by Eleanor Roosevelt (who spells his name Bennett). Dr. Bennet began practicing medicine in Lubec and surrounding villages in 1876. He died in 1944 at the age of 96 when the First Lady wrote this tribute in her syndicated newspaper column “My Day.”
Dr. Bennet delivered Franklin and Eleanor’s son, Franklin Jr., on the island of Campobello in 1914. When Roosevelt was fell ill with poliomyelitis while on vacation at their Campobello cottage in 1921, Dr. Bennet accompanied Franklin and Eleanor back to New York City. His son Dr. DaCosta F. Bennet followed in his father’s footsteps and practiced medicine in Lubec almost until his death in 1975.
I was surprised to find that Dr. E. H. Bennet delivered my grandmother, Elizabeth Keegan Rier, in 1892!
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What a fantastic connection! How cool!
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You never know what you’ll find digging into family history. I began to wonder who was delivering babies in the woods of Eastern Maine in the late 1800s. I Googled the doctor’s name who delivered my grandmother and was surprised to find that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had written a tribute to him!
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Dr. Dacosta Bennet’s son Dr.Eben Bennet delivered four of my children in Portland,Maine
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