A Midwife's Tale - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Sub-title: The Life of Martha Ballard, based on her Diary 1785-1812

Since I've immersed myself in genealogy over the last couple of years, I've upped my interest in history.  This book was recommended as insight to the lives of women in the early years of the United States.  The author transcribed sections directly from the diaries of Martha, a midwife in Hallowell, Maine.  She then analyzes the transcript to interpret Martha's day to day living.  It's a unique look at how women lived and prospered in early colonial America.  There are few other writings that provide this level of detail. 

Martha was not a writer; she was basically keeping a log of her work and travels for tracking purposes.  But her story sheds light on so much of the day to day struggles and attitudes of the time.  In 27 years she attended 816 births.  The book covers those births as well as religious groups of the time and legal and criminal activities.  A great read for a history nut.

Published:  1999   Read:  January 2018   Genre: History