A lady friend, Mrs. Tipton of Umpqua, gave me a book about a year ago (or so). I have been so busy, that I am just now picking it up. And I have no time now for it, to be honest!! If you are interested in history, or women’s studies, or just plain “human” interactions within a community in a certain time, I suppose this is your book. It is based on a real life. It represents a woman who was a midwife in colonial New England. Better, for me, in Hallowell, Maine, very, VERY close to where my people come from. There are people that are named in the book, because the book is a diary that woman quite educated for her time, kept — some of those people, I am related to. Imagine the joy, when I realized that I was, by accident, and through a gift of generosity, and shared love of people and history, that I discovered this little fact. I read on, and a Moore family, is mentioned in the book. I still need to investigate it — but, with the knowledge that I have of the Moore family that is attached to the Floed-Lane House in Roseburg, and the Moore family mentioned in the book, are probably extensions of the very same family. My world becomes ever smaller as I piece these puzzles together. A book like this is a dream come true for a person like me. I soak this up. While this woman, Martha Ballard, was working the country side and delivering some 800 babies, my great great grandparents, were RIGHT there…. having children, working their farms, and carrying on the daily business of their life. The book is based in Hallowell, Maine. My people were only an hour away. And since my people came from the ‘south’ (New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts) – and the common mode of transportation for both areas were the Kennebec River, there is a good chance, that Martha and my folks were aware of each other- at least. Knowing that this story does not represent just a woman in Maine, and in colonial New England, but represents women from all ages, and cultures in many ways, it is fascinating to me. Knowing that it has won the Pulitzer prize, just ads to the luster of the whole situation. It gives me a very, very accurate window in which to place my very own history. And gives me a way to “walk” where my people walked. I wish, I could give everyone in my family a copy, especially all females! I believe in understanding what our ancestors had to go through –so that we might more appreciate what they went through to make our world what it is today. And so that I can understand what makes me, me. It is called, “A Midwives Tale.” The main character, a real person, is Martha Ballard. It was written in 1990 and from 1785 to 1812. And it is most certainly a GOOD read!
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