Horace Sr 83 b. 1-15-95 TN d. 10-31-78 Hillcrest South Knox practicing physician in Sev Co for 55 years f. Dr J L Yarberry m. Martha Ann Atchley Shiloh Cem Survivors: widow Stella Henderson Cedar St Sev 1 son Dr O Horace Yarberry Jr R1 Kodak 3 gc O H III William H John L 3 sis Mrs T H Williams Mrs M H Blazer Maud Holbert 1 bro W L 1 ½ sis Mrs Minnie Gann.
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 376.
|
Search | Advanced Search
1895 - 1978 (83 years)
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
= Link to Google Maps