| Life fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | James B. Pettis, M.D. |
| Born | July 21, 1898, in Norfolk, Virginia |
| Parents | William G. Pettis and Mary Hodges |
| Spouse | Winifred W. Tinsley |
| Children | Winifred Graham Pettis and Ann Tinsley Pettis |
| Principal role | Superintendent of Western State Hospital in Staunton |
| Military service | United States Navy in both World Wars; captain in the Naval Reserve Medical Corps |
| Religious affiliation | Trinity Episcopal Church |
Genealogy of James B. Pettis, M.D.
This genealogical account was constructed from the family information contained in the biography below. No relationships or life facts have been added from outside sources.
James B. Pettis was born July 21, 1898, in Norfolk, Virginia, a son of William G. Pettis and Mary Hodges. His paternal grandparents were Judson R. Pettis and Jane Casey. His maternal grandfather was William Hodges.
He married Winifred W. Tinsley of Danville, Virginia, daughter of William Tinsley and Nanny Harvey. Their daughters were Winifred Graham Pettis and Ann Tinsley Pettis.
Family outline
James B. Pettis, M.D.
- Father: William G. Pettis
- Mother: Mary (Hodges) Pettis
- Paternal grandfather: Judson R. Pettis
- Paternal grandmother: Jane (Casey) Pettis
- Maternal grandfather: William Hodges
- Wife: Winifred W. Tinsley
- Father: William Tinsley
- Mother: Nanny (Harvey) Tinsley
- Daughters: Winifred Graham Pettis and Ann Tinsley Pettis
Source
This biography appeared in History of the Shenandoah Valley: Family and Personal Records, Volume III (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1952), pages 38-39.
Verbatim biography
The following is a faithful transcription of the original biography. OCR errors have been corrected against the printed page images, but the original wording, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and factual claims have not been rewritten.
JAMES B. PETTIS, M.D.—As superintendent of Western State Hospital, in Staunton, Dr. James B. Pettis has filled an important position in the professional life of this region of Virginia.
Dr. Pettis was born July 21, 1898, in Norfolk, Virginia, son of William G. and Mary (Hodges) Pettis. His father, who was born in 1856, was a building contractor in Norfolk, son of Judson R. and Jane (Casey) Pettis. Judson R. Pettis, the grandfather, was born in Williamsburg, this state, and served in the Confederate army during the War Between the States. On the maternal side of the house, Dr. Pettis’ grandfather was William Hodges, a native of Deep Creek, Virginia, who was wounded in the course of his service to the Confederacy; prior and after the war he was a planter and shipbuilder, building numerous canal boats and helping in the actual construction of the canal through the Dismal Swamp.
Dr. James B. Pettis, youngest of four children of his parents, attended Norfolk schools, was graduated from high school there in 1916, then entered the University of Wisconsin. At the entry of the United States into World War I, however, in April, 1917, he took steps to become attached to the armed forces, and in August of that year he became a seaman, first class, in the navy, serving until 1919. He then was mustered out of the service and returned to college, first of all to William and Mary College, then to Morris Harvey College, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1923. Later he entered the Medical College of Virginia, where he was graduated in 1930 as a Doctor of Medicine.
After an interneship of two years at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, in Washington, D. C., Dr. Pettis was resident psychiatrist at that institution. He then became ward surgeon and neuro-psychiatrist at the Veterans’ Hospital in Oteen, North Carolina, for a short time, after which he was appointed director of the Mental Hygiene Clinics at Marlboro, Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1933. Continuing in that position for six years, he became clinical director of Western State Hospital in Staunton in 1939. Two years later his work here was interrupted by World War II, in which he was commissioned a lieutenant commander in the navy on September 29, 1941. Later he received a captain’s commission, serving until July 23, 1946. He still holds his commission as a captain in the Naval Reserve Medical Corps. He returned to Staunton on September 17, 1946, resuming his work with Western State Hospital, this time as superintendent of the institution.
He continues in this work down to the time of writing, and is also associated with many medical and scientific bodies. He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and also a Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association, member of the Augusta County Medical Society, the Virginia State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and other groups. He is president of the State Neuro-Psychiatric Society and chairman of the Mental Hygiene Committee of the State of Virginia. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Rotary Club, the Medical Society of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital (Washington, D. C.), and the Sigma Nu, Chi Beta Phi and Chi Phi fraternities. He is a vestryman of Trinity Episcopal Church.
Dr. James B. Pettis married Winifred W. Tinsley, of Danville, Virginia, daughter of William and Nanny (Harvey) Tinsley. Her father was a plantation owner throughout his active career, but is now deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Pettis became the parents of the following children: 1. Winifred Graham, born June 23, 1929, entered Randolph-Macon College. 2. Ann Tinsley, born May 2, 1934, became a student at Stuart Hall.