Father: John Blake White (1781-1859
Mother: Anna Rachel O'Driscoll (1797-1849)
1846 - Graduated, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
1847-1848 - Attended, Medical College of the State of SC, Charleston, SC
1848 - M.D. degree, Medical College of the State of SC, Charleston, SC (from: Charleston, SC; preceptor: Dr. J. Motte Campbell; Thesis: "On Ovarian Cysts")
03/21/1849 - Mother, Anna, died in Charleston, Charleston Co., SC (buried: Saint Philip's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Charleston, SC; FindAGrave #61411940)
09/20/1849 - Married, Claudia Rebecca Bellinger (1828-1854), Charleston, SC
08/21/1850 - Practiced medicine, St. Michael and St. Phillip, Charleston, SC (lived with his father; John, his wife Claudia, and sibs; indexed in the 1850 U.S. Census as O. A. White)
04/15/1854 - Wife, Claudia, died in Charleston, SC (buried: Saint Mary of the Annunciation Cemetery, Charleston, SC; FindAGrave #70751642)
12/12/1855 - Married, Elizabeth Winthrop Chanler (1824-1904), St. Michael and St. Phillip, Charleston, SC
08/24/1859 - Father, John, died in Charleston, Charleston Co., SC (buried: Saint Philip's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Charleston, SC; FindAGrave #35391420)
11/04/1861 - Appointed Surgeon [Note: This appointment was cancelled by the Surgeon General and a later appointment date established.]
11/27/1861 - Sold a pocket case of surgical instruments to Medical Purveyor and Surgeon J. J. Chisolm, Medical Purveyor, Charleston, SC, for $8.00
03/31/1862 - Surgeon, 3rd SC Battalion, Light Artillery (Palmetto Artillery), Wappos Creek, SC
05/26/1862 - Surgeon, 3rd SC Battalion, Light Artillery (Palmetto Artillery), James
Island, SC
05/26/1862 - Surgeon, 3rd SC Battalion, Light Artillery (Palmetto Artillery), James Island, SC
06/14/1862 - In a letter written from Headquarters, Palmetto Battalion, Light Artillery, James Island, SC, to Gen. S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, VA, "General, By a recent order issued from the Medical Director's Office, the Senior Surgeon of each Brigade is required to collect and forward from every Regimental Surgeon the usual Monthly Reports of Sick, etc. In order to determine who this Senior Surgeon is, it becomes necessary to compare among ourselves the dates of our respective appointments. Owing to the migratory character of my present life, to which I am totally accustomed, I have mislaid my Certificate of Appointment as Surgeon which now I am required to produce and show for the first time since I received it. Please therefore do me the favor to forward as soon as possible either a statement under your hand, of my Position, with the date of my appointment or a copy of the original Commission which bears date. I think Nov. 4 1861. I have the honor to remain. Respectfully, your obdt. Servant, Octavius A. White, Surg. Pal. Batt. Lt. Arty." [Docketing on the back of this letter reads, "Sent Duplicate file". but no date is given as to when it was sent.]
08/31/1862 - Surgeon, 3rd SC Battalion, Light Artillery (Palmetto Artillery), McLeod Plantation, James Island, SC [Note: McLeod's Plantation was the site of a Confederate divisional field hospital during the American Civil War.]
09/10/1862 - Court-martialed [G. O. 57/1/1 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida - Gen. Pemberton]
09/28/1862 - Ordered to report to Wilmington, NC [S.O. 176/1 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia & Florida Gen. Beauregard]
10/31/1862 - Absent on detached service, Wilmington, NC
11/12/1862 - Gen. G. J. Rains, commanding, Dist. of Cape Fear, stated, "The Surgeon General has been requested to put Surgeon O. A. White on my staff in place of Surgeon Ashton Miles, who died her [Smithville, NC] of yellow fever"
11/19/1862 - "Surgeon O. A. White will report to Major General G .W. Smith, commanding etc., for assignment to duty in the Cape Fear District" S.O. 271/16]
01/26/1863 - Detailed [S.O. 25/3 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida - Gen.
Beauregard]
02/28/1863 - On detached service examining recruits
03/31/1863 - Chief Examining Surgeon, 1st Congressional District, SC, Columbia, SC
04/01/1863 - Stationed at James Island, SC
04/04/1863 - Confirmed as Surgeon by the Confederate State Senate from SC
04/13/1863 - Detailed [S.O. 82/1 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia & Florida Gen. Beauregard]
05/28/1863 - In a letter written from Charleston, SC, to Surgeon R. L. Brodie, Medical Director, Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, "Surgeon, In consequence of the state of my health, I have to request a furlough of Fifteen days be granted me. I have had no furlough for several months. Asst. Surgeon [George Hilliard] Bright having returned from his leave of absence to Camp and there being only three and a half companies left in our Command to be attended upon I can very easily be spared. I have the honor to remain, Very Respectfully your obedt Servt, Octavius White Surgeon, P. B. S. C." [Docketing on the back of this letter reads, "Approved, R. L. Brodie, Med Director"]
05/28/1863 - Leave granted [S.O. 116/5 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia & Florida Gen. Beauregard]
05/31/1863 - Surgeon, SC Light Artillery, 3rd SC Artillery (Palmetto) Battalion, James Island, SC 06/14/1863 - In a letter written from Society Hill, SC, to Surgeon R. L. Brodie, Medical Director, Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, "Dear Dr., My Furlough expires tomorrow. In addition to my other troubles I am just convalescent from a severe attack of Intermittant [sic] Fever and therefore feel too debilitated for duty. Under these circumstances I am compelled to beg you to recommend my leave of absence be extended fifteen days. Itrust in that time to be able to return to duty. I am very Respectfully, Your obdt Servant, Octavius White, Surg P.A.C.S." [Docketing on the back of this letter reads, "Med Dir. Office, Charleston, SC 06/16/63, Fifteen days leave of absence for Surgeon White fully recommended. S. Choppin, Actg Med Director"
07/01/1863 - On a certificate of disability prepared by P. E. Griffin, M.D., Society Hill, SC, "Surgeon O. A. White of P. B. L. A. having applied to me for a certificate on which to ground an application for extension of leave of absence; I hereby certify that I have carefully examined this officer and find him suffering from a severe attack of articular Rheumatism. I further declare my belief that he will not be able to resume his duties in a period less than twenty days, [signed] P. E. Griffin, M.D., Attendg. Physicn" [Docketing on the back reads,"Med. Director's Office, July 6, 1863, Respectfully referred to Brig. Genl. Thomas Jordan. The certificate is informal, but no Confederate Surgeon is available at Society Hill. R. L. Brodie, Med. Director"]
07/06/1863 - Furlough extended [S.O. 136/6 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia & Florida Gen. Beauregard]
09/08/1863 - In a letter written from James Island, SC, to Surgeon R. L. Brodie, Medical Director, "Dear Dr., By a letter just received from home, I am informed of the Sudden Death of a member of my household & the illness of two of my children; all from diptheria. I am compelled to implore a leave of absence of ten days in order to go and render them medical assistance especially as the Physician of the place is now himself sick and unable to attend. I have the honor to remain, Very Respectfully, Your obdt. servt. Octavius White, Surgeon P. B. S.C. [Docketing on the back of this letter reads, "Hd Qrs, Sep. 8/63, Approved and Respectfully forwarded, E. B. White, Lt. Col, cmd."; Further docketing reads, Medical Director's Office, Charleston, SC, Approved and Respectfully forwarded, R. L. Brodie, Med Director"]
09/10/1863 - Leave granted [S.O. 179/3 Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia & Florida Gen. Beauregard]
09/11/1863 - "Surgeon O. A; White is relieved from his present duty and will report to Col. Peter Mallett at Raleigh, No. Ca. for assignment" [S.O. 216/2]
10/22/1863 - Chief Examining Surgeon, 6th Congressional District, Wilmington, NC
11/11/1863 - As Surgeon, stationed at Wilmington, NC
02/06/1864 - As Surgeon, stationed at Wilmington, NC
07/01/1864-09/301/1864 - Surgeon, Goldsboro, NC
10/25/1864 - "Surgeon O. A. White is relieved from duty in North Carolina and will report without delay to Brigadier General J. H. Winder, Commanding etc. at Andersonville, Georgia [S.O. 254/8]
01/26/1865 - As Surgeon, P.A.C.S., served in Florence, SC, 12/20/1870 - Practiced medicine, Ward 17, New York, New York (lived with wife, Elizabeth, and two children)
1874 - Practiced medicine, 222 Second Ave, New York City, NY 06/11/1880 - Practiced medicine, Hempstead, Queens Co., New York (lived with wife, Elizabeth, and one son; indexed in the 1880 U.S. Census as "Octavius D. White")
1890 - Practiced Medicine, 1011 Madison Ave., New York, New York
06/14/1900 - Practiced medicine, Manhattan, New York
- Member, New York Academy of Medicine
- Famous for his expertise on yellow fever
- Introduced the practice of superficial incisions with the os uteri for the relief of stenotic dysmenorrhoea
- Invented several surgical instruments including a new form of laryngoscope, an instrument for the cure of hernia and varicocele, and a hysterotome for practicing safe incision within the neck of the womb
- Master Mason
05/25/1903 - Died of Bright's Disease at his home, 1011 Madison Ave., New York City, NY, after an illness of several weeks (buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY; FindAGrave #61408872)
01/03/1904 - Widow, Elizabeth, died in Manhattan, New York (buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY; FindAGrave #70764829)

This biographical sketch is from:
Hambrecht, F. T. & Koste, J. L., Biographical
register of physicians who served the
Confederacy in a medical capacity.
11/22/2002 Updated 10/15/2021.
Unpublished database.

The following New York Times obituary was added by John Schneider, the creator of this memorial:

Dr. Octavius A. White a famous yellow fever expert, died yesterday at his home 1011 Madison Avenue, in the seventy-eight year of his age. Liver and Kidney trouble was the cause of his death. While a surgeon in the Confederate Army Dr. White was sent into Union lines at Goldsborough, N. C. to treat Northern soldiers afflicted with yellow fever, and in the Confederate prison at Florence, S. C. he won the love of many Union men by his kindness during a similar pestilence. He was born in Charleston, S. C. on February 8, 1826. He was graduated by the College of Charleston in 1846, and by the South Carolina Medical College two years later. He began and continued his practice with success until the opening of the civil war, when he received the commission of surgeon in the Confederate Army., At the close of the war he moved to New York, where he lived until his death. Dr. White first introduced the practice of superficial incisions within the osuteri for the relief of stebotic dysmenorrhea. He made several important medical inventions. He never believed in doctors writing long books on medical science. He held that discoveries were being made with such rapidity that by the time a book was finished principles and opinions expressed in the first part of the volume would be out of date. He was a strong believer in the good of periodical literature on medical subjects, and he put his beliefs into practice. He was a member of the New York Academy of Medicine and of many other medical societies. He was a Master Mason. He was twice married, first to Claudia R. Bellinger of Charleston, S.C. in 1849 and the second time to Elizabeth Winthrop Chanler of New York in 1855. He leaves three children. They are Dr. John Blake White, Mrs. Ledyard Stevens, and Mrs. Berkeley Mostyn of this city. Dr. White Was a contemporary and associate of J. Marions Sims and T. G. Thomas both famous physicians. White was the son of John Blake White and Anna Rachel O'Driscoll, both of Charleston, S.C.