The Pittsburgh Foundation

John Mullin Batten Trust

Established: 3/7/1957

John M. Batten was a doctor that settled in Pittsburgh in 1866. He was born in 1837 to James and Sarah Batten. In addition being a trusted doctor, Batten was also a gifted writer who enjoyed penning memoirs and poetry throughout his life. In his memoir Random Thoughts, he extols his mother Sarah as a "sturdy, kind, straight-forward Christian woman." He credits her strong morals as "beacon lights" that guided him through life. He also admires his father's ingenuity and resourcefulness, describing James as an agriculturalist by necessity but a mechanic by taste and listing his many talents, which included but were not limited to carpentry, masonry, watch making, engineering, and legal expertise.

Batten had a modest country education. Most of the teachers at his schoolhouse were farmers, sons of farmers, or elected citizens. Still, he continued on to receive a degree from the State Normal School of Millersville, located in Lancaster County, and then a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

After passing an examination with the Medical Board of the United States Navy, he joined as an Acting Assistant Surgeon and was appointed to the U.S. steamer Princeton on March 22, 1864. Just one month later he was transferred to the steamer Valley City, in Virginia, where he was involved in several skirmishes with Confederate ships. In September of 1865 he was ordered to Cairo, Illinois for duty aboard the U.S. monitors Oneota and Catawba.

In 1866, he settled in Pittsburgh where he built a large medical practice and became a respected member of the community. Before John died in 1916, he made provisions to establish a portion of his estate to address the problem of orphans in the early 1900s. The provision provided for a home for orphaned boys in Allegheny and Chester counties. That proved difficult to administer, so in 1957 the Orphan's Court of Chester County awarded the residue of the Batten Trust to The Pittsburgh Foundation.

As the need for orphanages waned over time, the Foundation was able to broaden its terms to extend the funds to low-income children and youth. Today the fund supports the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, sends children to summer camps, and pays for programs for children in the Hill District.

Type of Fund

  • Field of Interest