Henry van Hoevenberg was the eldest child of Dr. James Oliver van Hoevenberg and his wife Esther Maria van Hoevenberg. He was the nephew of Martin Henry van Hoevenberg, and the grandson of Dr Henry van Hoevenberg, and he was thus the third consecutive generation of van Hoevenberg physicians in the Kingston area.
He received his medical training at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and shortly afterwards married Sarah Louise Wood in Staten Island. Returning to Kingston, he took over his father's practice and lived in Kingston for the rest of his life.
Dr. Henry was a founder of Kingston Hospital, which opened in 1894, and was its first Chief of Surgery. To mark their centennial in 1994, the hospital dedicated an historical display in one corridor where development of the hospital was shown, including photographs of Dr Henry.
Dr. Henry was also master of the Kingston Masonic Lodge #10, and was buried with Masonic rites. His grandfather, also Dr. Henry, had been master of the same lodge 100 years before.
The story goes that one time his son, Henry Jr., asked his father whether being a doctor was a good way to make a living. To which his father is supposed to have replied, "If you view medicine as a way of making a living, then you really should look elsewhere."
(Adapted from the article "The van Hoevenberg
Family")
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