William Henry Egle

William Henry Egle
Born(1830-09-17)September 17, 1830
DiedFebruary 19, 1901(1901-02-19) (aged 70)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
OccupationPennsylvania State Librarian (1887–1889)
Spouse
Eliza Beatty
(m. 1860)
Parent(s)John Egle and Elizabeth (Von Treupel) Egle
Signature

William Henry Egle (1830–1901) was a physician, author and historian who served as the State Librarian of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1887 to 1889. A practicing physician at the dawn of the American Civil War, he was initially commissioned as an assistant surgeon, and then served as a surgeon with several different Union Army regiments during the course of the conflict, including the 116th Regiment Infantry, U.S. Colored Troops (USCT).[1][2]

Post-war, he garnered the respect of colleagues in his respective fields of endeavor, particularly so for his body of work which documented Pennsylvania's history from its founding through the late 19th century – excerpts of which continued to be reprinted in newspapers following his death in 1901 and are still cited as references by present-day historians and professional genealogists. His death was "deeply mourned" by many, according to historian Luther Reily Kelker, who said of Egle, "few brighter, nobler types of manhood have ever adorned the generations of men in the Keystone State."[1]

  1. ^ a b Kelker, Luther Reily. History of Dauphin County: Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. III. New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907, pp. 7–9.
  2. ^ "Dr. William H. Egle". The New York Times. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. February 20, 1901. p. 9. Retrieved March 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.