Midwives in Arkansas

While I was browsing new and updated databases available through the Ancestry Library Edition subscription at the Central Arkansas Library System, a database caught my attention: Arkansas, U.S. State Licensing for Embalmers, Funeral Directors, and Midwives, 1935-1970. The inclusion of “Midwives” is what drew my eye.

Working in the library’s genealogy department, I often hear from patrons who have oral histories describing an ancestor’s service in the community as a midwife. This database helps confirm those stories. It is not a comprehensive list but shines a light on a history not always documented or recorded.

The database covers each county in the state, listing midwives by name, location, and “color.” Glancing through the records, I see that Pulaski County lists the individual addresses of the licensees, while other counties just show the city or town where they lived.

The emotional connection to this information is invaluable, and documented proof of the oral history can be shared with generations not yet born. Imagine a family member working in the medical field today who can trace their roots to the ancestor who served as a midwife. Imagine what skill set would be used today, earned through structured educational paths compared to those who learned through apprenticeship or by personal experience.

Examining the list, a name stood out as if to say, “Look at me!” This midwife’s name is Louisa Mayberry born on February 14, 1877, and exited the world on June 1, 1948, in Wabbaseka, Jefferson County, Arkansas. A public family tree on the Ancestry database has a photo of her submitted by a family member.

Another name in Jefferson County is Pearlie Mae Ringo Butler. A newspaper search reveals she was one of the first four women to complete the Pine Bluff School for Therapy Technicians (Masseuses and Masseurs). This is the first black-owned licensed school of its kind in the state of Arkansas according to an Arkansas Gazette article dated July 8, 1972. Ida Bell Thomas is the owner/operator of the school. Earnestine Parks, Mary J. Williams, and Luvenia L. McCoy complete the foursome to be the first licensed through the Pine Bluff School for Therapy Technicians.

Minnie Trimble, Georgia Woolfolk, Indiana Baccus, and Lucy Tuberville grabbed my attention for Pulaski County. Capitola Bennett and Sallie Brown are listed in Craighead County. Prairie County lists Lillie W. Pinkney, Clara Swanigan, and Virginia Ann Webb. Union County lists Ola Biggs, Blanche Cooksey, and Callie Fike.

Woodruff County lists Mary Kearney, Jessie Coleman White, and Izona Anthony. Clark County lists Mollie Littlejohn, Martha Pettus, and Dora Swinton. Logan County lists Malinda Parker and Melvian Collins. Lonoke County lists Daisy Bland, Arkie Houston Everett, Alice Halliburton, and Ida Sabbs.

Midwife records for Cynthia Mitchem Canady, Bettie Byrd, and Julia Gunnels are in the Conway County list.

These names are just a sample of the many listed in this database. Their service drives my imagination as I remember a story told by my relative, Mary Jean Hodges, about the arrival of a new relative in 1962. Each name has a life story to share. Each name is part of community history. Each name ensures that the arrival of a child is documented history. And the story of each life delivered by a midwife leads to the realization that greatness often hides in humbleness.

Read more about midwifery in Arkansas, past and present, on the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

***

CALS has many research tools to offer. In the Ancestry Library Edition, which is in-library access only, you can research family history by looking for obituaries, burial notices, church records, immigration files, census data, and more. It includes historical maps and many other genealogy resources, and it covers the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other regions.

Rhonda Stewart is the genealogy and local history specialist for the Central Arkansas Library System’s Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, housed in the CALS Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art.