A sketch of Dr. Heber Plank, 1906
Transactions of the Historical Society of Berks County
Volume II 1905 - 1909
A sketch of Dr. Heber Plank
A paper read before the Historical Society March 13, 1906 by Morton L.
Montgomery.
[This transcription provided by David H. Plank, great grand
son of Dr. David Heber Plank of Morgantown, Pa. It was read was read
before the Society about 60 days after Dr. Plank's death, January 3,
1906]
[Note to the Detwilers of Seville and
other descendents of Melchior Plank: The relationship between
the Plank branch mentioned here and that of Melchior Plank is
uncertain. See the Plank Reunion of 1899
and Plank Reunion of 1900,
available on this website, for some discussion. If any reader has more
information, please forward it to me!--SD]
David Heber Plank was born in Caernarvon Township, Berks County, about
a mile east of Morgantown on November 12, 1842. He was a son of David
Plank and Rebecca, his wife. His grandfather was Rev. Peter Plank, a
Bishop in the Mennonite church, and his great-grandfather was dr. Jacob
dePlank, who emigrated from France in 1710 and settled in Oley
Township, Berks Count, about 1720, becoming the first practitioner of
medicine in that vicinity for many miles.
He was educated in the local schools, in the Millersville State Normal
School, and in the Pennsylvania Stat College. At the age of 21 he took
up the study of medicine under Dr. B.F. Bunn at Birdsboro and in the
Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he
graduated in 1867. Then he traveled through the western states and
Canada for over a year, and returning to Berks county, he located at
Morgantown for the practice of his chosen profession, where he
continued in activity and successful practice for thirty-seven years,
traveling throughout the surrounding county districts of Berks, Chester
and Lancaster Counties as a conscientious and devoted practitioner,
never refusing to respond promptly and willingly to calls for his
services howsoever distant the places or whatsoever the condition of
the roads and weather.
Dr. Plank took a great and constant interest in all local affairs,
whether relating to religion, education, politics, agriculture,
horticulture or history. He was a Warden of St. Thomas Protestant
Episcopal Church at Morgantown for many years. In politics he was a
Democrat. For a number of years until 1893 he had collected numerous
fine specimens of minerals from the lower section of the county, and
these he arranged and exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition at
Chicago, and after the Exposition he presented the collection to the
Pennsylvania State College. Upon the reorganization of the Historical
Society of Berks county, he became a member and was much interested in
its welfare. In June, 1909, at his request, the Society visited
Morgantown, and on that occasion he read a valuable paper on the first
settlements of that vicinity, which is published in the first volume of
the proceeding of the Society. This was the first meeting of the kind
held by the Society away from Reading and it was much appreciated.
Besides taking great interest in cultivation of fruit which he
displayed for a number of years at the exhibition of the Berks county
Agricultural Society, he started the growth of a black walnut grove on
a 20 acre track of hill land a mile north of Morgantown, planting the
walnuts himself in 1882 and watching the development of the grove until
his death, and from the successful experiment he derived much pleasure.
Doctor Plank was of a fraternal disposition, joining the Berks County
Medical Society and several secret organizations, but his predilection
was for domestic life and accordingly showed great devotion to his
family. He was recognized as a man of noble impulses; thoroughly
Christian in character; straightforward, frank and honest in his
business relations; and genial, sociable and communicative with his
friends and associates.
Dr. Plank was married in 1877 to Ida E. Bertolet, the eldest daughter
of Horace and Adeline (Miller) Bertolet. He died on January 3, 1906 in
the 63rd year of his age, leaving his wife to survive him and six sons.