Near Graysville in Sullivan County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Grave of Jane Todd Crawford
— First Ovariotomy Performed —
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
1. Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
Pioneer Heroine of Abdominal Surgery
Jane Todd was born in Virginia in 1763. In 1805 she and her husband, Thomas Crawford, moved to Green County, Ky. Suffering from a huge abdominal tumor, she rode 60 miles to Danville, Ky., to submit to an operation never before performed. On December 25, 1809, Dr. Ephraim McDowell performed this, the first ovariotomy, in his home. The ordeal lasted 25 minutes. There was no anesthesia. Mrs. Crawford recovered completely. Years later she came to Graysville to live with her son, Thomas, a Presbyterian minister. She died in 1842 at age 78. She is buried here. The restored McDowell home in Danville is a surgical shrine.
Erected 1972 by Woman's Auxiliary of the Southern Medical Association. (Marker Number 77.1972.1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Science & Medicine • Women. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1888.
Location. 39° 8.101′ N, 87° 32.429′ W. Marker is near Graysville, Indiana, in Sullivan County. Marker is on State Road 63 north of State Road 154, on the left when traveling north. located
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Wea Indian Trail (approx. 2.6 miles away); Merom Founded 1817 (approx. 5.6 miles away); Merom Bluff Chautauqua, 1905-1936 (approx. 5.6 miles away); Merom Conference Center (approx. 5.9 miles away); Fairbanks' Massacre (approx. 5.9 miles away); A Civil War Murder (approx. 6 miles away); Hutson Memorial (approx. 7 miles away in Illinois); Sullivan Carnegie Library (approx. 7˝ miles away).
Also see . . . Jane Todd Crawford. McDowell House Museum website entry (Submitted on August 17, 2009, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana.)
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
2. Other Side - - Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
Photographed By Craig Doda, July 29, 2023
3. Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
New paint.
via McDowell Hosue, unknown
4. "Dawn of Abdominal Surgery" by Dean Cornell
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
5. Looking North - - Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
6. Looking South - - Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
7. Looking East - - Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
8. Looking West - - Grave of Jane Todd Crawford Marker
Photographed By Al Wolf, August 16, 2009
9. Johnson Cemetery - Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2009, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana. This page has been viewed 2,357 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 17, 2009, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana. 3. submitted on August 2, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 4. submitted on November 14, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on August 17, 2009, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
