Two of my books, These Healing Hills and An Appalachian Summer have Frontier Nursing Service history. Mary Breckinridge established this service in Leslie County, Kentucky in the 1920’s with a vision of bringing better healthcare to mothers and children. Mrs. Breckinridge had a heart for children and she put feet to her dreams and made a difference in the lives of many of the mountain people she and her nurse midwives served. At the time, few roads went up into the hills of Eastern Kentucky and most women depended on granny midwives to help them deliver their babies. But the Frontier Nursing Service changed that by giving mothers prenatal care, staying with them in their cabins until their babies were safely delivered and then following up with postnatal care too.
My stories were set in 1945 (These Healing Hills) and then 1933 (An Appalachian Summer). But midwives rode up into the hills to deliver babies years after that. At a library event where I talked about These Healing Hills, a reader told me about a woman who had been a nurse midwife for the service in the 1960’s and offered to introduce me if I wanted to meet her. Of course, I wanted to meet her even though I’d already written my story. I did have the idea of writing another story about the service, but even if I hadn’t had that thought, I still wanted to meet Alice. And what a treat that turned out to be.
Alice was in her nineties when she invited me to come visit her in a nearby town. She had her slide projector set up when I got there and took me on a tour of her time as a midwife, first in Eastern Kentucky with the Frontier Nursing Service riding out on horses to her patients and then in Alaska going by dogsled to deliver babies. Alice was ready for anything and handled most anything that came her way, including once popping a bear in the nose when it was bothering a new litter of pups. I doubt Alice ever backed down from any challenge.
While she was in Eastern Kentucky she decided she wanted a snake skin belt. So what does she do? She kills her a rattlesnake by grabbing it and giving it a whip-like jerk. Then she skins it. I asked her if she still had the belt and she admitted that her dog got the skin and ruined her belt making ideas. If you’ve read An Appalachian Summer, you might remember that I borrowed Alice’s snake skin story to let one of my Frontier Nursing characters have the same experience.
Alice had some amazing stories of her time as a Frontier Service midwife, but as you can see in the next picture, what she loved best was bringing babies safely into the world. She called this baby her big baby boy as he was the biggest baby she delivered in the mountains.
It was great talking to Alice and hearing her experiences with Mrs. Breckinridge. She reinforced what I’d read in my research that Mary Breckinridge wasn’t one to hear “I can’t.” And so, when she asked Alice to build a small clinic, Alice went to work and built this little clinic even though she’d never built anything before. She did say she got a little help from some local men with the roof, but by the time she told me about this, I was ready to believe this little woman could do anything she set her mind to do.
She loved animals and once had a pet wolf. When I knew her, she was still volunteering at a spay and neuter clinic and she had three, or maybe it was four, dogs of her own. Her small house was like a museum of Frontier Nursing history with pictures on every wall along with books about the service and memorabilia of her time there and in Alaska. I was quite honored that she had my books on a favorite shelf. When I sent her a copy of An Appalachian Summer a year or so later, she said she sat right down and read it through. She missed the Frontier Nursing Service when she had to leave because of a family illness. So she drew pictures of her memories of those years and showed she had artistic talent too.
Sometimes you meet a person who has lived life to the fullest and helped so many people along the way. Alice was that kind of person. She met every challenge that came her way, but the one challenge she wasn’t able to defeat was cancer. But then, maybe she defeated it her own way by heading on up to heaven late last year. I do hope the Lord had something for her to do when she got there because Alice wasn’t the kind of woman to sit down and rest. She needed those challenges and ways to help others.
Alice never wanted anyone to make over her and tell her she had done anything extraordinary even though she had. That’s why I haven’t written about her here on my blog until now. I hope she’d think I did her right with this post, and I was very glad when she thought I got things right in my Frontier Nursing stories.
Have you ever known a person like Alice who was always meeting challenges and living life to the fullest?
Comments 32
Hello! I thought I “sent” a comment earlier but will try again! I just love the Frontier Nursing stories! They are so inspiring and after reading Mary Breckinridge’s autobiography I am always looking for more of their stories.
Would you consider writing another one?
Love your books – such a blessing to have inspiring clean Christian fiction – thank you!
Author
I did enjoy writing about the Frontier Nurse midwives, Kelli. Right now I don’t have another story about them planned, but I don’t like saying never. Better to say maybe and hope another story comes to mind.
I do very much appreciate you reading my stories. I like being able to write books that reach out to those readers like you who want Christian stories.
My great grandma was a midwife, she delivered my mom! ( which was her own daughter’s baby)When I was very young, my parents rented my Great grandparents house while they were living out of state, for a couple of years. My Great Grandma lived well into her 90’s, she was still alive to see many of her great-great grandkids including my son. He was four or five when she passed away. For about 2 years, we leaved about a mile or so away from her. We’d put my son in the stroller, and go for a walk to see my great grandma. Reading about Alice, reminded me of my Great grandma.
Author
Sounds as if your great grandma was a strong woman like Alice. I’m guessing a daughter would be happy to have her mother helping her deliver a baby. And how great to be able to get to know your great grandmother, Jolynn. Thanks for sharing about her.
This is such a wonderful story, especially in this uncertain time of chaos and confusion. The world seems upside down. You posted a great story of a woman who lived life fully, something we all should do. I enjoy reading about midwives and your books Ann are always inspiring and interesting.
Author
Thank you, Elaine. I’m glad you enjoyed reading about Alice and even happier that you’ve enjoyed some of my stories. We do all need to embrace live and look for the blessings that shower down on us all the time.
Lovely tribute to an amazing woman. I am so glad you were able to meet her. Any chance for a Book #3?
Author
I’ve not thought about writing a 3rd Frontier Nursing story, but I wouldn’t say never. My next book is back in the mountains about the packhorse librarians. I have enjoyed writing my mountain characters.
What an amazing woman. I love this story. I haven’t gotten to reach An Appalachian Summer yet, but I loved These Healing Hills. I’m looking forward to sitting by my fireplace and having a good book and some hot tea 💕
Author
Once you get all that house finished up, Debbie, you and John are going to enjoy some down time by that beautiful fireplace. A good book and a cup of tea sounds good to me.
I need to interview you sometimes for a post here, if you would like that, to see how you got started in working with glass. Not sure that’s the right word. Maybe I should say how you developed as an artist.
This is the best blog post ever! I love learning interesting facts like this! Now, I’ve got to go look up those books! Thanks!
Susan in NC
Author
I’m so glad you liked reading about Alice, Susan. She was a unique individual. I really thought she’d live to be one hundred, but I guess the Lord was ready for her before that. I hope when you get a chance to read my Frontier Nursing midwife stories you’ll enjoy them and think about the women like Alice who went into the hills and saved mothers’ and babies’ lives.
Yes, Susan. I’ve read them both and they are excellent! In fact, I haven’t read a book by Ann that I haven’t enjoyed! 😊
Author
What a very kind thing to say, Karen. Thank you for that and for reading my stories.
I read both of those books, and enjoyed them very much.
Author
Thank you so much, Marlene. I do appreciate you reading my books and I’m so glad you liked my mountain midwife stories.
What an amazing opportunity to meet her. Wonderful stories she must have had.
Author
Alice did have so many wonderful stories. Linda. I could have listened to her for a couple of days straight and she would have had more to tell. I found her Alaska adventures as interesting as her Frontier Nursing stories.
What a wonderful opportunity you had, getting to meet Alice and hear her stories. I’m so glad you shared her with us.
Author
I’m glad you liked reading about Alice, Kathy. I did feel blessed to be able to visit with her. She was very unassuming and didn’t want people to say she’d done anything extraordinary even though I felt she had. Those years in the Frontier Nursing Service were years she treasured.
Loved reading about Alice. My great grandmother was a midwife and they say she knit while walking to deliver babies. I think that’s amazing!
Author
That is amazing, Ola. I can’t knit sitting still, but she obviously was an accomplished multi-tasker. Did they say what she knitted? Was it for the babies she delivered? An interesting tidbit about the Frontier Nursing Service was that they gave each new baby a layette of soft clothes since sometimes the families didn’t have any resources to get baby clothes. Donors from all over the country bought those baby clothes and sent them to Eastern Kentucky.
What an absolutely amazing story about an amazing woman! This has to be one of my favorite of your blogs! Thank you for sharing Alice with us. I’ll have to find her in Heaven and hear more stories!
Author
She did have stories to tell, Judi, and I’m sure she’ll be glad to share some of them with you when you meet in heaven. As I told Karen, a writer friend is doing her best to write Alice’s story. If that happens, then we’ll all get to hear many more stories.
Of course, I didn’t share all the stories she told me. So here’s one more quick one. She said she delivered a baby in one of the cabins up in the hills and afterwards, in payment, the mother wanted to give her a duck. Before Alice could refuse, the mother told one of her little girls to get the duck out from under the bed where they must have been bedded down. Alice was surprised that she helped bring a baby into the world in a bed with ducks under it.
What an amazing story about a remarkable lady! And how fun to get to meet her! Like Lisa mentioned, I’m curious about whether she had family. If so, I hope they shared her pictures and memories with a museum in order to preserve a slice of Appalachian history.
Thanks for sharing her story with your readers, Ann. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Have a great week. Even though it’s a black and white, dreary kind of day, the snow is still beautiful. I have to admit that I’m hoping to see my crocus blooms soon, though!
Author
I really don’t know what happened to Alice’s keepsakes and memorabilia, but I do know that the niece was in contact with the Frontier Nursing University. So perhaps some of her items were preserved. My books that I had given Alice went to one of her special friends. So I was happy about that.
As I told Lisa in an earlier comment, Alice never married and didn’t have any children of her own. But she had plenty of babies. I need to find my notes to see how many babies she said she delivered, but 2,000 is the number that comes to mind. That seems like an amazing number, so I could be wrong. I’ll have to find those notes I took to be sure.
What a beautiful story about an amazing woman! Thank you!!!
Author
So glad you enjoyed reading about Alice. I was only sorry I didn’t get to make another trip to see her. One of my writing friends is doing her best to write Alice’s story. If that happens, you’ll certainly read about it here.
What an interesting story about Alice’s nursing history in Kentucky and Alaska! She obviously had skills and a servant’s heart, which, I’m sure, were much appreciated! Yes, I’ve known such people with a servant’s heart who shared their skills. I’m thinking of a nurse named Joyce, who just passed away from COVID complications. She was instrumental in starting a program of free mammograms for women who cannot afford to pay for mammograms and who do not have insurance. After retiring from a nursing career in the area of breast health, she volunteered at a local mission serving the needy to screen those who qualified for the free mammograms. For years, she conducted a support group for women with breast cancer and faithfully prayed for those women. She even hosted trips to see plays. A number of years ago, she lost the normal use of her legs and continued to minister and volunteer in her wheel chair. Like Alice, Joyce is a wonderful example of a Christ-like, caring servant trying to make life better for others.
Author
Joyce does sound like the same kind of amazing woman as Alice, Suzanne. What a blessing to all of us that such women with those servant hearts see needs and do what they can to fix things. So sorry that she was one of the Covid-19 victims.
Thank you for telling us about Alice.I love the stories and the pictures.You sure could tell she loved her job…and those babies.Did she have her own family/ children?
Author
Alice was a truly amazing woman. She was in the army before she decided to train as a midwife. She never married but said she adopted a couple of young women when they were in nursing school. There was a reason but I didn’t exactly understand what she meant when she talked about that. She had a sister she took care of in her elder years and had a niece who took care of Alice when she was going through her cancer and final days.