A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
"A Midwife's Tale" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a historical account centered around the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a midwife in late 18th and early 19th century America. The book provides a rare glimpse into the daily experiences and challenges faced by women during the years 1785 to 1812, particularly in relation to medical practices, societal norms, and the female economy. Through Ballard's extensive diary, Ulrich uncovers the complexities of midwifery, which encompassed not only the birthing process but also broader themes of social control, family dynamics, and healthcare systems of the time.
Ulrich's research is significant as it fills a gap in historical narratives that often overlook women's contributions and perspectives. By comparing Ballard's experiences with those of her contemporaries and drawing from various public records, Ulrich enriches the understanding of women's roles in their communities. The work highlights key issues such as class conflict, sexual mores, and the economic impact of women, offering a comprehensive portrait of their lives during this transformative period. Winning the Bancroft Prize for American history, "A Midwife's Tale" stands as an essential contribution to women's history, emphasizing the vital role of midwives and the societal shifts that led to the rise of male physicians.
Subject Terms
A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
First published: 1990
Type of work: History
Time of work: 1785-1812
Locale: Maine
Principal Personages:
Martha Ballard , a midwifeEphraim Ballard , Martha’s husbandJonathan Ballard , Martha’s sonSally Pierce , Jonathan’s wifeDr. Benjamin Page , a young doctor determined to make midwifery a part of his practiceMehettable Pierce , Sally’s younger sisterJohn Vassall Davis, Jr. , a prominent local man who fathered a child by MehettableHenry Sewall , the town clerk of Hallowell and a diaristIsaac Foster , andRebecca Foster , a local minister and his wife who alienated the people in HallowellJudge North , a man who is accused of raping Rebecca Foster and at whose trial Martha is a witnessCaptain James Purrinton , the murderer of all but one member of his family
Form and Content
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s interest in writing A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 was the result of a visit to the state library in Augusta, Maine, to look at two diaries she had seen in a bibliography of women’s history. Realizing the treasure trove that Martha Ballard’s extensive diary was, Ulrich began to work on Martha’s story. While the major focus of the book is on Martha Ballard’s work as a midwife, the work provides insight into the social history of the 1785-1812 era: medical practices—birth, delivery practices, obstetric mortality, diseases; the female economy; sexual and matrimonial mores; debtor prisons; class and generational conflicts. Because there are few women’s diaries for this period, Ulrich’s work is an important contribution to the understanding of the day-to-day life of a woman who was a working professional, a mother, and a wife.
Ulrich’s previous work on Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750 (1982) gave her the perfect background for understanding Martha’s diary, since it enabled her to see things in the diary entries that others might have missed. She supplemented the Ballard diary with an examination of the diaries of her contemporaries, Henry Sewall and William Howard, the wealthiest man in Hallowell, as well as court and other public records, medical treatises, novels, religious tracts, and records of Maine physicians. By using supplementary sources, Ulrich was able to flesh out the stories that Martha had recorded.
Martha’s diary describes the world of women, a world unmentioned in other sources for the history of this period. It exposes the importance of the female-managed economy for the sustenance of the community. With the aid of Ulrich, the reader can see that Martha’s work as a midwife involved a system of early health care, a mechanism of social control, a strategy for family support, and a deeply personal calling. In short, it opens a small and often cloudy window on women’s lives in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century America.
Context
Ulrich’s book, which won the prestigious Bancroft Prize in American history in 1991, constitutes an important addition to women’s history on several levels. It shows the importance of midwifery and women’s eventual replacement by male physicians; it gives detail on rape trials, illegitimacy, relationships between generations, imprisonment for debt, women’s economic contributions, and generational problems. Ulrich’s other works include Good Wives and “Of Pins and Needles: Sources in Early American Women’s History,” in the Journal of American History (1990).
Bibliography
Donegan, Jane B. Women and Men Midwives. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1978. Connects the rise of male-dominated obstetrics with the rise of middle-class morality, reform movements, and emerging feminism. Chapter 3, “‘Churgeons,’ Midwives and Physicians in English America,” provides good background for understanding Ballard’s role in Maine. Excellent bibliography and good illustrations.
Donnison, Jean. Midwives and Medical Men: A History of Inter-Professional Rivalries and Women’s Rights. New York: Schocken Books, 1977. Although primarily a book about English midwives, it has two good chapters that relate to midwives in the eighteenth century: “Office of Midwife” and “The Decline of the Midwife.” Donnison believes that the decline of midwives was related to three things: the continuing professionalization of medicine, the invention of midwife forceps in 1720, and the attempt of the middle class to imitate the upper class, who used doctors rather than midwives. Good bibliography, footnotes, and illustrations.
Litoff, Judy Barrett. American Midwives, 1860 to the Present. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1978. Chapter 1, “The Midwife Through-out History: A Brief Overview to 1860,” mentions Ballard and her diary. Excellent for tracing the fall of midwives and the rise of male doctors delivering babies. Excellent bibliography of primary and secondary sources, including theses and dissertations.
Towler, Jean, and Joan Bramall. Midwives in History and Society. London: Croom Helm, 1986. This history traces midwives from prehistoric times and includes the issue of witches and midwives. Good for English background on midwifery. Mentions three books on midwifery written by women in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Includes illustrations, footnotes, and suggestions for further reading.
Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. “Document: Martha’s Diary and Mine.” Journal of Women’s History 4 (Fall, 1992): 157-160. Ulrich’s acceptance speech for the Bancroft Prize offers insights on how she was able to interpret and squeeze the most historical meaning out of Ballard’s diary.