John William (Johan Wilhelm) Neergaard

23 Apr 1810 - 25 May 1880

(Richard H Neergaard's great grandfather)

Son of Henrick Neergaard and Anne Catherine Peterson; emigrated to Am

erica from Denmark in the mid 1830's, reportedly for political reasons. He settled in New York City, became "John William", and established himself as a physician, subsequently "retiring into the less demanding practice of pharmacy for reasons of health" In 1848, he married Margaret Ann Thompson, with whom he fathered eleven children: Edward, Mary, Theodore, Louis, Sydney and Clifford, plus five other children who died young. ". Prior to his emigration from Denmark, he had been married to Laura Hostrup, and divorced. There were two children from this marriage, son Johan, a lieutenant killed in a war with Germany, in the battle of Dybbol, and daughter Anne, who married Nickoli Petri. There are today several physicians named Petri in Denmark, descendants of this marriage.

John William was highly regarded in the New York State medical community (NY Times Obit 27 May 1880, p 5 col 6). He founded a chain of pharmacies in New York City, the last of which, on the upper east side of Manhattan, disappeared around 1970. (Another Neergaard from a different branch of the family, third cousin Julius (de) Neergaard (b 1861), came over from Denmark in the 1890's and founded a Neergaard Pharmacy in Brooklyn, to which two more outlets were added after 1900. The last Neergaard owner of this Brooklyn chain, William Field de Neergaard, retired from the business 1987, but two Brooklyn pharmacies still exist with the Neergaard name. WFdeN reports that the success after WWII of this Brooklyn chain was largely due to the original pharmacy initiating a 24-hour operation, one of only two pharmacies in New York to provide this service.)

A report on John William Neergaard's Manhattan Pharmacy appeared in the 1884 Directory of "New York's Great ['Great' is on title page; internal pages say 'Leading'] Industries", pg. 263. It pictures the initial Neergaard Pharmacy, reporting it as having been established 1832 at the corner of 4th and Bowrey, and moved in 1850 to its contemporary 1183 Broadway location. The Directory says: "One of the most celebrated pharmacists in this country"...."A chemist of rare abilities and talents."

John William was president of Examining Board of the American Pharmaceutical Association, and the New York College of Pharmacy, ".....greatly respected by the community for his sterling ability and strict integrity .... [his] establishment is unsurpassed for equipment and purity ..... enterprising and reliable, cautious and exact, this house has secured the confidence of the public to a marked degree....". The article goes on to say that he was succeeded after his death in 1880 by his son Sidney, who had graduated from the New York College of Pharmaceutical in 1879.

The New York Times Obituary of John William's grandson William Bigelow Neergaard (22 June 1963, p 23, col 5) states: Grandson of William Neergaard, founder and Vice President of the College of Pharmacy of New York, later a part of Columbia University. (Evidently John William was sometimes known simply as William).

There are several mentions of John William Neergaard in the book by Dr Curt P. Wimmer, professor of pharmacy, "The College of Pharmacy of the City of New York - Included in Columbia University in 1904 - A History", published 1929. A biographical mention on page 134 goes: "Again it becomes necessary to record the loss by death of several men of importance. Dr John William Neergaard died on May 25, 1880. He was born in Denmark in 1810. In 1837, soon after he came to this country, he opened a drug store. In 1845 he was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. For a time he owned a drugstore at Broadway and Fourth Street, in partnership with Mr. Shedden. When, later, this was dissolved, he opened a store of his own at Broadway at 28th Street. He became a Trustee of the College of Pharmacy in 1859, and served as Vice-President of the Institution for many years. As first president of the Board of Pharmacy his historical importance is undeniable."

Dr Wimmer mentions a Mr C. O. Bigelow as being among prominent men whose services were acquired by the College in the early '80's. There may have been a connection here to the wife of John William's son Edward, who married Anne Theresa Bigelow (b 1854), daughter of C. D. Bigelow.

Dr. Wimmer's book, page 70, recounts how in 1871 the College replaced oral with written examinations drawn up by a committee of five, one of whom was John William Neergaard. Page 219 recounts John William Neergaard's election to the presidency of the first Board of Pharmacy, on June 3rd (1870 ?).

Dr. Wimmer discusses Dr Squibb's lectures in the school, taking his material from the notebook (".....written very neatly and exceptionally well kept") of a Mr. William Neergaard of the class of 1871, almost certainly John William's first son, who died in 1870 at the age of 20.

The Neergaard family lived at 34 E 28th St; both John William and his wife died there. They're buried in the family plot in the Green Wood Cemetery, 5th Avenue and 25th St, Brooklyn, New York, with Olmsteads, their son-in-law's family (reputedly same family as that of Frederick Law Olmsted, famed architect of Central Park, though note difference in spelling) and Kindbergs, John William's sister-in-law's husband's family.

Johan Wilhelm's New York Times obituary says he was primarily responsible for instituting qualification requirements for pharmacists in the State of New York.

Family lore (called into possible question by Death Certificate #7109, which says John William died of a heart attack) is that he was killed in a lab explosion at the school of Pharmacy he founded, the lab subsequently being restored by a gift of his wife. He was memorialized by a bronze plaque on the school wall (reported still to have been there in the 1940's by contemporary descendents), but around 1975 Columbia discontinued its Pharmaceutical School and the building, which was located on 68th Street East of Broadway, NYC, was sold off.

The attending physician at John William's death was Dr. Jones, a family friend who had delivered John William's last surviving child Clifford, and for whom Clifford was given his middle name.