John Rhea Barton Willing (December 21, 1864 – September 2, 1913) was an American music enthusiast and violin collector who was prominent in New York and Philadelphia society during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

Early life

Willing was born in Philadelphia on December 21, 1864. He was the only surviving son of Edward Shippen Willing (1822–1906) and Alice Bell (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Barton) Willing (1833–1903). His siblings included Susan Ridgway Willing, who married Francis Cooper Lawrence Jr.; Edward Shippen Willing Jr. who died at age six; and

Ava Lowle Willing Ava Lowle Willing (September 15, 1868 – June 9, 1958) was an American socialite. She was the first wife of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV and later married Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale. Early life Ava Lowle Willing was born on September ...

who was married to John Jacob Astor IV and Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale. His maternal grandfather, and namesake, was Dr.

John Rhea Barton John Rhea Barton (April 1794 – January 1, 1871) was an American orthopedic surgeon remembered for describing Barton's fracture. Early life Barton was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in April 1794. He was the son of Elizabeth (née Rhea) B ...

, an orthopedic surgeon best remembered for describing

Barton's fracture A Barton's fracture is a type of wrist injury where there is a broken bone associated with a dislocated bone in the wrist, typically occurring after falling on top of a bent wrist. It is an intra-articular fracture of the distal radius with disloc ...

.Barton JR. Views and treatment of an important injury of the wrist. ''Medical Examiner'', Philadelphia, 1838; 1: 365-368 His paternal great-grandfather was Thomas Willing,

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...

and the first president of

First Bank of the United States First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

. Willing entered the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1881 and graduated with an A.B. degree in 1885. There, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi (

St. Anthony Hall St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the Calendar of saints, feast day of Anthony the Great, Saint Anthony the Great. The frater ...

). He graduated from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1886.

Personal life

Willing occupied 511 South Broad Street in Philadelphia, which was directly across the street from the home of his grandfather,

, where his mother grew up. In 1892, Willing was included in Ward McAllister's '' The Four Hundred'' purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Willing moved in the "highest social circles" and was considered an accomplished athlete. He was a founding member of the Philadelphia Fencing and Sparring Club. He collected art, including a renowned copy of the Henry Inman portrait of

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

, Chief Justice of the United States. He also made and collected violins, including several instruments considered the finest known. After several years of prominence in society in New York, Philadelphia and

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, around 1893 he "gave up the usual social gayeties" to travel around the United States and Europe "in search of violins and violin lore. His passion for music and for the violin especially soon grew until he gave most of his time to its indulgence." Willing did not marry and had no children. He died from

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

at the

Jefferson Hospital Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals Inc, branded as Jefferson Health, is a multi-state non-profit health system whose flagship hospital is Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City, Philadelphia. The health system's hospitals serve ...

in Philadelphia in 1913 at the age of 48. He was buried at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

in Philadelphia. Willing left the bulk of his estate to his sisters. In his will, he left a Stradivarius violin to his longtime friend,

A. Lanfear Norrie Ambrose Lanfear Norrie (July 27, 1857 – December 22, 1910) was an American businessman and social leader during the Gilded Age. Early life Norrie was born on July 27, 1857, in New York City. He was the eldest son of Gordon Norrie (1830–1909 ...

, who predeceased him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willing, John Rhea Barton 1864 births 1913 deaths People from Philadelphia St. Anthony Hall University of Pennsylvania alumni Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford People included in New York Society's Four Hundred Infectious disease deaths in Pennsylvania Respiratory disease deaths in Pennsylvania Deaths from diphtheria Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)