HISTORY
HEALTH
HEALTH
MIDWIVES
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created April 29, 2022
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created April 29, 2022
Some Known Midwives Working on Bell Island in Mid-20th Century
NOTES:
I created this list from comments to posts on my Facebook Group, Historic Wabana Nfld. If you have anything to add to this list, or see any errors, please get in touch with me through Facebook or by email at historic.wabana@gmail.com.
The list is alphabetical by surname.
Seeking information for:
Midwife's First name, maiden name, and husband's name.
Midwife's area of operation or neighbourhood (s) served.
Time period in which midwife was delivering babies.
Stories surrounding the birth, including name of doctor who attended.
I created this list from comments to posts on my Facebook Group, Historic Wabana Nfld. If you have anything to add to this list, or see any errors, please get in touch with me through Facebook or by email at historic.wabana@gmail.com.
The list is alphabetical by surname.
Seeking information for:
Midwife's First name, maiden name, and husband's name.
Midwife's area of operation or neighbourhood (s) served.
Time period in which midwife was delivering babies.
Stories surrounding the birth, including name of doctor who attended.
Bennett?
Etta Butt. Scotia No. 1 area. Husband: Jim.
Maria Byrne. Lance Cove area. Also her daughter?
Ethel Cobb. Worked mostly with Dr. Templeman. Scotia Ridge area.
Lillian Crane. West Mines area.
Mary (Mommer) Fitzgerald. Husband: Bernard; first husband: David Galway. Main Street area.
Minnie Fitzgerald. West Mines area?
Mary Ann? Polly Connors Fitzpatrick. Lance Cove Road area. Worked with her daughter, Maggie Hibbs.
Mary Galloway (Is this the same woman as "Mary Galway"?)
Alfreda Galway
Mary Helen (or Ellen) Galway. Maiden name: Mercer. West Mines? or Scotia Ridge? Husband: John James Galway.
Margaret (Maggie) Hibbs. Maiden name: Fitzpatrick. First husband: Lane. Lance Cove Road area. Husband's name: Jim Hibbs. Trained by and worked with her mother: Mary Ann? Polly Connors Fitzpatrick.
Maud Higgins. Town Square area. Husband: Duncan.
Clara Ivany. West Mines area.
Jane Jenkins. Maiden name: Mugford. Husband: Charles Jenkins.
Anne Kavanagh. East End area.
Aggie Kennedy. Lance Cove area. 1940s-50s.
Mary Kennedy. Lance Cove area.
Bride Kent
Lamswood?
Annie Lewis
Lillian Moakler, RN.
Agnes Petrie, RN.
Bridget (Bride) Pitts. Maiden name: Murphy. 2nd wife of Willard Pitts.
Mary Pumphrey. West Mines/Middleton Avenue area. Husband: Isaac Pumphrey.
Etta Butt. Scotia No. 1 area. Husband: Jim.
Maria Byrne. Lance Cove area. Also her daughter?
Ethel Cobb. Worked mostly with Dr. Templeman. Scotia Ridge area.
Lillian Crane. West Mines area.
Mary (Mommer) Fitzgerald. Husband: Bernard; first husband: David Galway. Main Street area.
Minnie Fitzgerald. West Mines area?
Mary Ann? Polly Connors Fitzpatrick. Lance Cove Road area. Worked with her daughter, Maggie Hibbs.
Mary Galloway (Is this the same woman as "Mary Galway"?)
Alfreda Galway
Mary Helen (or Ellen) Galway. Maiden name: Mercer. West Mines? or Scotia Ridge? Husband: John James Galway.
Margaret (Maggie) Hibbs. Maiden name: Fitzpatrick. First husband: Lane. Lance Cove Road area. Husband's name: Jim Hibbs. Trained by and worked with her mother: Mary Ann? Polly Connors Fitzpatrick.
Maud Higgins. Town Square area. Husband: Duncan.
Clara Ivany. West Mines area.
Jane Jenkins. Maiden name: Mugford. Husband: Charles Jenkins.
Anne Kavanagh. East End area.
Aggie Kennedy. Lance Cove area. 1940s-50s.
Mary Kennedy. Lance Cove area.
Bride Kent
Lamswood?
Annie Lewis
Lillian Moakler, RN.
Agnes Petrie, RN.
Bridget (Bride) Pitts. Maiden name: Murphy. 2nd wife of Willard Pitts.
Mary Pumphrey. West Mines/Middleton Avenue area. Husband: Isaac Pumphrey.
Some of the History of Midwifery in Newfoundland
From the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. 3, p. 536:
In Newfoundland and Labrador, lay midwifery, performed by women who rarely had formal training, remained a common practice until the 1920s and beyond. As late as 1923, there were only 40 doctors practicing outside of the Avalon Peninsula, even though the rural population amounted to about 70% of the total population. The midwife was virtually the only provider of maternity care for most women in rural Newfoundland. Indeed, she was often the general community "nurse" as well. Depending in part on the size of the community, there was often more than one midwife.
The typical Newfoundland midwife received no formal instruction in obstetrics and was generally not educated beyond the elementary school level. Training was usually by way of an apprenticeship to an older midwife from whom she received practical training and whatever folk medicine the older midwife knew. Midwifery skills were also passed on from mother to daughter or through self-education. The lay midwife was generally a married woman with a large family. Most did not begin practicing until their children were grown, usually in their mid-forties. Some began practicing out of necessity when their husbands died, midwifery being one of the few types of work available to women, while others did it simply as a community service.
The midwife's work involved not only giving prenatal advice and assisting at birth, but usually postnatal care as well, which often extended to doing the housework of the new mother. Services such as staying with the mother and baby after the delivery, disposing of the bedding upon which the birth had taken place, and daily checks on the mother and baby were also provided. The fee was quite small and was often paid in kind, when at all. Many Newfoundland midwives attended hundreds of healthy births during their careers. Infant mortality and maternal morbidity rates in Newfoundland were nonetheless extremely high.
After World War I, new efforts were made to improve health care in Newfoundland, particularly for mothers and babies, resulting in the establishment of the Midwives Club in 1920 and the formation of the Child Welfare Association in 1921. The Midwives Club developed standards of health care for women who wished to practice midwifery, and weekly classes [in St. John's] were held for three months. The rest of the time the students practiced under the supervision of physicians and nurses. By 1925, 60 women, mostly nurses and practicing lay midwives, had completed training and were practicing within the guidelines of the Midwives Act of 1921, under which a Board was appointed to establish policies.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, lay midwifery, performed by women who rarely had formal training, remained a common practice until the 1920s and beyond. As late as 1923, there were only 40 doctors practicing outside of the Avalon Peninsula, even though the rural population amounted to about 70% of the total population. The midwife was virtually the only provider of maternity care for most women in rural Newfoundland. Indeed, she was often the general community "nurse" as well. Depending in part on the size of the community, there was often more than one midwife.
The typical Newfoundland midwife received no formal instruction in obstetrics and was generally not educated beyond the elementary school level. Training was usually by way of an apprenticeship to an older midwife from whom she received practical training and whatever folk medicine the older midwife knew. Midwifery skills were also passed on from mother to daughter or through self-education. The lay midwife was generally a married woman with a large family. Most did not begin practicing until their children were grown, usually in their mid-forties. Some began practicing out of necessity when their husbands died, midwifery being one of the few types of work available to women, while others did it simply as a community service.
The midwife's work involved not only giving prenatal advice and assisting at birth, but usually postnatal care as well, which often extended to doing the housework of the new mother. Services such as staying with the mother and baby after the delivery, disposing of the bedding upon which the birth had taken place, and daily checks on the mother and baby were also provided. The fee was quite small and was often paid in kind, when at all. Many Newfoundland midwives attended hundreds of healthy births during their careers. Infant mortality and maternal morbidity rates in Newfoundland were nonetheless extremely high.
After World War I, new efforts were made to improve health care in Newfoundland, particularly for mothers and babies, resulting in the establishment of the Midwives Club in 1920 and the formation of the Child Welfare Association in 1921. The Midwives Club developed standards of health care for women who wished to practice midwifery, and weekly classes [in St. John's] were held for three months. The rest of the time the students practiced under the supervision of physicians and nurses. By 1925, 60 women, mostly nurses and practicing lay midwives, had completed training and were practicing within the guidelines of the Midwives Act of 1921, under which a Board was appointed to establish policies.
Some History of Midwifery on Bell Island
Until the hospital opened on Bell Island in 1965, most babies were born at home. As in other Newfoundland outports, the mother-to-be would engage a local midwife to attend the birth, and then to assist with household chores for the next nine days, as it was traditional for the new mother to remain in bed for that length of time. Because of the mining company, we were fortunate to have several doctors at any one time during the mining years. By 1900, there were two mining companies and they each employed a doctor. There were also a number of private practice doctors who worked on the Island over the years.
Unless illness prevented her from doing so, the pregnant housewife continued doing all her usual daily chores right up until she went into labour. When she was ready to deliver, a midwife would attend her, with the doctor only arriving for the actual birth if it was considered necessary. Formal training for midwives became available in the 1920s when the government introduced a 3-month course. Before that, they would learn their trade the traditional way, by learning on the job from another midwife.
Unless illness prevented her from doing so, the pregnant housewife continued doing all her usual daily chores right up until she went into labour. When she was ready to deliver, a midwife would attend her, with the doctor only arriving for the actual birth if it was considered necessary. Formal training for midwives became available in the 1920s when the government introduced a 3-month course. Before that, they would learn their trade the traditional way, by learning on the job from another midwife.