Dr. Jacob Heald Way

Dr. Jacob Heald Way, 1841-1887
Homeopathic Physician
 
Buried in Masons Cemetery, Block 7, Lot 1, Grave 7

(Grave marker image courtesy of
​Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.)

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Jacob Heald Way of Chester County, Pennsylvania, was a Civil War veteran and homeopathic physician.
 
A descendant of a prominent Quaker family that has lived in Pennsylvania since 1692, Jacob Way was born on February 3, 1841, in East Marlborough Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania to Jacob Way (1797-1848) and Mary Jackson (1801-1889). 
 
During the Civil War, young Jacob served for a period of nine months in Company A, 124th Pennsylvania Infantry.  
 
Following his discharge on May 16, 1863, Way enrolled in Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. Shortly after graduating, he married a fellow Quaker, Rachel Ann Pugh, on April 8, 1866. She was the daughter of Abner Pugh and Charlotte Wickersham. 
 
The young couple then moved to Nebraska City, Nebraska, where Way began his medical career. Their first child, a daughter named Charlotte, was born on February 24, 1867.
 
In 1869, Way opened his own practice as a homeopathic physician, surgeon and obstetrician. He joined the Masonic Order and became a Good Templar. In addition to his medical practice, he bought a 160-acre farm and raised poultry which he sometimes exhibited at local fairs. The Ways’ second child was born on November 20, 1870, but died in 1872.
 
In 1874, Dr. Way suffered a bout of ill health, sold his Nebraska practice and returned to Pennsylvania, where he seems to have recovered. In April 1876, he set up a new practice there. On November 7, 1876, the Ways had a third child, Abner. 
 
The Ways’ fourth child, Mary, was born on November 20, 1880. However, she fell ill and died on August 24, 1886, at Longport, New Jersey, while the family was visiting the seashore.
 
After 1876, Dr. Way’s health was never robust, and cold weather exacerbated his symptoms. After being diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1883, he sold his medical practice in West Chester and, in October 1885, decided to move permanently to Tempe, Arizona, in hopes that the desert climate would restore his health. Once there, he rode twenty miles a day, slept in the open air on the front porch of his house, and reported himself much improved.   
 
Unfortunately, Way’s health took a turn for the worse in 1887, when hot weather set in and he was unable to continue his ambitious regimen. He died on September 3, 1887, and was buried in Masons Cemetery, Phoenix, Arizona, where he has a private headstone. Way also has a marker in Little Elk Friends Burying Ground, Hickory Hill, Chester County, Pennsylvania, as do his children, although they too died elsewhere.
 
© 2026 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 18 August 2026.

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