A History of The Ginn Basic Readers

 Teaching children to read has a long history and educators differ about effective methods to use in beginning efforts. Even today, those arguments continue. It all started when American educators and parents argued over the best way to teach children how to read in schools nationwide. William McGuffey published phonics-based primers, which approached the reading method by sounding out words by learning letter and sound associations. These primers were in the hands of schoolchildren from the middle of the 19^th century to the early 20^th century.  

During the Progressive Era, many educators and social scientists believed the McGuffey Readers were too difficult for young children. They wanted a simpler approach, one that used limited vocabulary. They also believed it would be better to use contemporary children in a more modern setting that was relevant to children’s lives. 

After the Great War (World War I), John Dewey, William S. Gray, and others wrote those primers. They chose Zerna Sharp, a popular illustrator working with the Scott-Foresman publishing company as their illustrator, and a new series of primers arrived in the publishing world. The new books featured the same set of siblings engaged in normal daily activities with whom children of the times could identify in the stories. 

In 1930, the Dick and Jane characters were introduced in Scott-Foresman’s Elson-Gray Basic Readers. The books featured a special section for teachers explaining how they could adopt the whole word, or look-say method, to teach early readers. The new method emphasized the meaning of words rather than using rote phonics drills. The books constantly repeated the few words in the stories. This method replaced phonics. Each primer had a vocabulary list at the back of the book. Teachers were impressed, and school districts quickly adopted the reading primers.

 The Ginn Basic Readers. (Photo from the free images on the internet).

The new series used pictures to help readers associate a word with its meaning. The characters in the primers were Dick, Jane, Sally, Mother, Father, Spot the dog, Puff the cat, and Tim the teddy bear. Primers were used in schools nationwide into the 1970s, when politics played a big part in their demise.

 Titles such as The Little White House, My Little Red Reader, My Little Green Reader, My Little Blue Reader, Open the Gate, We Are Neighbors, On Cherry Street, Friends Far and Near, and Trails to Treasures helped children learn to read with interesting stories and settings.

 

The Little White House book. (Author photo).

Tom Betty and Susan, along with their mother and father and their pets, Flip the Dog, Frisky the Cat, and Pony, were introduced in the late 1940s in The Little White House, published by Ginn and Company. With this new series of primers designed for elementary students, the writers included workbooks and enrichment readers to scaffold the learning system. Teachers again quickly adapted to the new materials.

 

A peek inside The Little White House. (Author photos).

Edwin Ginn of Boston, Massachusetts, founded Ginn and Company. He almost lost his eyesight during college, and his fellow classmates read to him. To work his way through college, he sold textbooks to a publisher. By 1890, Ginn and Company was the sixth-largest publisher of textbooks. The other five were subsidiaries of The American Book Company, but Ginn refused to become a part of the group. Edwin Ginn died in 1914, and in his will, he left a million dollars to establish The World Peach Foundation. Later, Xerox bought the company.

 Looking through the old children’s primers is a joy to behold. The illustrations are endearing and quite the contrast of today’s world. There are no broken families, no violence or cruelty, and especially no sexual content. Tom, Betty, Susan, and all the other book characters enjoyed daily life in a world where families normally stayed together.

 If you’re looking for stories to read to your children and grandchildren, you might consider these early-day primers. They are solid and enjoyable stories. 

A History of Children's Primers: Fact and Story Readers

 I went to elementary school in the 1960s, and kindergarten was not offered, so I went right into first grade. One of the most important things I learned in school was how to read. When I learned phonics and how to combine sounds to make words, those words fired up my mind.

We didn't have high-tech gadgets that stole our time in those days. Even watching television and listening to the radio was limited because homework came first. The rule was that we got our homework finished, and then we could play.  

I spent a significant amount of my time reading or being read to. Those beautiful stories filled with adventures near and far away jump-started my curious and creative mind. Given a choice of playing ball with my brothers or reading a book, I chose the book. 

It all began with children's primers. After my paternal great-grandmother passed away, I found a few old books among her household items. Memories flooded me like a waterfall when I opened one of the primers. They were the stories she had read to me. I was delighted to look through it. I marveled at the Victorian artwork and decided to do a little research to see what I could find. 

One of the books, Fact and Story Readers, Book Two, was first published in 1930. The authors were Henry Suzzallo, George Freeland, Katherine McLaughlin, and Ada M. Skinner, all of whom were born in the late nineteenth century.

My copy of the Fact and Story Readers Book Two:

Suzzallo was the president of the University of Washington from 1915 to 1926. After being fired from that position, he served as the director of the National Advisory Committee of Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. When the book series was published, he was a visiting professor of education at Columbia University in NYC, where he received his degree. 

The lone illustrator was Ruth Mary Hallock, who died in 1945. The illustrations in the books are relief prints. The exciting illustration notes describe the book with color-printed reliefs called color chromoxylographs. 

A peek inside the book. The story of Polly and the Fairy. (Author photo).

The American Book Company was an educational book publisher formed in 1890 by consolidating four other publishing houses. After 1981, D.C. Heath and Company eventually took over the company. 

A descriptive side note to the Little Primer states that the books contain short stories about children at home, play, and work. The stories become progressively longer and more challenging to read. At the end of each story is a vocabulary list for students to review. Each story always holds a moral or a lesson to learn.

Inside the book: The story of Laddie the dog.  (Author photo).

One of the primers I own is Book 2, which includes poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. After each story, there are various comprehension questions, fill-in-the-blank sentences, or multiple-choice questions and answers. 

The primers are now part of the digitized children's historical literature collection in the University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division repository. Of course, you can find used copies online at eBay and Amazon, as well as at flea markets and used bookstores. 

THE HISTORY OF CEMETERIES & HEADSTONES

 Do you know that cemeteries and headstones hold a key in the study of history, religion, sociology, art history, and archaeology? They are truly an art form. The history of cemeteries is a fascinating look back at how society viewed death. In ancient times, funeral customs were often elaborate. From mound building, cremation, and rituals to placing simple wood markers at a burial site, it is interesting to learn about people’s beliefs concerning cemeteries.

A family plot of graves in Deepwood Cemetery, Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri:

Many mourners commemorated the dead during the Victorian era by developing a family cemetery plot on their private land. More desirable for others was cemeteries were built within the churchyard due to their belief that the closer one was buried to a church, the better the chances were of getting into heaven.

 Another family plot of graves in Deepwood Cemetery, Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri:

          

In the 19^th century, the rise of creating park-like cemeteries afforded those who dealt with death a peaceful place to visit and stay near their loved ones. The Victorians viewed cemeteries as recreational spots where they gathered and spent the day visiting one another and enjoying a picnic lunch. While visiting the cemetery where their beloved was buried, they shared their sorrows with each other.

 

I can’t cover the entire history of cemeteries in this post, so I encourage you to search websites about the subject if you’re interested. The history of cemeteries is a very interesting read!

Strolling around cemeteries is an interesting way to research the past. Besides finding the graves of family members and the information given on the headstones and footstones, other information found on the stones can help you understand who your ancestors were and what beliefs they held.

Look closely at the headstones, where there are carved symbols and epitaphs. An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person written on the headstone. The older the gravestones, the more elaborate the epitaphs are likely to be. Financial matters of the deceased's family was another factor when finding simple or elaborate stones. 

       

When a family was poor, they often placed a fieldstone at the head of their deceased’s grave instead of paying for a carved headstone. Over time, the fieldstone might be accidentally moved or settled into the ground, or eventually, grass covered it, and the grave may be lost forever.

           

This photo shows field stones marking the graves of unknown people.  

The history of headstones, also called tombstones and gravestones, is interesting. Originally, a tombstone was the stone lid to the coffin, and a gravestone was the stone slab that lay over a grave. Early headstone carvings were a skilled art form with elaborate decorations carved by stone carvers.

 

The carvers were tradesmen, and cutting stones was their occupation. As the tradesman’s skills grew, he might travel to the countryside, offering his work in the community. Victorian headstones were first carved from stone that attracted the growth of lichen and moss. Lichens and mosses are living growths that can damage gravestones, so they should be removed from the stone as soon as possible if you come across them.

 

Usually, the stone carvers were masons who built chimneys, foundations, and cellars. The carvers developed their lettering styles by studying their schoolbooks. Just as an artist has a distinct way of drawing or painting, the stone carvers had their own way of producing symbols and epitaphs. In years past, many people could not read. Therefore, the symbols carved on the headstones were visual reminders of who was buried in the grave and their beliefs.

           

Eventually, the process of making headstones evolved to the machine-produced ones seen in modern cemeteries. The stone choices have changed over time; today, polished marble or granite is the choice of material. Today’s gravestones can be just as elaborate as in the past.          

This little headstone marks the grave of a child. Symbols of lambs were often used.

This Memorial Day, or whenever you visit cemeteries to do research, pay attention to the design, art, symbols, and epitaphs found on headstones. In my next post, I’ll discuss headstone symbols and epitaphs, with photo examples that I’ve found during my cemetery excursions.

             

Memorial Day and Cemetery Research

 Memorial Day is coming soon, and folks will drive to local cemeteries to decorate their loved one’s graves. Why not make your trip a mini family history search if you have time? Cemetery research is essential for genealogy and is one of my favorite activities. An outing to cemeteries usually yields a lot of information on family history. But before you visit a cemetery to do research, you will need to plan ahead.

This large headstone has elaborate carvings. It's the headstone of a 4-year-old child. Notice the lamb on top, depicting a child's grave.

If you've never been to a particular cemetery, search online for it and read the given information. Sometimes, there may be locked gates that won’t allow access between certain times of the day and evening. Sometimes, the cemetery rules are posted at the site of the cemetery. During Memorial Day, there will probably be a group of volunteers manning an information table on the grounds and will gladly accept donations for cemetery upkeep.

Gather the necessary equipment. Your camera is the first item on the list! Include a flashlight (you never know when you may need it), a spiral notebook or other paper, a pen, a measuring tape, an old brush, clean rags, a jug of clean water, and a spray bottle of water with a bit of ammonia. I usually take gardening gloves and small pruning shears if I need to clear overgrown brush from around a headstone.

Wear appropriate clothing, as you will want to be comfortable bending over, walking, and possibly weeding around your family's gravestones. Wear sturdy walking shoes or boots; a sunhat might be handy in hot weather.

The above headstone is that of an African American man who lived with a family in SW Missouri. When he passed, they erected the small stone in his memory. My brother found it and called my attention to it. I researched and found out information about Ike. He was born in NW Arkansas. 

If bird droppings are on the headstone, use water and a soft brush to clean it. If lichens or mosses cover the gravestone, spray the ammonia water directly on them and wait a few minutes, then carefully brush the growth off. Lichen and moss damage headstones, so get rid of them immediately. After removal, spray water on the stone and wipe with rags until dry. Try not to scrape or scratch the stone.

This headstone is a modern one with an epitaph on the back. 

Using your notebook and pen, record all the information on the headstone, noting any symbols depicting fraternities or organizations and including the writing on them. Use your camera to take photos of all sides of the gravestone and wide-angle shots capturing other graves surrounding it. Note the sun and ensure the glare does not block or shadow any portion of the stone. Also, photograph the cemetery gate, signs, and other identifying markers. 

Use the measuring tape to measure the gravestone and describe it accurately. Also, write down the direction and distance of the graves and where they are located within the cemetery so you can easily find them again. 

This headstone is an obelisk or spire. 

Remember to use safety when going on a cemetery excursion. Go with a friend or family member. Always ensure you have enough gas in your vehicle. Carry your cell phone with you (there may not be reception in remote areas). And always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. 

These two headstones are for a man and his wife. They are huge, with triple bases and lots of adornment.

If you drive to a remote cemetery in the hills and hollows, be alert to your surroundings and the terrain, and always watch for snakes or other wild animals. Keep track of your time and stay within your time constraints. Another factor to consider is the weather. Be prepared; sudden thunderstorms can be dangerous. 

Use Memorial Day weekend to do a little family history research. My next blog post will be about cemetery and headstone history. I wish you a safe Memorial Day!

             

             

 

Book Review ~ When Hope Sank by Denise Weimer

 Denise Weimer’s new novel has just been released! When Hope Sank is part of a new series from Barbour Publishing. The story is based on the true sinking of the Civil War steamship Sultana in 1865 in Arkansas on the Mississippi River. The ship carried over 1,500 men; many did not survive the explosion and the churning frigid waters of the river. The hero, Cade Palmer, is a surgeon, but his wounds may not allow him to return to his life’s calling. Cade is taken to Lily Livingston’s family inn. The area is rich with opposing loyalties and risk at every turn. Lily plays a significant role in the danger that is lurking. This is a tale of tragedy, mystery, and danger, along with faith, hope, and love. I enjoyed reading a fresh view of the American Civil War, not on land but on water. This is book No. 3 in the series A Day to Remember. Based on American disasters published by Barbour Books. Find it on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/When-Hope-Sank-April-Remember   For some reason I can't get the link to copy! 

I'm a friend of Denise Weimer and always read and review her books. I received a copy of When Hope Sank in exchange for an honest review, and she autographed it for me.  

                     

 

 

It's The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread!

 THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD 

Once upon a time, there was no such thing as buying pre-sliced bread. 

 But in 1928, Otto Rohwedder invented an automatic commercial bread slicer machine. The machine was used in Frank Bench’s Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri. The loaves of freshly sliced bread were an immediate hit with customers.

By 1930, Rohwedder’s Mac-Roh Company sold the patent for its bread slicer to the Continental Baking Company. The company sold its sliced bread under the Wonder Bread label, and consumers loved the convenience of this new food item. It gave their bread knives a rest! 

During World War 2, on January 18, 1943, the U.S. government banned bakeries from using the machines and the wax paper to wrap it in. They claimed the machines were too expensive to use and bakeries would save money and pass the savings on to consumers. Restaurants, hotels, and dining cars on railroads were given 60 days to prepare to stop using the slicing machines.

The decision caused a frenzy among everyone, especially American housewives. Housewives complained and wrote letters to their governing agencies, and many businesses risked paying fines if they were caught using bread-slicing machines. Eventually, the ban on sliced bread only caused a decrease in bakery sales, so it was lifted on March 8, 1943.

Chillicothe, a small town in Missouri, claims a slice of history that changed the lives of Americans forever. And that’s why we hear the phrase, “That's the best thing since sliced bread.”

 Resources:

5 Inventions That Came Out of the Great Depression — History Facts

The best loan since sliced bread | National Museum of American History

The Time the U.S. Government Banned Sliced Bread | Mental Floss

Settling in the Sunflower State: Briers, Dettmers, and Hammontrees

My paternal great-grandmother, Ollie Johnson Utter Brier, married Bill Brier in 1921. The Brier family immigrated from Germany and settled in Kansas. Bill’s parents, Herman and Dora (Dettmer), and their many family members came to the United States in the 1880s and settled around Liberal and Emporia in Southwestern Kansas. This photo shows Bill holding a child and members of his family. 

The Dettmer family left Hamburg, Germany, on the ship Wieland in February 1885 and arrived in New York in March. The Briers came around that same time. Coming to America on the great steamers was a hope-filled trip for those who crossed the waters to land in New York on American soil. Finding those records of your family who sailed to America can be daunting and time-consuming.

Bill’s parents were farmers and acquired an abundance of land. They raised mainly wheat. Herman Brier died from consumption when he was 27 years old. He left his wife and three children, Anna, Bill, and Edward. Dora remarried eleven years later. 

I found the families using genealogical records, Newspapers.com, and Find a Grave online. Most of them farmed the land, some owned businesses, especially restaurants, and most of the men who were able fought in the Great War. A few of their friends never came home from France. 

The Briers and Dettmers were exceptionally social, attending various community events. Newspaper accounts talk about their active lives; they were constantly out and about doing charitable deeds in the community and visiting friends. 

Bill’s sister, Anna, was a schoolteacher in Liberal, Kansas. She had many friends and enjoyed social events with her Brier and Dettmer cousins, Anna Mae, Dora, Mary, Clara Hammontree, and others. Anna married Grant Webber in a double ceremony with her brother, Edward, on June 1, 1914. She had two children. Grant died four years after marriage, and she remarried Albert McLeod. She and Great Grandma Ollie held each other in high regard. I remember Anna and Albert. We visited them on their Kansas farm in Sublette. Anna and Al came to visit me in Neosho, Missouri. I have letters that she wrote telling me about her family history. Anna died in 1979.  Here is a photo of Anna. 

Clara Hammontree married Edward Brier in a double wedding ceremony with his sister, Anna, on June 1, 1914. They had five children. Ed died in 1930, and Clara married again in 1931. In this photo, Grandma Ollie is the woman on the left, Clara, and unknown. Bill is bottom left, and Ed is on the right. 

The Hammontrees were socialites from Arkansas who moved to Kansas at the turn of the century. There, Ed met Clara. Ed joined the Navy at the same time Bill did. Ed and Bill were the “Brier Boys” in the community. They enjoyed outings and get-togethers. Here are photos of the family. 

                                

Lyla Brier married Frank Sprague and had three boys and one daughter. Her daughter, Louise Sprague, was a schoolteacher. She joined the Army in April 1943 and served as an aviation cadet in the Women’s Army Corps for four years. She never married and died in 1992 in Emporia, Kansas. This is Louise.

Anna Mae, Mary, and Dora Dettmer always helped, worked, and connected with the community in some way. Anna Mae Dettmer was a Red Cross nurse. She married Elijah Wright and had one son. Anna Mae died in 1980 in Liberal, Kansas. This is Anna Mae and her mother. 

                             

Dora Dettmer was a Kansas schoolteacher. She married Leonard Young; they had no children. She died in 1999 in Liberal, Kansas. This is Dora. 

Anna Dettmer, an aunt of Anna Mae and Dora, married Dr. Howard Marsh. They had one daughter. Dr. Marsh died when he was 45. Anna never married again. 

The Modlin family were neighbors of my great-grandmother Ollie’s family in Southwest Missouri and became great friends. Ollie’s sister married William Modlin, and Lydia Modlin Fitzgerald remained friends with Ollie and Bill Brier for years. Here are photos of Lydia, Ancil, and Bill. 

          

Bill and Ollie loved baseball; he played for the town team in Liberal, Kansas. He was an aggressive player who played very well as a pitcher, fielder, first baseman, etc. In 1921, he was hailed as “The Babe Ruth” because he got a number of hits off the pitcher. Here is Ollie and Bill.

On June 5, 1917, Bill, Ed, and many others registered for the military. The newspapers reported it was a solemn day in the community as wartime efforts began to build. Olive green armbands were distributed to those who came for the food drives and Red Cross funds. The draft lists were updated in a timely manner for those who were being called to the Great War. May 15, 1918, a new draft list was released, Bill’s number was 470, so he enlisted in the United States Navy the next day. Eight days later, the town gave the men a sendoff with flags flying, a band playing, and prayers as they left for Kansas City, Missouri. Bill served as a gunner’s mate in the Navy until January 30, 1919, when he received his discharge. Here are a few photos from my great-grandmother’s collection.

  

                     

During my family history research, I spent hours finding newspaper articles about my families on Newspapers.com. It is delightful to learn how they lived life to the fullest in the Sunflower State, and I’m happy that my great-grandmother was a part of their lives.

 Resources

Home - Kansas Historical Society (kshs.org)

https://2nd-division.com/_div.units/17th.fa/17th.fa.media.htm#:~:tex

 https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums

 https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/world-war-

The 2nd Division A. E. F. — Chronology of the 17th Field Artillery (2nd-division.com)

Women's History Month ~ Ozarks Hills and Hollows Granny Women

My 2nd great-grandmother, Nancy Smith Johnson, was a Granny Woman. She practiced midwifery and the healing arts in the hills and hollows of Donald County, Missouri. Her obituary notes, "The nights were never too dark nor the times too hard for Nancy Johnson to willingly lend a helping hand in time of need. She could count the dozens of babies she helped into the world and the lives she practically saved. Her cheerful disposition and pleasant smile made her most enjoyable to all around her."

Nancy was short and petite, with black hair, a thin face, a sharp jutting chin, and high cheekbones. She bore five children: Chloe Adele, Eva Oder, Otis Benjamin, Ollie Francis, and Osie May. She passed away in 1949 at Rocky Comfort, Missouri. Her parents were Benjamin Franklin and Anna Smith. Here is a photo of her with her daughter, Ollie. 

 

Her Smith family sailed from England to settle in the British Colonies before migrating to Northern Missouri. Here is a photo of the Benjamin Smith family.

In 1943, her daughter, Ollie, returned to the old home place to care for Nancy. This photo is of Nancy, her husband, Tom, Ollie, Ollie's son and two sons. The little boy standing is my father. 

Women have always been the backbone of families. They served many roles, including caring for their children, husbands, elderly parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends. Homemakers did not need a job outside the home, for homemaking included everything from making soap and doing the laundry to caring for the needy and the ill to helping perform the farm work when needed.  

 

In days long gone, women learned from their mothers and grandmothers how to care for the sick and help bring babies into the world. Their medicine usually came from the earth; the plants, flowers, and trees provided remedies to cure the sick and afflicted.

 

The most knowledgeable and experienced of these women were healers and midwives, often called Granny Women. They were known everywhere for their giving service and helping hands. Folks depended upon them to come when the need arose, and they relied on the Granny Woman's unique knowledge of herbs, roots, and concoctions. Those women had the skills and the wisdom to use the native plants for healing.

 

In the early days, doctors sometimes traveled a great distance to reach a patient, which was a hindrance for the gravely ill. Before the turn of the century, many doctors needed to be trained about germs and their deadly consequences. The states lacked standardized licensing requirements, and the quality of their education varied, so their medical practices were managed with crude effectiveness. 

 

Many women preferred the familiar Granny Woman to treat them with mild herbal remedies and deliver their babies. Traditional midwives met the concern for modesty during the birthing process, an important consideration in areas where the use of male doctors might offend an entire community.

 

 Some midwives carried a "midwife's book" to reference when complicated childbirth procedures arose. Sometimes, they used superstitious rituals to give mothers psychological relief, such as having the mother hold something that belonged to her husband to symbolically bring him into the delivery room. Their use of herbal remedies and teas helped speed up the birth process. Still, they might also use morphine tablets or quinine if the medicine was available.

 

 After the baby's birth, the Granny Woman might stay a week or longer to help with the housework and allow the new mother time to heal.

 

 Many times, Granny Women were not paid with money. Instead, they accepted whatever offering the family could provide at the time, possibly giving her meat or chickens, vegetables from the garden, or enough material to make a dress. If the family had nothing, that was all right, too.

 

As midwives became certified within their home state, they could charge money to attend births. The going rate in 1906 was $3.00. Granny Women knew how to prepare herbs, roots, tree bark, and other native plants and flowers to make healing ointments, teas, poultices, and concoctions. 

 

For example, Southwest Missouri Ozarks midwives combined sage, peppermint, black walnut, slippery elm bark, pokeroot, horseradish, elderberries, and dill weed with honey, black strap molasses, lard, onions, vinegar, and whiskey to make tonics, potions, plasters, poultices, and teas. Many a child with an earache had tobacco smoke blown into their ears as a cure. (I’m one of those children.)

 

The Missouri Medical College was initially organized in 840 as the Medical Department of Kemper College. It was the first medical school established west of the Mississippi River. In 1845, it became the Medical Department of the University of Missouri. There are a few midwives listed on the Missouri History Program website, all of whom lived in St. Louis, Missouri, for the years 1888-1892.

 

The American Medical Association was founded in 1847, and doctors eventually began to resent midwives. They looked upon the granny women as competition for business. The medical profession grew and insisted upon education, standard examination procedures, and licensing requirements for all practicing physicians. Doctors waged a campaign throughout the nation to run midwives out of business. They portrayed the women as being ignorant of medical procedures and lacking cleanliness.

 

Even though European countries were establishing schools of midwifery, American doctors were refusing to admit women to medical schools. When the American Medical Association demanded that all people practicing medicine be trained and licensed, midwifery was demolished.  

 

However, Granny Women continued to use their skills to serve their communities into the twentieth century. Ozark's folklorists have collected information about these women and their healing practices.

 

Until the New Deal programs and World War II changed the region's financial system and transportation, bad roads and the lack of money forced most country people to rely on native remedies prepared by the family's womenfolk.

 

Eventually, pregnant women began to enter hospitals to give birth, and Granny Women went by the wayside. The science of medicine scoffed at the nurturing and holistic care midwives provided for their family, friends, and neighbors.

 

The era of women's healing art in domestic medicine is now history. But if we look closely into our family history, we will find Granny Women.             

 

Among the McDonald County Historical Museum acquisitions, I found a midwife certificate. Issued on October 20, 1884, at the State Board of Health in Hannibal, Missouri, it certifies that Mrs. Delphia Hall Laughlin had practiced midwifery for ten years and was legally authorized to practice in the state. Laughlin received her certificate at Powell, Missouri, on January 1, 1885.

 

Today, midwifery is an internationally recognized profession. The American College of Nurse-Midwives includes the primary health care of women and their newborn children. A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) is a woman who is educated in nursing and midwifery and who has certification according to the requirements of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. 

 

The nurse-midwifery practice manages women's health care, focusing on pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, care of the newborn, and the family planning and gynecological needs of women. The Certified Nurse-Midwife practices within a health care system that provides consultation, collaborative management, or referral as shown by the client's health status.

 

Despite the evolution of medicine, Granny Women continued to practice the healing arts that had been handed down from mother to daughter. Instilled in the women, they did whatever was necessary to care for their family and friends, in sickness and health. 

 

The herb garden was grown right alongside the vegetable garden. In the fields and woods, native plants, trees, and flowers grew abundantly, offering healing properties for those who gathered and gleaned. 

 

In this modern world, some scoff at and become quite angry with the thought of people seeking holistic health and "folk," "home," or "natural" remedies. And, of course, after doctors spend countless years of study and pay for it all, they do not want to hear of someone seeking backwoods cures. 

 

But herbs are a big industry. Herbal stores and natural food stores run a brisk business. Women have always known how to care for themselves. I remember my grandmothers using herbs and plants to put a meal on the table and to heal what ailed us. I remember the herb garden near the smokehouse in the old home. I'm proud to have documentation of a Granny Woman in my family history, and I celebrate my 2^nd great-grandmother, Nancy Smith Johnson.

 

References for this article

Missouri History Museum: Genealogy and Local History Index

Missouri Medical College (http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/missouri); an online workshop, "Herbal Lore and The Historic Medicinal Uses of Herbs"

The obituary of Nancy Johnson from the Wheaton Journal on DVD, courtesy of the MO Historical Society, of which I own a copy 

Disclaimer: In writing this article, I make no claims to persuade people to choose folk remedies over a medical doctor should a person have an illness. I write historical articles about exciting topics and especially enjoy researching women and history. With that in mind, I will give you information about midwifery in Southwest Missouri.  

Women's History Month ~ Wars, Working, and Everyday Life

The families of Laney, Paris, Garoutte, Reynolds, Bisel, and James are on my mother’s paternal side. I found a lot of family history records, documents, and photographs on the Laneys and Garouttes, but not much is found about the Paris family line. 

Laney originated in Ireland in its original Gaelic form of O’Dubshlaine and was first recorded in history about 950 A.D. They emigrated to Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. From there, William Dayton Laney, my 2^nd great-grandfather, came to Barry County. He married Nancy Ellen Paris in 1878 in Greene County, Missouri. William was a noted preacher of the Gospel and one of Barry County’s early settlers. After he lost his eyesight in 1925, he retired. In 1929, when he turned 71, a dinner was held in his honor, and 51 of his children, grand and great-grandchildren attended. He died in 1938, and Nancy Ellen Paris Laney died in 1947. Here is a photo of them.

Paris is French and English, a variant of Patrice, Patricius, meaning nobleman. Nancy Ellen Paris Laney’s family is hard to trace; little is found about them. I can only go back to Kentucky; from there, they came to Republic, Greene County, Missouri. Nancy had three sisters and two brothers. Nothing recorded yet that I have found in researching them. 

Nancy Angeline Laney (my 2^nd great-grandaunt) married Andrew Preston Humble in 1894; their grandson, Edgar Leon Rauch, was a singer with the original Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Bob Wills founded Western Swing Music and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968. Leon was dubbed the last great vocalist, and another band member kept the music alive until 2018. Some of the Wills band songs are deep in the Heart of Texas and San Antonio Rose. Edgar was my 2^nd cousin, 2x removed. 

The Garoutte family name was originally from the Accoules, a part of Marseille, France. They descend from a Garoutte soldier who came with French troops fighting for the independence of America. After the war, he settled in New Jersey, then emigrated west, staying in the Springfield/Billings area in the Ozarks. My 3^rd great-grandmother, Sophia Garoutte, married John Laney, and they raised eight boys and five girls. One of Sophia’s daughters, Missouri Laney, married Zachary Biggs and suffered a troubled marriage. Biggs left her, and in the U.S., in the Federal Censuses, in 1900, she was listed as a widow. However, Biggs was very much alive and living in Oklahoma. Missouri was sent at age 57 to the Nevada Hospital #3 Insane Asylum, where she died in 1919 at age 66. They gathered for a Garoutte family reunion in 1900 in Billings, Mo. Here are photos

                 

Jane Reynolds, my 4^th great-grandmother, married Samuel J. Garoutte and had a large family. They stayed in the Springfield and Billings areas in Missouri. Thomas Garoutte, my 7^th great-grandfather, was a preacher who rode a circuit route for the Methodist Church. Henry Garoutte served in the Revolutionary War and carried supplies to the troops. The women were homemakers and raised large families. Here are photos of the Garouttes

                     

                                  

         

They established a Garoutte Cemetery in Republic, Greene, Missouri, where many of the Garouttes and Laneys are buried. 

I celebrate Women’s History Month with this side of my mother’s family. Not much was recorded about the women, but they assuredly kept the home fires burning when their men were off at war, worked continually about the farm, birthed many children, and withstood it all until they were called home. 

Resources:

MacLysaght, Edward. Irish Families, Irish Academic Press; 4th edition (January 1, 1998).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Antoine_Garoutte

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